The Foreign Service Journal, December 2009

M en in authority will always think that criticism of their policies is dangerous. They will always equate their policies with patriotism, and find criticism subversive. —Henry Steele Commager, Freedom and Order (1966) AFSA fervently believes that our For- eign Service values a culture of honest and vigorous debate in the formation of policies and positions within each of the foreign affairs agencies. Therefore we are again calling for nominations for our constructive dis- sent awards, as well as for our exemplary perform- ance awards. Winners re- ceive a $2,500 cash prize and are honored at a cere- mony in late June at the State Depart- ment, which typically is attended by the Secretary or Deputy Secretary of State. The deadline for nominations is Feb. 26. Constructive Dissent Awards The constructive dissent awards were created to encourage those willing to offer alternative points of view on matters of policy, to question the status quo and to challenge convention- al wisdom, regardless of the consequences. These are the only dissent awards in the U.S. government. They are not based on superior performance alone, for which numerous State Department decora- T hroughout the fall, AFSA President Susan R. Johnson made the rounds of House and Senate committee hear- ings and association meetings, ensuring that the Foreign Service is recognized for its important work and advocating for fair compensation for FS employees’ service to the country. Johnson testified twice on behalf of AFSA and the Foreign Service in September. On Sept. 16, she appeared before the House Subcommittee on the Federal Work Force, Postal Serv- ice and the District of Columbia. The hearing, titled “A Call to Arms: A Review of Benefits for Deployed Federal Employees,” examined the compensation and health benefits provided to civilian employees sent abroad. On Sept. 24, Johnson testified before the Senate Subcom- mittee on Oversight of Government Management, the Federal Work Force and the District of Columbia in a hearing titled “A Review of Diplomatic Readiness: Addressing Staffing and Foreign Language Challenges Facing the Foreign Service.” At this hearing, she cited two recent Government Accountability Office reports that examined, respectively, critical staffing gaps and language training deficiencies, both greatly affecting the work of overseas posts. “Persistent and recurrent staffing gaps undermine the abil- ity of overseas personnel to focus on their primary responsi- bilities,” explained Johnson at the Sept. 24 hearing. “They are already impeding our effectiveness in some of the most im- portant areas of the world.” Statistics documented in these newest GAO reports are in- D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 9 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 53 American Foreign Service Association • December 2009 AFSA NEWS Continued on page 58 Continued on page 59 CALL FOR 2010 AFSA AWARD NOMINATIONS Honoring Dissent BY BARBARA BERGER, PROFESSIONAL ISSUES COORDINATOR AFSA PRESIDENT KEEPS UP THE MOMENTUM ON THE HILL Beefing Up Resources & Readiness BY CASEY FRARY, LEGISLATIVE DIRECTOR AFSA President Susan R. Johnson (right) and Amb. Ron Neumann prepare to testify before the Senate on Sept. 24. AUSTIN TRACY JOSH