The Foreign Service Journal, October 2015

Only two years ago, the Foreign Agricultural Service switched from a Foreign Ser- vice recruitment system that relied completely on internal hires to one that recruited officers from both inside and outside the federal govern- ment. A refreshing group of tal- ented outside hires has since been added to an equally bright cadre from inside FAS. The first wave of Foreign Ser- vice officers recruited through the new system has received basic economic and agricul- ture training and will start to arrive at overseas posts this year. New Opportunities The revamped officer- intake system offers several opportunities for FAS, the largest being an occasion to reinvigorate the focus on professionalism among FAS FSOs. Instilling a sense of pro- Reinvigorating the FAS Esprit de Corps THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | OCTOBER 2015 51 fessional pride must be one of our top priorities in training our future leaders to meet internal challenges and the increasingly competitive inter- national trading environment faced by our constituents. In the past, new FAS employees had to work for a minimum of 18 months before they could even apply to be FSOs; many spent years as civil servants prior to joining the Foreign Service. Conse- quently, our small, but distinct FSO community shared a strong cultural connection to FAS, but lacked esprit de corps and a common dedica- tion to the broader Foreign Service and its commitment to professional development. The new groups com- ing into FAS provide us an opportunity to develop a fresh approach to training that will impart a strong sense of com- munity and purpose. In many ways, the acculturation that occurs during State’s A-100 new officer training course has been missing in the FAS context, and it is encourag- ing that a similar systemwas instituted for new FAS FSO classes starting in 2013-2014. Professional Development However, entry-level train- ing is not enough. FAS needs to augment this training with a systematic drive toward career-long professional development. The first objective needs to be prioritization of continu- ing education in commercial diplomacy. Despite the broad skillset required for success- ful promotion of agricultural trade, FAS has for too long promoted officers on a too- narrow range of skills. The second objective must be to ensure senior officers are judged on how well they foster the development of successive generations of leaders. All too often, new FSOs are expected to “learn on the job,”without senior- level mentors to educate and nurture them as future leaders. Senior officers should take an active part in better defining what commercial diplomacy means to FAS and in training new leaders to take this professional art to a higher level. The “Foreign Service” in “Foreign Agricultural Service” will thrive and best serve our constituents only if we estab- lish a system that continually and intentionally creates and promotes exceptional lead- ers. Institutionally, we need to rededicate ourselves to a consistently higher level of professional development to ensure that our future ranks are able to meet the chal- lenges ahead. n FAS VP VOICE | BY MARK PETRY AFSA NEWS Views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the AFSA FAS VP. Contact: mark.petry@fas.usda.gov or (202) 720-2502 AFSAGoverning Board Decisions August 5, 2015 July Governing Board Minutes : On a consent motion from FAS Vice President Mark Petry, the board approved the July 1 Governing Board minutes. The motion passed unani- mously. Election Committee Applicants: On a consent motion from AFSA Treasurer Charles Ford, the board approved the appointment of FSO Christopher Green to serve on the AFSA Committee on Elections for the period August 2015– August 2016. The motion passed unanimously. Nominations to the Foreign Service Labor Relations Board, the Foreign Service Grievance Board and the For- eign Service Impasse Disputes Panel : On a motion from State Representative Nini Hawthorne, the Governing Board agreed to adopt a policy codifying the practice of soliciting and approving nominations of qualified individuals to the FSLRB, FSGB and the Disputes Panel. The measure passed unanimously. OPM Data Breach: The new board continued discussion and reviewed actions taken in response to the OPM cyber breaches. Several board members voiced concern over the incidents’ potential impacts on the financial security and safety of Foreign Service members and their families. All agreed to continue engaging OPM and Congress to ensure FS interests are addressed . n