Tag Archives: Foreign Service officers

The Folly of Disdaining the Experts

President Trump’s cabinet of department secretaries and advisors lurches from tweeted firings to unprecedented numbers of new appointments.

Former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, a good man humiliated for trying to do his job, is only one of many caught in the flood of incoming and outgoing.

The State Department he headed is one of the original three U.S. government departments begun under George Washington.

The purpose of more recently created departments may be a bit fuzzy, but the purpose of the State Department is clear and always has been. The State Department’s purpose is to handle U.S. relations with other countries.

The State Department’s Foreign Service Officers, otherwise known as diplomats, train to carry out their mission to the rest of the world, like members of the military for their assignments.

They learn foreign languages, study the history and culture of the countries where they will serve, and train for managing outposts of the U.S. in foreign countries. On average, they spend two-thirds of their careers in those countries.

Their duty is to use their skills and on-the-ground experience to serve the various presidents and their administrations. “Serve” is the operative word.

Yet presidents sometimes disdain their diplomatic servants. Roger Grant Harrison (“Will the State Department Rise Under Pompeo?” American Interest, April 4, 2018) suggests why this might be so.

Wrote Harrison: “The problem with career Foreign Service Officers is that they know too much. They know why your simple-minded plan to invade Iraq and install a democracy won’t work. They understand the tribal, ethnic, and familial loyalties that will frustrate your efforts to consolidate the opposition to the Assad regime in Syria, and why the endlessly trained Afghan military will never win the victory that American generals endlessly promise.”

Ah, well, they try. And will try again, under Mike Pompeo or whoever finally takes over from Rex Tillerson.

How The Hiring Freeze Affects Lives

The White House announced a government hiring freeze soon after the current administration took office in January.

Blanket orders often are not well thought out and can have unintended consequences. A recent article in The Foreign Service Journal (July/August, 2017) pinpointed one such consequence. Foreign Service officers, the Americans who staff U.S. embassies and consulates overseas, transfer frequently, moving with their families from one assignment to another.

As American citizens, spouses often fill critical positions at posts, as they move with husbands and wives. The hiring freeze means that they cannot be hired for jobs at their spouse’s new post. They cannot serve as office managers, back up visa officers as they interview foreigners, or help security officers with classified data.

Many of these spouses staff critical positions in U.S. embassies and consulates . The government saves money because they already are in the country and do not have to be moved there or paid housing allowances and other expenses to take the jobs.

Family members who had jobs lined up have suddenly had to change plans. Some must pay for unexpected housing back in Washington as the spouse waits there for the freeze to end. Others must do without the planned salary from the job while waiting at post.

One view from a long-term spouse: “. . . there is absolutely no indication that this administration has any interest in mission staffing, from either a practical or a morale perspective.”

Another says, “It is devastating for families and demoralizing for those blocked out of positions.”

Not to mention damage to U.S. diplomacy as supporting roles remain unfilled.