The Foreign Service Journal, November 2005

spoke four Southeast Asian languages was refused the economist position in the Bangkok regional mission. For the current Iraq program, USAID refused to include Arabic-language proficiency in its solicitations for vol- unteers. “Not important,” senior per- sonnel officers sniffed. State’s bureaucratic culture dif- fers from USAID’s about hard lan- guages. Ambassadors welcome FS staff members with good local-lan- guage capability, while USAID mis- sion directors do not like having sub- ordinates who have local access via a hard language when they lack it. It’s an ego thing, I learned, based on the all-power-in-the-director culture of USAID. State’s environment is wel- coming while USAID’s is disdainful. Want more evidence? When USAID opened its Russia program some years back, it resisted providing its employees with any Russian training. USAID’s willingness to fund lan- guage training lags far behind State’s. There is no language requirement in the various promotion precepts for any level, including the Senior Foreign Service. USAID’s anti-language culture appeared again recently. USAID proposed to AFSA to lower the FSI level for tenuring to “Speaking-2; Reading-2” in French and Spanish from the current S-3/R-3 require- ment. It also wants to abolish any language requirement for tenure for two categories of FSOs. “FSO Sec- ond Class” for USAID employees? USAID’s culture is deeply flawed regarding language capability, and that flaw is profound and enduring. While I work for AFSA as Senior Labor Management Adviser for USAID, these are my views, not AFSA’s. Douglas Broome USAID FSO, retired McLean, Va. L E T T E R S u N O V E M B E R 2 0 0 5 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 9 Fully furnished apartments and single family homes, with large spacious rooms, full sized kitchens, and housewares. Separate living, dining and sleeping areas. Hotel style amenities, including swimming pools, hot tubs, fitness centers, optional maid service and more. Rates within the TDY per diem. Whether you are with the Local, State or Federal Government agency or the military, Crimson offers superior solutions to fit your budget and per diem. Crimson Government Housing Solutions Include: Assignment Changes Evacuations Intern Programs International Visitors Project teams Relocations Short / Long Details TDY Training Crimson offers an exceptional value in temporary housing for government personnel. Our furnished apartments and single- family homes are a spacious and more luxurious alternative to the cramped quarters of a hotel room. 202.986.0433 888.233.7759 info@crimsonworldwide.com www.crimsonworldwide.com