This is an update from AFSA President John Naland:

The last ten days have been tumultuous ones for the U.S. Foreign Service. This message reviews what has transpired, describes where things stand, and discusses next steps. Please share this update with colleagues who may not see it otherwise.

On October 26, the State Department announced that it might direct assignments to the war zone in Iraq in order to fill 48 positions coming open in summer 2008 that had not yet gotten volunteers. Many Foreign Service members learned of that dramatic announcement via the news media instead of from their employer. Starting on October 29, around 230 individual FSOs received notifications that they were “prime candidates” for possible designation to fill those positions. On October 31, an emotional Town Hall meeting was held at Main State, the video tape of which many Foreign Service members worldwide later viewed on the State Department’s Intranet or on commercial news sites.

Throughout the period, AFSA State Vice President Steve Kashkett received and responded to literally hundreds of inquiries from “prime candidates” and others concerned about the unfolding events. AFSA President Naland and VP Kashkett gave several dozen media interviews (including CNN, ABC, CBS, NBC, the News Hour, NPR, Washington Post, and many others). On November 1, the Secretary of State sent out a worldwide message renewing her call for Foreign Service members to serve in Iraq, but not mentioning other issues that came out at the Town Hall. On November 2, Naland and Kashkett met with the Director General of the Foreign Service.

Here is where things stand as of Monday morning, November 5:

-- AFSA repeats our call for Foreign Service members who have been considering a tour in Iraq to volunteer now. We repeat our call for Foreign Service retirees, particularly those with Middle East experience, to consider volunteering for Iraq. For both groups, the financial and other benefits are substantial. Obviously, there are also substantial risks.

-- AFSA stands by our position that directed assignments into the war zone in Iraq would be detrimental to the individual, to the post, and to the Foreign Service as a whole. We urge the State Department to find ways to continue to make war zone staffing on a volunteer basis. Those ways, as AFSA has long suggested, could include substantially increasing the Involuntary Separate Maintenance Allowance, creating special incentives for those willing to serve two-year tours in Iraq, and actively recruiting Foreign Service retirees willing to serve in Iraq.

-- AFSA notes that over 1,500 Foreign Service members have already served in Iraq on a volunteer basis and that the current potential shortfall is a result of the addition of 80 new positions to what is already the world’s largest embassy. We urge the Administration and Congress to make sure that every position established in Iraq is necessary.

-- AFSA reminds everyone that directed assignments are not a certainty. Both the Secretary and Director General have said that they remain open to filling the vacancies with volunteers if they materialize. At least 15 additional volunteers stepped forward last week. Others may do so this week.

-- AFSA urges all “prime candidate” FSOs who are not able to volunteer for Iraq this bid cycle to go through the process of preparing the formal statement to the assignment panel setting forth the reasons why they should not be assigned to Iraq. That process is spelled out in the Director General’s cable (State 149682) and AFSA's cable (State 149686). VP Kashkett and his staff stand ready to assist AFSA members (including anyone rejoining AFSA after a period of non-membership) in this process. They may be reached at <AFSA-Staff-DL@state.gov>.

-- AFSA on November 2 asked the Director General to not rush to implement directed assignments. Our online survey of active duty State Department Foreign Service members shows that 19 percent are willing to volunteer for Iraq at some point. Thus, with a full seven months still left in the summer 2008 bidding cycle, AFSA is confident that more volunteers will step forward in the coming months as their other bids prove non-viable or they otherwise make up their minds to volunteer for Iraq.

-- AFSA urges active duty State Department Foreign Service members who have not yet completed our quick 21 question online survey to do so by November 12 at <http://www.zoomerang.com/survey.zgi?p=WEB226Y3SS8XXB>. We will publish the results during the week of November 13.

-- AFSA urges senior State Department managers to expand training for Iraq bound volunteers. Currently, most receive around two weeks of pre-deployment training compared to the four to six month comprehensive training regimen provided to Vietnam-bound diplomats (for example, see <http://www.afsa.org/fsj/nov07/speaking_out.pdf>).

-- AFSA urges senior State Department managers to improve care for those who return from Iraq or other extreme assignments with physical, mental, or emotional wounds.

-- AFSA, for now, is dialing back on the media interviews. While some media outlets have permitted us to explain the context behind recent events (for example, see <http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/politics/july-dec07/diplomats_11-01.html>), others leave such explanation on the editing room floor and instead give their own preconceived editorial spin. Of course, if the Director General does begin directing assignments, AFSA will re-engage with the media.

-- AFSA urges senior State Department managers, if they have not already done so, to view the tape of the October 31 Town Hall meeting (for example, excerpts can be seen at <http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/11/02/state.iraq/index.html?section=cnn_latest#cnnSTCVideo>). Based on our ongoing employee survey, we believe that the emotion expressed in the audience (only some of which is audible on the tape) arises not just from concern over directed assignments, but also from concern that employee loyalty at the State Department is not being sufficiently reciprocated by the employer.

-- AFSA urges senior State Department managers to redouble efforts to address the short- and long-term needs of American’s diplomats. Those needs include more staffing and ending the overseas pay disparity. AFSA learned last week that, due to staffing shortfalls, the average U.S. Embassy currently only has 79 percent of its Foreign Service positions filled. This deficit between the State Department’s mission and the resources available to carry out that mission has left us without the bench strength with which to surge more personnel into Iraq. As for achieving pay modernization, AFSA’s ongoing survey reaffirms that it is by far Foreign Service members’ top bread-and-butter priority.

In the days ahead, AFSA will continue to speak out on behalf of the Foreign Service. We deeply appreciate the hundreds of messages of support that we have received in the last 10 days. We also welcome our numerous new members who, after several years of not fully appreciating the value of AFSA membership, now see it very clearly indeed.