In a move that has already drawn inevitable comparisons with military conscription, the State Department has announced on Friday that US diplomats may soon be compelled to serve one-year tours of duty at the American Embassy in Iraq.
The plan has been prompted by a chronic lack of volunteers for postings in Baghdad, where the US embassy now comes under daily fire from insurgents.
“Under our system, we have all taken an oath to serve our country, and we have all signed up for worldwide availability,” said Harry Thomas, director general of the Foreign Service.
If enough volunteers do not come forward to fill the 40-50 Iraq postings expected to come available next year, the State Department will begin directing the assignments.
Chosen candidates will have ten days to reject the posting and will need to demonstrate that a medical condition or other extreme hardship prevents them from taking up the assignment. Otherwise, they face severe disciplinary action.
“If someone decides they do not want to go, we will then consider appropriate action,” said Mr Thomas. “We have many options, including dismissal from the Foreign Service.”
The announcement has provoked a backlash from the union which represents diplomatic staff.
“We believe that directing unarmed civilians who are untrained for combat into a war zone should be done on a voluntary basis,” said Steve Kashkett, vice president of the American Foreign Service Association. “Directed assignments, we fear, can be detrimental to the individual, to the post and to the Foreign Service as a whole.”
The proposed selection process follows Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice’s June directive that postings to Iraq be filled before any other vacancies around the world.
This was in response to a memo from US Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker, who warned that the mission in Iraq has been hamstrung by deficiencies in the quantity and quality of diplomatic staff at Baghdad’s US embassy.
“Simply put, we cannot do the nation’s most important work if we do not have the Department’s best people,” Mr Crocker said in the memo.
Despite generous incentives such as extra hardship pay and vacation time, and greater choice regarding future assignments, security concerns have discouraged many highly qualified diplomatic staff from seeking postings in Baghdad – where the US embassy now ranks as the world’s largest, with over 6,000 staff.
The State Department says it has identified “prime candidates” for the diplomatic postings to Iraq and expects to fill all the forthcoming vacancies by Thanksgiving.
Foreign Service officers seem to be too fearful to endanger themselves for their country. I am in the military, and at least they can resign instead of going into the combat zone, & they will not be asked to engage the enemy. They have the freedom to whine without fear of prosecution for cowardice - a crime under the uniform code of military justice.
Stunts like this will ensure that Foreign Service personnel get all the respect they deserve when they get to Iraq.
Written by J R
on 11/1/2007
