AAFSW: Associates of the American Foreign Service Worldwide

June 29th, 2009

29 Jun 2009 18:21:03 GMT

The White House plans to overhaul the way federal employees are paid, appraised and trained, starting in 2011, the Obama administration’s federal personnel chief said last week. Specifically, the administration plans to propose legislation as part of the president’s 2011 budget request in February that will:

Create a performance-based pay system that closes the wage gap between feds and private-sector employees.
Set mandatory spending levels for employee training.
Retool the performance appraisal process.

The aim is to have a personnel reform bill passed by Congress before the congressional midterm elections in November 2010, Office of Personnel Management Director John Berry said. Federal Times.

House unanimously approves FERS sick leave bill

29 Jun 2009 18:20:12 GMT

The House unanimously approved a bill that could increase the pensions for hundreds of thousands of federal employees covered by the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS).

The measure credits the unused sick leave of retiring FERS employees toward their time-in-service when calculating their pensions. There are roughly 1.4 million employees in the FERS. Employees under the older Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) have always had this benefit. GovExec.com.

Bill would allow kids to remain in the federal employee health plan longer

29 Jun 2009 18:19:11 GMT

A House lawmaker has reintroduced a bill that would raise the age limit for coverage of dependent children under the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program by three years. The bill (H.R. 2978), introduced by Rep. Danny K. Davis, D-Ill., would increase the cutoff age for coverage of unmarried dependent children from 22 to 25. GovExec.com.

Big Obama campaign donors get ambassadorships

29 Jun 2009 18:18:27 GMT

President Barack Obama on Thursday selected for ambassadorships in Europe two of his presidential campaign's biggest fundraisers, extending a pattern of rewarding political supporters.

Obama chose career foreign service officers to head U.S. embassies in Latvia, Benin and Zimbabwe. AP.

Mideast envoy Ross gets key White House job

29 Jun 2009 18:17:26 GMT

The White House Thursday named veteran Middle East envoy Dennis Ross to a key job overseeing policy in a vast region encompassing the Middle East, the Gulf, Afghanistan, Pakistan and South Asia. Ross's move from a low profile job in the State Department to the White House had been the subject of intense speculation in Washington's rumor-heavy foreign policy community. AFP.

Sudan: 4 sentenced to die for US diplomat killing

29 Jun 2009 18:16:13 GMT

Sudanese court convicted five people Wednesday in the slaying of an American diplomat last year and sentenced four of them to death. Gunmen firing from a car killed John Granville and his Sudanese driver on Jan. 1, 2008, as he was returning home from a New Year's party in Khartoum, Sudan's capital. Yahoo! News.

President Signs Bill Authorizing Overseas Comparability Pay!!

25 Jun 2009 13:15:49 GMT

It is now official President Barack Obama today signed into law a supplemental appropriation bill that will start the process of closing the overseas pay disparity, beginning in this fiscal year!

For those of you who missed our previous AFSANET announcing this major development several days ago, we have succeeded in achieving the first phase of our members number-one objective of getting Congress and the Administration to correct the historical injustice of excluding Foreign Service members posted overseas from the locality pay that all other federal employees assigned domestically receive. The Department of State and other foreign affairs agencies should now move quickly to close the first roughly ONE-THIRD tranche of that 23.1 percent pay gap in the current fiscal year. This should translate into a base salary increase in the vicinity of 7.7 percent, by October 1, for all Foreign Service members FS-01 and below assigned overseas.

Ideally, this adjustment will be followed by similar measures in FY2010 and FY2011 to address the second and third tranches of the pay disparity. AFSA will work hard to make sure that happens.

This victory is the culmination of a protracted, eight-year lobbying effort by AFSA and supportive senior officials at State. Outgoing AFSA President John Naland, who just departed earlier this month for his onward assignment in Iraq, deserves much of the credit for tenaciously fighting this battle over the past two years. Former AFSA President Tony Holmes did much to advance the cause and can also share in the credit. In our last AFSANET, we named the many Members of Congress and staffers who deserve our gratitude for defending the Foreign Service. We also have Secretary Clinton and her team to thank for working alongside AFSA to make this happen.

Congratulations to all of our members assigned overseas! From AFSA, the American Foreign Service Association

AFSANET: Closing the Pay Gap

23 Jun 2009 17:57:57 GMT

AFSA reports a major success to report in the long-standing effort to close the overseas pay gap suffered by entry-level and mid-level Foreign Service members stationed abroad. Legislative language to begin to close the pay gap is contained in the 2009 Supplemental for Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Pandemic Flu that has now cleared the House and Senate and is headed for an expected Presidential signature in the coming days.

Change' still hasn't come to ambassador system, but nomination of 2 Minnesotans draws praise

23 Jun 2009 18:02:29 GMT

President Barack Obama vowed to bring change to the nation's capital, but there is at least one controversial White House tradition that he has embraced — awarding friends and big donors with plum ambassador positions abroad. MinnPost.com.

Transcript: President Obama Delivers Remarks on Federal Benefits and Non-Discrimination

23 Jun 2009 18:00:24 GMT

From CQ Transcript wire via the Washington Post.

US dedicates new diplomatic office in Taiwan

23 Jun 2009 17:59:12 GMT

The United States dedicated the grounds for a new representative office in Taiwan on Monday, making a visible commitment to the island at a time its rapidly improving ties with longtime foe China are diminishing U.S. influence. Associated Press.

AAFSW's July Program: Tsars of the East at the Freer-Sackler Gallery

19 Jun 2009 16:56:08 GMT

We cordially invite AAFSW members and their guests for a Monday, July 13th, educational tour of one of the most interesting exhibits at the Freer-Sackler Museum. "The Tsars and the East: Gifts from Turkey and Iran in the Moscow Kremlin." AAFSW members should click the link above for more information and to reserve a space online.

Clinton: Gay diplomats get key benefits

19 Jun 2009 16:54:51 GMT

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton issued an order Thursday granting diplomatic passports, access to medical care and U.S. government jobs overseas to same-sex partners of U.S. diplomats. The Washington Times.

It's SOSA time again

18 Jun 2009 17:14:28 GMT

Nominations are now being sought for the 2009 Secretary of State's Award for Outstanding Volunteerism Abroad. The deadline for nominations is September 11, 2009. Visit our SOSA page for more details.

AAFSW's September Program

18 Jun 2009 17:09:09 GMT

AAFSW cordially invites you to join us on September 22 for the classical music recital that was originally scheduled for April, but was postponed due to a scheduling conflict with the Diplomatic Reception Rooms. AAFSW members please make your reservations online as soon as possible using the link above.

Obama Directive to Bar Bias Based on Sexual Orientation

18 Jun 2009 17:02:55 GMT

President Barack Obama, offering a small win to the gay-rights community, will sign a directive Wednesday giving some new benefits to the domestic partners of federal civil service employees.

Specifically, federal workers will be allowed to add their gay and lesbian partners to the long-term care insurance program, and supervisors will be required to let workers use their sick leave to take care of domestic partners and non-biological, non-adopted children, according to a fact sheet released Wednesday.

In addition, Foreign Service employees will win a number of new benefits for their partners, including the use of medical facilities at posts abroad, medical evacuation from posts abroad and inclusion in family size for housing allocations. The Wall Street Journal.

Projects reveal high cost of poor coordination

16 Jun 2009 17:30:45 GMT

The empty health clinic in a remote part of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania is a legacy of what sometimes goes wrong when the military takes the lead on civil affairs projects, despite good intentions.

During a "hearts and minds" mission in the city of Nema a couple of years ago, U.S. special forces built the clinic in coordination with the local ministry of defense, but that’s where the consultations ended. With no local U.S. Agency for International Development officials on the ground to provide the regional political and social context, the clinic was built on military land restricted from public use. Now, the facilities remain vacant and unused. Stars and Stripes.

Audit Finds That U.S. Overpaid Blackwater

16 Jun 2009 17:28:38 GMT

A government audit found that the State Department overpaid the contract-security firm once known as Blackwater Worldwide by tens of millions of dollars because the company failed to properly staff its teams in Iraq. The Wall Street Journal.

Senate kills amendment for FERS sick leave credit

16 Jun 2009 17:27:06 GMT

The Senate yesterday struck down a measure that would allow employees under the Federal Employees Retirement System to get credit for unused sick leave when they retire. Federal Times.

Security Firm Is Pressed On U.S. Embassy Contract

16 Jun 2009 17:26:15 GMT

The State Department is investigating DynCorp International, which conducts police training in Afghanistan, over its handling of an employee who died of a possible drug overdose and has ordered the major U.S. contractor to replace its senior project managers. Yahoo! News.

Obama taps more big donors for ambassadorships

16 Jun 2009 17:25:08 GMT

President Barack Obama on Thursday tapped four big Democratic Party donors for plum ambassadorships in Europe and Latin America while naming six career diplomats to posts in Africa, the Mideast and the Pacific. Associated Press.

Dollar Signs Point to Many a U.S. Embassy

10 Jun 2009 18:19:35 GMT

President Obama has been taking flak of late for giving fat-cat donors cushy ambassadorial posts. Despite some early signals that merit -- knowledge of the local language, culture or region, or perhaps foreign policy experience -- might play a role in determining who gets those jobs, big donors and bundlers seem to have grabbed the lion's share of the most coveted spots. Al Kamen in the Washington Post.

How an American couple came to be spies for Cuba

9 Jun 2009 15:06:37 GMT

Kendall and Gwendolyn Myers were recruited from academia by Fidel Castro's intelligence service - one of the best in the world. The Christian Science Monitor.

Clinton reviews security after Cuba spying arrests

9 Jun 2009 15:00:22 GMT

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Monday she had ordered a review of State Department security practices after a former employee and his wife were accused of spying for Cuba last week. The Washington Post.

After Critical Report, State Dept.'s Historian Is Reassigned

9 Jun 2009 14:59:45 GMT

The head of the State Department's Office of the Historian has been reassigned after an inspector general's investigation found "serious mismanagement for which the director must be held accountable." The Washington Post.

Parental Leave Act Moves Closer to Law

6 Jun 2009 17:29:28 GMT

Supporters of legislation to give federal employees the right to take paid leave after the birth or adoption of a child had cause to celebrate on Thursday evening. The House passed the Federal Employees Paid Parental Leave Act (H.R. 626) by a vote of 258-154, fending off criticism of its price tag. A companion bill, S. 354, sponsored by Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., is before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Subcommittee on Oversight of Government Management, the Federal Workforce and the District of Columbia. GovExec.com.

State Dept. Retiree Accused of Spying

6 Jun 2009 17:28:41 GMT

A former State Department official with top-secret security clearance and his wife have been charged with spying for Cuba over the past three decades, passing information by shortwave radio and correspondence exchanged in local grocery stores, federal prosecutors said. The Washington Post.

Committee Approves Two-Year Authorization Bill Bolstering U.S. Diplomacy, Development Efforts

4 Jun 2009 16:43:25 GMT

The House Foreign Affairs Committee today approved comprehensive legislation to shore up U.S. foreign policy efforts, the Foreign Relations Authorization Act for Fiscal Years 2010 and 2011 (H.R. 2410).

“For far too long, we have failed to provide the State Department with the resources it needs to fill critical overseas posts, provide adequate training, and ensure effective oversight of the programs that it manages,” Committee Chairman Howard L. Berman (CA-28) said. “With the expansion of U.S. diplomatic responsibilities in the 1990s and the more recent demands of Iraq and Afghanistan, the Foreign Service has been strained to the breaking point. We simply must supply the needed resources now.”

Under this legislation, 1500 additional people could join the Foreign Service over the next two years. The bill also contains provisions on recruitment and training of officers to improve the Foreign Service’s ability to respond to modern challenges. It requires the State Department to conduct a quadrennial review of its policies and programs that defines objectives, budget requirements and how these programs fit into the President’s national security strategy. www.house.gov.

Wanted: Local Heroes

4 Jun 2009 16:44:59 GMT

Nominations are now being sought for the 2009 Secretary of State's Award for Outstanding Volunteerism Abroad. The deadline for nominations is September 11, 2009.

Big Dem Donors Score Plum Ambassadorships

29 May 2009 17:00:48 GMT

President Obama last night announced his intention to nominate a dozen individuals to key ambassadorships. Among them: entertainment executive and Democratic fundraiser Charles Rivkin, who the president has tapped to be Ambassador to France. ABC News.

Political ambassadors persist

29 May 2009 16:59:14 GMT

President Barack Obama pledged to bring change to Washington, but he is continuing one of the capital's most entrenched traditions: rewarding political supporters with ambassadorships.

After suggesting he would try to reduce the number of political appointees and boost the number of career diplomats serving as American envoys abroad, his early record is already mixed. Obama's first picks are drawn heavily from political and fundraising circles, raising concerns about inexperience and patronage. Associated Press.

State Dept. Plan Would Extend Benefits to Same Sex Partners

26 May 2009 19:15:54 GMT

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will soon announce that the partners of gay U.S. diplomats are eligible for many benefits currently denied them and allowed to spouses of heterosexual diplomats, according to lawmakers and others advocating the change. The Washington Post.

State Dept. has few who speak language of area where Taliban operates

26 May 2009 19:14:37 GMT

Complicating the Obama administration's plan to ramp up civilian aid to Pakistan and Afghanistan, the State Department employs just 18 foreign service officers who can speak the language of the region where the Taliban insurgency rages, according to records and interviews. USA Today.

Justice Department moves to dismiss Clinton suit

22 May 2009 16:38:21 GMT

The Justice Department is asking a judge to dismiss a lawsuit that argues that Hillary Rodham Clinton cannot legally serve as secretary of state. The suit filed by conservative watchdog group Judicial Watch is based on an obscure section of the Constitution called the emoluments clause. It says no member of Congress can be appointed to a government post if the pay was increased during the lawmaker's current term. The Houston Chronicle.

For One Night, Baghdad Gets a Pink Zone

22 May 2009 16:35:27 GMT

Change has certainly come to Baghdad. And it appears that includes the U.S. Embassy, where they are holding what the invitation says is the first-ever U.S. Embassy Gay Pride Theme Party next Friday at Baghdaddy's, which is the embassy employee association's pub. The Washington Post.

Gay US diplomats to get equal benefits: lawmaker

20 May 2009 22:04:39 GMT

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has promised to provide equal benefits to partners of homosexual US diplomats stationed overseas, a congressman said Wednesday.

Howard Berman, head of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, had sought to require the State Department to offer benefits such as medical care, transport between postings and security training to partners regardless of sexual orientation.

Berman, in a hearing on funding for the Foreign Service, said he would drop his legislative bid as "it is my expectation, based on very recent conversations, that the Secretary of State will move forward with implementing all of the benefits provided in that provision in the very near future." Associated Press.

Foreign Service Officer Says Abandoned by U.S.

20 May 2009 22:02:01 GMT

One of the 26 U.S. foreign service officers facing criminal prosecution in Italy for their alleged involvement in the United States' "extraordinary rendition" program has sued Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton for refusing to intervene on her behalf and declare her diplomatically immune from prosecution in Italy. Courthouse News Service.

Money's Nice, but a Good Boss Is Better

20 May 2009 21:59:58 GMT

When it comes to sizing up the quality of their workplaces, federal workers value strong leadership and straight answers from their bosses more than even pay and benefits, according to a new comprehensive study of the federal workforce. The Washington Post.

Same-Sex Partner Benefits on the Way for American Diplomats

15 May 2009 17:00:59 GMT

Congress has inserted a provision into the State Department authorization budget that would require the State Department to confer the same benefits to same-sex partners as it does to married couples. UN Dispatch.

Obama Administration Boosting US Diplomatic Corps

15 May 2009 16:58:42 GMT

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has promised to provide equal benefits to partners of homosexual US diplomats stationed overseas, a congressman said Wednesday.

Report: Some at U.S. diplomatic posts earn less than $1 a day

15 May 2009 16:57:05 GMT

A new State Department report says some local employees hired by U.S. embassies and other posts around the world are so poorly paid they have to cut back to one meal a day or send their children to peddle on the streets.

The report from the department's Office of the Inspector General looked at how the U.S. pays more than 51,000 local, non-American employees in about 170 missions. In addition to the hardship caused to the workers because of inadequate pay, the report found that the U.S. is losing staff to other higher-paying employers and may not be able to fill vacancies with qualified people. CNN.

Editorial: U.S. military giant, diplomatic dwarf?

15 May 2009 16:55:36 GMT

The U.S. armed forces, the world's most powerful, outnumber the country's diplomatic service and its major aid agency by a ratio of more than 180:1, vastly higher than in other Western democracies. Military giant, diplomatic dwarf? Reuters UK.

The Lighter Side of Leaving the Foreign Service

1 May 2009 14:30:17 GMT

Former FSO Andrea McCarley's lighthearted look at reverse culture shock. Originally published in AFSA's Foreign Service Journal.

Can America Change Hearts and Minds?

23 Apr 2009 16:56:29 GMT

Months after the president's inauguration, the Obama administration has finally selected an under-secretary of state for public diplomacy and public affairs: Judith McHale, a media and communications executive – close to the Clintons for years – who is little known to the general public...McHale, the daughter of a US foreign service officer and raised in England and South Africa, faces many challenges in her new job. The Guardian (commentary).

U.S. Senate confirms Hill as top envoy to Iraq

23 Apr 2009 16:50:56 GMT

State Department reviewing Dyncorp after death

23 Apr 2009 16:50:11 GMT

The Senate yesterday struck down a measure that would allow employees under the Federal Employees Retirement System to get credit for unused sick leave when they retire. Federal Times.

G.I.’s to Fill Civilian Gap to Rebuild Afghanistan

23 Apr 2009 16:49:16 GMT

Lawmakers grilled representatives of the State Department and a private security firm yesterday on the details and administration of a contract to provide protective services at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, suggesting that the company's deficiencies in the past two years may have placed the compound at risk of an attack. The Washington Post.

State Dept. Hosting High-Tech Execs in Iraq

21 Apr 2009 18:53:05 GMT

Several executives from well-known high tech firms are in Iraq this week as guests of the State Department, part of an effort to boost the use of online and social media in the war-torn country. The Washington Post.

Blackwater out of Iraq? No, not yet

21 Apr 2009 18:52:06 GMT

Armed guards from the security firm once known as Blackwater Worldwide are still protecting U.S. diplomats in Iraq, even though the company has no license to operate there and has been told by the State Department its contracts will not be renewed two years after a lethal firefight that stirred outrage in Baghdad. Associated Press.

The May 2009 issue of Global Link is now available

15 Apr 2009 21:30:40 GMT

In PDF format for AAFSW members only.

Big Donors Will Still Get Some Sweet Embassy Spots

8 Apr 2009 18:01:46 GMT

The Obama folks have indicated they were going to at least limit the number of such "vanity" or "cash-only" ambassadors and maybe even try to send emissaries who are not completely clueless. But the buzz is that big donors and bundlers won't be shut out. The Washington Post.

Diplomatic Efforts Get Tech Support

Mon, 06 Apr 2009 14:33:28 GMT

Alec Ross arrives today at the State Department, armed with a new set of diplomatic tools including Facebook, text messaging and YouTube. Ross is a senior adviser on innovation to Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton -- a role created for the 37-year-old nonprofit leader, who quickly rose within the Obama campaign, helping to craft tech policy under top technology adviser Julius Genachowski. The Washington Post.

SOSA Winners featured in Foreign Service Journal

Mon, 06 Apr 2009 14:32:24 GMT

The Secretary of State's Awards for Outstanding Volunteerism Overseas (SOSA) 2008 winners were featured in the April 2009 issue of AFSA's Foreign Service Journal. Navigate to page 44 to read the article.

More Young People Lining Up for Government Jobs

Thu, 26 Mar 2009 15:26:30 GMT

Career Specialists Cite Growing Interest, Driven by Dismal Economy and Desire for Public Service. The Washington Post.

An Especially Special Diplomatic Corps

Thu, 26 Mar 2009 15:24:34 GMT

Hillary Clinton is reviving the tradition of the special envoy at the State Department. The Washington Post.

Uncle Sam Wants You for Foreign Service

Thu, 26 Mar 2009 15:22:49 GMT

USAID, State, and other foreign affairs agencies are hiring big-time. The Washington Post.

Hillary Clinton, e-diplomat, embraces new media

Tue, 24 Mar 2009 18:19:10 GMT

In less than three months, Clinton's State Department has embarked on a digital diplomacy drive aimed at spreading the word about American foreign policy and restoring Washington's image. Part of a broader Internet outreach by President Barack Obama's administration, Clinton's Web efforts already have outpaced those of her predecessors. Yahoo! News.

Foreign Service Jobs in Afghanistan to Grow

Tue, 24 Mar 2009 18:17:50 GMT

The State Department will significantly expand its presence in regional capitals in western and northern Afghanistan in coming months, part of the Obama administration's plans for a "surge" in civilians going to the country. The Washington Post.

US diplomat cleared in Afghan arms shipment case

Thu, 19 Mar 2009 16:09:03 GMT

The senior U.S. diplomat in Albania and his staff have been cleared of allegations that they were involved in covering up the illegal source of ammunition shipped to Afghanistan by an American military contractor, a State Department spokesman said Wednesday. Associated Press.

Civilians to Join Afghan Buildup

Thu, 19 Mar 2009 16:07:43 GMT

A civilian "surge" of hundreds of additional U.S. officials in Afghanistan would accompany the already approved increase in U.S. troop levels there under a new Afghanistan-Pakistan strategy being completed at the White House, according to administration officials.

President Obama is expected to make final decisions next week on that strategy, proposed by his top national security advisers and based on recommendations from senior military, diplomatic and intelligence officials and intensive consultations with NATO and United Nations partners. The Washington Post.