The latest news on the foreign service:
Career
Diplomacy went to press in the spring of 2008. Stay up to date with the links below. Links open in a new window.
Date |
Topic (Page) | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 2/1/2010 |
FY 2011 Budget |
The president's budget request
for State and USAID for fiscal year 2011 totals $52.8 billion. The
Department's presentation uses a new nomenclature. The total includes
$10.7 billion for "securing frontline states," allocated among
Afghanistan ($5 billion), Pakistan ($3.2 billion), and Iraq ($2.5
billion). The sum of $14.6 billion goes to "meeting global challenges,"
including $8.5 billion for the global health initiative. A similar
amount, $14.7 million, goes to "strengthening partnerships," including
$5.2 billion for foreign military assistance and $5.0 billion for
economic and development assistance. Operating expenses, called
"investing in presonnel and infrasturcture," total $12.9 billion, of
which $1 billion is allocated to workforce expansion. The State
Department has released a graphic summary, and Deputy Secretary for Management Jack Lew discussed the budget request in a press conference. The Office of Management and Budget published the details, which run to about 100 pages of text. Josh Rogin published an analysis of where the requested positions would go. |
| 1/18/2010 |
Public diplomacy and strategic communications |
Combatant commanders play a
growing role in strategic communications, where their resources may
dwarf what is available to civilian agencies. The authors of an article in Joint Force Quarterly
offer 21 recommendations for improving strategic communications,
"includes the coordination of statecraft, public affairs (PA), public
diplomacy, military information operations, and other actions." |
| 12/18/2009 |
Public diplomacy |
Ken Nakamura and Matthew Weed of the Congressional Research Service have written a clear, temperate, and comprehensive account of U.S. public diplomacy,
covering its history, current structure and budget, the policy
challenges it faces, and legislative proposals for change. (Thanks to John Brown's blog for the tip.) |
| 12/15/2009 |
State Department website |
The Department of State rebuilt its website. Check out the new version at www.state.gov. |
| 12/08/09 |
Budget for FY 2010 (99-105) | Fiscal year 2010 began October
1, but Congress is only now close to making appropriations. A
House-Senate conference bill appropriating funds for the Department of
State and foreign operations has agreed on a total sum of $48.764
billion, about $1 billion less than enacted in FY 2009 and about $3.5
billion below the president's request. The appropriation when enacted
will supersede a continuing resolution that expires December 18. The
appropriation includes funding for 700 new foreign service officers and
specialists for State and 300 new foreign service officers for USDAID.
A summary of the bill is available online. |
| 10/29/09 | Foreign Commercial Service (FCS) entry exam (45-46) | The FCS offers its entry exam only once every two years. Registration for the 2010 exam must be complete by November 19, 2009. Full information on the exam is posted at http://trade.gov/cs/employment.asp |
| 10/27/09 | Dissent (92-95) | Very few people resign over policy, and almost never do senior officials take a resignation seriously. The case of Matthew Hoh is exceptional in every way. |
| 10/23/09 | Political appointees as ambassadors (51) | Al Kamen of the Washington Post uses infromation from the American Foreign Service Association to analyze ambassadorial nominations in the Obama administration. |
| 10/14/09 | Stabilization and reconstruction (74-88) | The U.S. Institute of Peace and the U.S. Army Peacekeeping and Stability Operations Institute (PKSOI) have developed a manual, Guiding Principles for Stabilization and Reconstruction, to serve civilian participants in peacekeeping and related operations. The manual draws on past S&R operations to derive a strategic framework and set of principles that may serve as a civilian doctrine in an area that has trusted too much in improvisation. |
| 10/09/09 | Political appointees as ambassadors (51) | The American Foreign Service Association updated its statement, charts, and tables on political appointees in ambassadorial positions. |
| 9/17/09 | Language skills (82-83) Staffing hardship posts (168-171) | The GAO released two reports on the foreign service. The first says deficiencies in language skills are "persistent:" and calls on State to adopt a "comprehensive strategic approach" to the problem. The second says staffing gaps at hardship posts are also "persistent" and calls on the State Department to review its program of incentives. |
| 8/19/09 | USAID and post-conflict reconstruction (42-45, 74-87) | The Center for Strategic and International Studies released Equipping USAID for Success, the third in a series of reports on post-conflict reconstruction, Author Amy Frumin was the USAID representative on a provincial reconstruction team in Panjshir, Afghanistan. |
| 7/23/09 | Defense Department and public diplomacy (116) | Politico.com reports on House Appropriations Committee cuts in Pentagon's request for funds for Information Operations. |
| 7/13/09 | USAID (42-45) | Sec. Clinton introduced the Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review and discussed funding and staffing issues at a town hall meeting with AID employees. The transcript is here. |
| 7/10/09 | Foreign Agricultural Service (47-48) | House by 266-160 passed HR 2997, agricultural appropriations for FY 2010, including $177 million for the FAS, up $13 million from FY 2009. |
| 7/10/09 | Budget for FY 2010 (99-105) | FY 2010 State-Foreign Operations Appropriations (HR 3081) passed the House 318-106. The bill contains $48.8 billion for State and foreign assistance, including funds for 1000 new foreign service positions at State and 300 at AID. |
| 6/30/09 | Politcal vs. career appointees as US ambassadors (51-53) | Russia using more non-career ambassadors, says blogger Paul Goble. |
| 6/18/09 | Benefits for same-sex partners (131-134) | Secretary Clinton's official statement. |
| 6/18/09 | Budget for FY 2010 (99-105) | HR 2410, the Foreign Relations Authorization Act, authorizing appropriations for the Department of State and the Peace Corps for FY 2010 and 2011 passed the House by a vote of 235-187 and goes to the Senate. The more important appropriations (not authorization) for FY 2010 was reported out of the House State and Foreign Operations Appropriations subcommittee. The appropriations bill contains $48,8 billion for State and AID, about $3.2 billion less than the administration sought, but still with funding for 1000 new positions at State and 300 at AID. |
| 6/10/09 | Politcal vs. career appointees as US ambassadors (51-53) | The Washington Post says that "President Obama has been taking flak of late for giving fat-cat donors cushy ambassadorial posts." Some of the flak comes from the Post itself. The American Foreign Service Association has updated the AFSA page on this issue. |
| 5/29/09 | Public diplomacy (165-167) | A new GAO report on "Public Diplomacy: Issues for Congressional Oversight" analyzes US efforts to develop a national communications strategy and pays particular attention to the State Department's performance. |
| 5/29/09 | Working conditions | Undergraduates in a Business Week survey rank the Department of State fourth in a list of "most desirable employers." Liberal-arts majors rank it first. |
| 5/23/09 | Pay and benefits (131-134) | The New York Times reported that the State Department will provide the same benefits and protections to same-sex partners as to opposite-sex partners. |
| 5/19/09 | Public diplomacy (165-167) | The US Senate agreed to a resolution calling for the re-establishment of American Centers. Senator Lugar explained the resolution in his blog at Foreign Policy magazine online. |
| 5/15/09 | Budget for FY 2010 (99-105) | The Foreign Relations Authorization Act for Fiscal Years 2010 and 2011, introduced last week by House Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Howard Berman, proposes major reforms to create a better trained, better staffed, and more expeditionaryForeign Service. The American Academy of Diplomacy supports the bill. |
| 5/7/2009 | Budget for FY 2010 (99-105) | The FY 2010 budget request for State and other international programs calls for 1,226 new foreign service positions. See State's press release and the OMB fact sheet and details. |
| 5/1/09 | Honoring foreign service personnel who lost their lives in the line of duty (37) | On Foreign Service Day, four names were added to the memorial plaque in the State Department lobby. Secretary Clinton and AFSA President John Naland spoke. |
| 4/8/09 | Politcal vs. career appointees as US ambassadors (51-53) | Washington Post columnist Al Kamen on White House plans to appoint contributors as ambassdors. |
| 3/31/09 | Counterinsurgency (121-122) | A new US Army field manual states: "civil considerations are normally the most important mission variable for COIN [counterinsurgency]." |
| 3/25/2009 | A larger foreign service (187-197) | AID plans to double its contingent of foreign service officers, from 1,100 to 2,200, by 2012. |
| 3/11/09 | A larger foreign service (187-197) | The Omnibus Appropriations Act for FY2009 contains funding for adding 500 mostly foreign service positions at State and 300 foreign service positions at USAID. The State positions make a start at filling vacancies. The AID positions are part of the Development Leadership Initiative. |
| 2/28/09 | A larger foreign service (84-87, 187-197) | Former AFSA president Tony Holmes asks, "Where are the civilians?" |
| 2/26/09 | A larger foreign service (187-197) | "The 2010 Budget includes funding for the first year of a multi-year effort to significantly increase the size of the Foreign Service at both the Department of Stateand the US Agency for International Development (USAID)." - from the President's 2010 Budget Message |
| 2/25/09 | Service in Iraq (74-87) | The US Institute of Peace interviewed foreign service and military officers assigned to Provincial Reconstruction Teams in Iraq. Read the transcripts. |
| 2/23/2009 | State and the Internet | State Department use of youtube, twitter, facebook, etc., is summarized here |
| 2/13/09 | Public diplomacy (165-167) | Senator Lugar introduces S.R. 49, to express the sense of the Senate regarding the importance of public diplomacy. |
| 1/12/09 | Public diplomacy (165-167) | The Government Accountability Office says "improving the U.S. image abroad" is one of the 13 most urgent tasks facing the new administration. The GAOs recommendations and reports are listed here. |
| 1/2/09 | Salaries (139) | Foreign Service Pay Scale - 2009 |
| 12/26/08 | Security vs. access (80-82) | AID foreign service officer Mark Ward says the "no risk" approach to security makes AID FSOs in Afghanistan ineffective and hurts the US image. He wants the policy examined and changed. |
| 12/17/08 | Provincial Reconstruction Teams in Iraq (74-87) | The U.S. Institute of Peace evaluates PRTs in a new report that concludes: "The PRTs’ roles—primarily in the areas of budget execution, improving government capacity to provide essential services and as a reporting and diplomatic mechanism—should continue as long as is feasible." |
| 12/12/08 | The future foreign service (187-197) | The vice president of the American Foreign Service Association who represents the Department of State has advice for the new administration: more resources, training, and ambassadorships for foreign service personnel, |
| 12/5/08 | Henry Kissinger on the Foreign Service (90-92) | "The U.S. Foreign Service is an incomparable instrument honed by lifetimes of dedicated service. Like every elite service, it does not avoid a certain clannishness. The views of those who did not rise through its ranks are not always taken seriously enough, perhaps on the theory that they could not have passed the Foreign Service exam. Secretaries of state have been frustrated by its complex internal clearances, and presidents have complained in their memoirs about how slowly it reacts." Washington Post op-ed |
| 11/17/08 | USAID (42-45) | The magazine Government Executive reports on reorganization of foreign assistance in the next administration. |
| 11/17/09 | Public diplomacy (166-167) | The Public Diplomacy Council, a non-profit group, issued reports on "Basic Principles for Improving Public Diplomacy" and "Reforming U.S. International Broadcasting." |
| 11/15/08 | Foreign service readiness and budget (191-193) | The Washington Post reports on the challenge that a lack of resources presents to next secretary of state. See also the Foreign Affairs Budget for the Future. |
| 10/29/08 | Foreign Service Nationals (40-41) | An evaluation of the security risk posed by FSNs. |
| 10/30/2008 | Personal narrative (entrance exam) (140) | After the November 2008 written exam, the personal narrative will no longer be required as part of registraton for the test. Instead, only candidates who pass the written exam will be asked to prepare a personal narrative, which will be reduced from six to five questions. This important change will appear here on State's website after November 11, 2008. |
| 10/17/2008 | Happiness is multiple pipelines (65-68) | The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline in the aftermath of the conflict in Georgia. |
| 10/15/2008 | Changes in foreign service written exam (140-141) | Critique by Andrew Curry for Foreign Policy magazine; comments also on Foreign Policy Association's US Diplomacy blog |
| 10/8/2008 | Stabilization and reconstruction (74-87) | New US Army manual emphasizes "comprehensive approach to stability operations" linking military and non-military efforts (13.5 MB) |
| 10/8/2008 10/14/2008 | Foreign service readiness and budget (104, 191-193) | A Foreign Affairs Budget for the Future by the Stimson Center and the American Academy of Diplomacy calls for increased staffing and funding. See also this article from the Washington Post. |
9/25/2008 | Appropriations (104-105) | Senate committee reports State and foreign operations (foreign aid) appropriations bill for FY2009: Committee Report (The House committee has not acted.) |
9/6/2008 |
Spring 2009 student internships at State | Apply by 11/3/2008 |
9/1/2008 |
FS Staffing in Iraq (84-85) | All 2009 positions filled by volunteers |
8/14/2008 |
Foreign service exam (139-143) | State.gov has posted the latest schedule. |
8/8/2008 |
Minorities in the FS (22-23) | Sec. Rice complains of lack of black Americans in FS |
7/31/2008 |
Foreign aid programs under the Department of Defense (133) | The Senate Foreign Relations Committee held hearings July 31, 2008. |
7/16/2008 |
Civilian Response Corps (192) | Secretary Rice formally launched the Civilian Response Corps on July 16, 2008. |
7/15/2008 |
Defense Secretary Robert Gates calls for a stronger foreign service (85) | Secretary Gates repeated his appeal in a speech July 15, 2008. |
6/30/2008 |
Latest numbers on size of USFS at State (35) | Bureau of Human Resources 6/30/08 fact sheet |
6/25/2008 |
Public diplomacy (165-167) | The U.S. Advisory Committee on Public Diplomacy issued its 2008 report on “the human resources dimension of public diplomacy.” |
4/30/2008 |
Defense Department efforts in public diplomacy (113, 233) | DoD launches additional foreign-language websites. |