THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | DECEMBER 2024 25 U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Marc Grossman (second from left) is received by King Mohammed VI of Morocco on March 1, 2004, in a tent installed for the monarch in Al Hoceilma, site of the devastating earthquake that had rocked northern Morocco just a week earlier. Grossman was there to discuss humanitarian aid for the stricken region. AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES assistant secretary for European affairs, and serving as the Director General of the Foreign Service and Director of Human Resources. The connecting theme? I had the most chance as the leader of those three organizations to set the agenda and to have a direct impact on the people who worked with me and for me. That was especially true in Türkiye, where I had the privileges and the responsibilities that come with the U.S. president’s letter to chiefs of mission. My fantasy is that someday State Department regional assistant secretaries will have a similar letter from the president so they can lead the relevant interagency process. FSJ: You served as Director General of the Foreign Service and Director of Human Resources from 2000 to 2001. In an interview with me for the November 2000 FSJ, you suggested that a priority for you and for AFSA should be “to bring home to our fellow citizens what it is that we do. This idea that FSOs are living the life of Riley, drinking tea abroad, when we have hundreds of embassies around the world where people are working as hard as they possibly can on behalf of the U.S.—it’s frustrating.” Has enough progress been made on raising awareness about the Foreign Service in the U.S.? MG: Certainly, more effort has been made to tell the Foreign Service story since 2000 by the State Department, AFSA, and the many individuals who speak in communities all over the country and contribute to local news outlets and social media. But it is imperative that this work continues and expands. FSJ: What are you most proud of from your time as DG? MG: On his first day at the State Department, then Secretary-designate Colin Powell asked me to visit him in the transition space on the first floor. Secretary Powell asked what we most needed to support American diplomacy. Thanks to the fantastic work done by a team in the DG’s office, I had an answer: more people. I said that as a military officer, General Powell had never commanded a unit or organization that did not have a 15 percent “float” for training and transit. The department had no such thing. I proposed a Diplomatic Readiness Initiative that would increase the number of people at State by 15 percent over three years. Secretary Powell agreed on the spot. We added just over 1,100 people in the next three years. Working with AFSA FSJ: When did you join AFSA, and what convinced you to join? MG: I joined during my A-100 class. I joined because I think employees need a supporting voice in a big bureaucracy. I joined
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