The Foreign Service Journal, December 2022

18 DECEMBER 2022 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL T here is a perceptible and erosive tension within the modern State Department arising from the incongruity between the background and career experiences of its per- sonnel and the roles they are called upon to occupy within the Department’s bureaucracy. The tension between the expectation of Foreign Ser- vice officers and the requirements of their roles within the organization is chiefly a reflection of one fact: the Department of State in the decade of the 1970s is an immense, complex and highly organized bureaucratic structure. As in any complex organization, the individuals who happen to be filling its many thousands of roles tend to be submerged within and domi- nated by the structure itself. The bureaucratization of diplomacy … has been the natural and gradual consequence of the growth of America’s global commitment and the refinement of the techniques of managing vast quantities of information that go with large-scale organiza- tions. Decision-making is centralized as never before. Ultimately, the only solution seems to lie in a still more careful coordination between the way in which person- nel are recruited and trained by the Department and the actual requirements of the roles they will be expected to fill in the course of their careers. As military tensions are reduced among developed societies and contact among them becomes more and more intense, the State Department is likely to play an increasingly prominent role as both the architect and the agent of American policy. — Warren L. Mason, political science professor, excerpted from an article of the same title in the December 1972 FSJ . 50 Years Ago Quiet Crisis: Diplomatic Careers in Tension with Bureaucratic Roles Championing the FS in the Senate I’ve seen the incredible work that our Foreign Service officers do, day in and day out. You’re on the front lines of interactions all around the world and you do an exceptional job. That’s one of the reasons why in the U.S. Sen- ate I’ve been very focused on trying to champion the work that you do by starting the Foreign Service Caucus, with Sen. Chris Van Hollen, that enables you to come to us, get us members of the Senate to understand FSOs and their needs, especially those of their families. We’re trying to provide a forum for you to come to the Hill in an informal way and have a good dis- cussion so we can support all of you. —Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), in remarks delivered at the AFSAAwards Ceremony on Oct. 19. Wielding FS Diversity to Face Challenges American diplomats and Foreign Service pro- fessionals are essential to our nation’s security and prosperity. To strengthen our position on the global stage, we must continue to recruit and retain a world-class diplomatic corps. This starts with building a representative work- force that reflects the diversity and strength of our citizenry. When we empower aspiring leaders of all backgrounds, they will in turn help us meet complex global challenges. The foundation for our infrastructure for diplomacy is the Foreign Service community and the public servants of the State Department, USAID, and across the federal government. —Representative Joaquin Castro (D-Texas), in remarks delivered at the AFSAAwards Ceremony on Oct. 19. n HEARD ON THE HILL JOSH This edition of Talking Points was compiled by Julia Wohlers and Hannah McDaniel.