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preserve and strengthen the Foreign Service career path through targeted FSO
hiring and training and eliminate unnecessary damaging ad hoc hiring from outside
the Agency. In that spirit, AFSA co-authored a letter to the
Administrator with AFGE seeking an agreed framework for hiring decisions.
BEST PRACTICES BENCHMARKING STUDY
Over the summer, AFSA entered into a new partnership with the University of Tex-
as at Austin’s Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs to conduct a benchmark-
ing study identifying best practices in the field of diplomacy. AFSA plans to use the
findings from the year-long exercise to inform the agenda for its advocacy—on the
Hill and with the Administration—of a strong professional Foreign Service that, for
the sake of America’s people, interests and values, must remain the most effec-
tive and influential diplomatic service in the world. Issues being explored include
how other diplomatic services recruit, train, assign, develop and evaluate their
people. The results of the study are expected in the spring of 2017.
ENSURING QUICK CONGRESSIONAL ACTION
One of AFSA’s continued areas of concern is that the Senate Foreign
Relations Committee schedule hearings for career Foreign Service nominees in an
expeditious manner, and send those nominees and all Foreign Service tenure and
promotion lists for a quick confirmation on the Senate floor. We are pleased to
report that the progress on this in 2016 was excellent. Foreign Service lists flowed
through the system smoothly with few exceptions, and career nominees for Am-
bassadorships and other senior positions rarely faced lengthy delays. AFSA values
the positive relations with committee and personal staff members on the Hill that
are important for this to continue.
WORKFORCE PLANNING IN FOCUS
Each issue of The Foreign Service Journal features articles that address career
issues for AFSA members, and AFSA President Ambassador Barbara Stephenson
has used her monthly column to zero in on the priorities for advancing workforce
planning and soliciting input from AFSA members.
AFSA POST REPRESENTATIVES
Post Reps play a significant role not only in disseminating AFSA messaging at
post, but also in bringing potential areas of concern to our attention. When we
hear rumors of major problems at a specific post, the first person we turn to for
more information is our Post Rep. Post Reps also serve as a conduit for mem-
bers who prefer not to contact us directly, obtaining clarification for them from
the Labor-Management office on Department policies such as compensatory and
overtime pay.
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