The Foreign Service Journal, October 2015

18 OCTOBER 2015 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL FSOs. At more than one embassy, people assumed I was in the Foreign Service, for why else would I be there? That view is harmful to comity between the services, and it runs counter to the training we’ve all had that warns against profiling peers in other countries. While some Foreign Affairs Day speakers did acknowledge the role of the Civil Service in the formulation and implementation of foreign policy, especially in embassy country teams, the State Civil Service contingent was depicted mainly as a side note. Instead, the emphasis was on Foreign Service officers and chiefs of mission as the face of U.S. diplomacy, an image that has been stale for a couple of decades. Please understand that I am not being critical of the Foreign Service, which continues to be vital to U.S. diplo- macy. However, it is long past time for us to treat the Civil Service and Foreign Service as equal partners. Not only does that approach reflect reality, but it will freshen our policy development and the management of programs. With that in mind, here are some spe- cific institutional changes State should consider: • Allow FAOs the opportunity to convert directly to the Foreign Service at equal rank. • Give FAOs greater access to foreign postings, especially hardship posts, and consider them for ambassadorships. • Develop an agenda for the 2016 Foreign Affairs Day that constructively explores how the two services can more effectively evolve together. • Treat Foreign Service and Civil Service professionals as equal partners, and include the latter in the National Museum of American Diplomacy. It’s only fair. n It is long past time for us to treat the Civil Service and Foreign Service as equal partners.