Greetings and welcome from your AFSA President, Susan R. Johnson. The AFSA governing board pledges to do its best to uphold the values of AFSA and the Foreign Service and work toward implementing our four main pillars: Securing resources, improving operations and protecting benefits for the Foreign Service; increasing cooperation with management and broadening presence in policy development; improving the image and expanding the outreach of the Foreign Service; and streamlining internal AFSA operations.

I welcome your comments and suggestions so please feel free to contact me at johnson@afsa.org.

On this page you will find updates showing AFSA's advocacy on your behalf, including AFSA congressional testimony, information on the fiscal outlook for the Foreign Service, my monthly Foreign Service Journal columns, and other issues of importance to the Foreign Service community.

President's View Columns from the Foreign Service Journal

• Essential Ingredients for a Professional Career Foreign Service (February 2012)
• Marine Corps Culture and Institutional Success: Lessons for the FS? (January 2012)
• Strategic Planning, Part II (December 2011)
• AFSA Board Launches Strategic Planning Effort (November 2011)
• Taking AFSA's Efforts to the Next Level (October 2011)
• Diplomacy After 9/11: More Important Than Ever (September 2011)
• Moving Forward Together (July/August 2011)
• The Ambassador: Linchpin of Field Diplomacy (June 2011)
• The Fundamental Question About OCP (May 2011)
• Revolutions Test Diplomacy (April 2011)
• Working for a Stronger AFSA/Annual Report Message (March 2011)
• WikiLeaks and Diplomacy in the Digital Age (February 2011)
• Time for the Foreign Service Reserve Corps (January 2011) 
• Thinking About the Unthinkable (December 2010)
• Professional Ethics and Codes of Conduct for Diplomats (November 2010)
• Address Mid-Level Gaps to Strengthen Our Institutions (October 2010)
• AFSA's Role as a Professional Association (September 2010)
• A Midterm Report Card (July/August 2010)
• Treating OMS as Force Multipliers (June 2010)
• Seeing Diplomacy as a Profession (May 2010)
• Two Important Blueprints for Labor-Management Collaboration (April 2010)
• Exploring the New Frontiers of Diplomacy and Development (March 2010)
• Making Dissent Meaningful Again (February 2010)
• The State-USAID Relationship: Measure Twice, Cut Once (January 2010)
• Mind the Gap: Addressing FS Readiness (December 2009)
• Rebranding the Foreign Service (November 2009)
• Diplomacy and Patronage Don't Mix (October 2009)
• Challenges and Opportunities (September 2009)

More Information:

• Biography of AFSA President Susan R. Johnson
• Sign up for AFSAnet
• Contact AFSA staff
• Contact member services

• Update: Congress Passes 2012 International Affairs Budget, December 17, 2011
• Letter of Support for HR3485, December 16, 2011
• Legislative and Federal Benefits Update, November 8 2011
• Thanking Senators for their Support, September 29 2011
• FY2012 Budget and the Foreign Service, September 28 2011
• Request for Member Assistance, September 14 2011
• Message on OCP, August 30 2011
• Message on OCP, August 23 2011
• AFSA's Position on USAID Mid-Level Hiring Policy, August 5 2011
• Update: The Federal Budget and the Foreign Service, August 1 2011
• Update: Budget and Benefits, June 17 2011
• Update: FY2011 CR and OCP, April 15 2011

• March 7, 12-2 pm, AFSA HQ
• April 4, 12-2 pm, AFSA HQ
• May 2, 12-2 pm, AFSA HQ
  

• June 29, 2011
• April 14, 2011
• March 8, 2011
• December 9, 2009
• September 24, 2009
• September 16, 2009
• Previous Testimony