The Foreign Service Journal, November 2021

AFSA NEWS 92 NOVEMBER 2021 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL votes or affirmative voice votes for the few foreign affairs nominees who have made it to the Senate floor, these delays persist. Once finally nominated for a Senate-confirmed position, most wait several months or sometimes much longer for con- firmation. As of this writing, just two ambassadors have been confirmed since Jan. 20. • The delays that now happen with regularity are no longer sustainable. They have moved beyond an inconvenience and are becoming a serious threat to our national security. • Members of the U.S. military and senior officials at the Department of Defense do not undergo the same delays due to partisan politics that foreign affairs officials experience. Despite having only about 60 political appointees at the Department of Defense, compared to State’s more than 200 appointees, more DoD appointees have been confirmed during the 117th Congress thus far. • Not having Senate-confirmed senior officials and ambassa- dors in posts overseas jeopardizes America’s global leadership. Our diplomats are missing out on opportunities to build produc- tive relationships with foreign governments and civil society; to shape the agendas and outcomes of U.S. presidential and Sec- retary of State visits, which help to cement those relationships; and, as the personal representatives of the president, to call on Washington’s resources in crises and emergency situations. Our colleagues overseas and inWashington are missing the chance to be led by qualified, experienced senior leaders who have the approval of both the executive and legislative branches. •While we encourage expeditious nomination and confirma- tion processes regardless of the nominee, AFSA will continue to look for career members of the Foreign Service to be nominated for key senior and ambassador positions. We hope to see our country revert to the historic ratio of two-thirds career and one-third political nominations for ambassadors, with at least half of assistant secretary and equivalent USAID nominations going to career professionals as well. AFSA’s website features comprehensive and frequently updated lists of ambassadorial nominations at afsa.org/ list-ambassadorial-appointments, and appointments of senior level officials at the various foreign affairs agencies at afsa.org/tracker-senior-official-appointments. As always, please let us know how we are doing and what we might do better at member@afsa.org. n Improved Confirmation Process • Continued from p. 83