The Foreign Service Journal, October 2015

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | OCTOBER 2015 53 AFSA NEWS Source: USAID Office of Human Capital and Talent Management CREATEDBYJEFFLAU FSL appointments increased from 227 to 244, a 7-percent jump from 2014. The growth in Washing- ton-based FSL jobs and their marked decrease in CPCs underscore mounting concerns that the mecha- nism is being used as a quick method for hiring outsiders to lead the proliferation of new agency initiatives out of D.C. The data also reveal that the majority of Washington FSL positions are not even supporting CPCs. These trends indicate that program-funded FSL hiring is being done with little regard for the agency’s overall health and future. Short-Term Political Agendas To make matters worse, many units set up for the new initiatives do not have FSOs in key positions. When the bulk of its leadership and policy positions are held by transient appointees, the agency runs the risk of short-term political agendas trumping USAID’s core mis- sion. This situation spawns opportunism, weakens esprit de corps within the Foreign Service and emaciates insti- tutional memory. A career as a USAID FSO should be well-suited for millennials, given their preference for work with real meaning and opportunities to learn new skills. Yet the fact that USAID ranked 19th out of the 25 participating medium-sized government agencies in the Partnership for Public Service’s 2014 Best Places to Work in the Federal Government rankings points to a discon- nect. The clear implication is that all is not well within USAID. Authority for program- funded FSL appointments was never intended to be permanent. Nor was it meant to go beyond the original five-year limit. It was originally envi- sioned as a stopgap measure to staff unfilled CPC posi- tions overseas until sufficient FSOs could be hired. The authority has been granted for two-year increments in appropriation legislation, and keeps being rolled over unchecked. It’s time to scale back program-funded FSL author- ity and revisit our priorities. It is my intention to urge USAID leadership and members of Congress to take a step back from quick-fix hiring work- arounds, focus on develop- ment priorities and ensure that sufficient OE funds are provided for hiring the neces- sary level of career FSOs to meaningfully develop, imple- ment, manage and evaluate USAID programs. It is critical that we deploy experienced, culturally sensi- tive, career FSOs to perform these functions, which are so crucial to maintaining America’s front lines of peace and security. I agree that we must act as prudent stewards of taxpayer’s funds, but this FSL shell game is not prudent. The United States directs less than 1 percent of its $4 trillion federal budget to foreign aid. There is no rea- son USAID should continue hiding its OE needs. Instead, the agency needs to redirect its “creative” efforts into sup- porting and justifying such needs to appropriators. The effort is worth it, not just for the future of USAID and the Foreign Service, but for the wellbeing of the United States and its citi- zens. n AFSPA’S NEW LOCAT I ON The American Foreign Service Protective Association has moved to 1620 L Street NW, Suite 800, Washington, D.C. The new building, located at the corner of 17th and L Streets NW, is expected to accommodate the association’s continued growth. For more information on AFSPA, please visit www.afspa.org . n NEWS BRIEF COURTESYOFAFSPA