MAGAZINE - 2001-2009.state.gov

M A G A Z I N E

U . S . D E P A R T M E N T O F S T A T E

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CONTENTSSTATE MAGAZINE + NOVEMBER 2006 + NUMBER 506

Thinking GreenEmbassy London initiates conservation strategy.

Weapons Removaland AbatementOffice saves lives and makes the world safer.

Arms ControlThe U.S. leads Ukraine missile destruction project.

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32 *ON THE COVERThe Office of Weapons Removal andAbatement has destroyed more than80 million pieces of munitions.Photo by Corbis

COLUMNS2 FROM THE SECRETARY

3 READERS’ FEEDBACK

4 FROM THE UNDER SECRETARY

5 IN THE NEWS

10 DIRECT FROM THE D.G.

34 EDUCATION & TRAINING

35 SAFETY SCENE

36 PEOPLE LIKE YOU

37 APPOINTMENTS

38 OBITUARIES

39 RETIREMENTS

40 THE LAST WORD

10 A Little Office That CaresCasualty Assistance deals with death,injury and illness.

20 Working the HillFSO brings field experience to ‘Hill’ fellowship.

Beirut’sBridgeEmbassy Beirut helps 15,000Americans depart Lebanon.

DoingGoodWorkSmall agency in Haifa dodgesrockets to complete good deeds.

TheUltimateClassroomFSI students take final exam inthe middle of the Lebanon crisis.

22 Managing LossWorkforce challenges loom despiteoverall low attrition.

26 OES-DRL TrainingOffice delivers on leadership andmanagement training.

insideLEBANON

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In late September, I attended the 61st session of theUnited Nations General Assembly. One of my mostimportant engagements was the launch of theInternational Compact for Iraq, an Iraqi-government-ledinitiative designed to transform Iraq’s economy andstrengthen Iraq’s relationship with the internationalcommunity.

For the past three and a half years, the world haswatched the people of Iraq begin to move beyond threedecades of tyranny. They haverisked their lives by the millionsto make their voices heard. Theyhave written and ratified a newconstitution. They have formeda government of national unity.And despite the extremist designsof violent enemies, Iraq’s newgovernment is making realprogress.

Yet, as Iraqi leaders point out,Iraq has real needs, stemmingfrom decades of neglect. Thegovernment’s increasing securityand reconstruction responsibili-ties create the demand for more,not less, international support.So in September, the interna-tional community launched theInternational Compact for Iraq.

The idea of the Compact iscompelling: As Iraq implements tough reforms thatwill change its political economy, the internationalcommunity will step forward to help. This is a con-tract, a partnership, and each party has importantresponsibilities.

The Iraqi government has a strategy of economicreform that can set the country on a path to self-sufficiency. Iraq’s new government is proposing fiscal

reforms to create a transparent and comprehensivebudget. The government has also pledged to undertakemeasures, like an investment law and banking reform, toattract investment and revitalize Iraq’s private sector.

Finally, on hydrocarbons, Iraq’s new government haspledged to sort out the revenue distribution between itsregional and national governments. This will enable theelected leaders of Iraq to devote their country’s vast

natural resources to the benefit of their rightful owners:the Iraqi people.

This is a bold agenda of reform. And it must bepursued vigorously. Yet, for this Compact to be trulyeffective, Iraqis must still do more. First, Iraqis mustimplement their National Reconciliation Plan. Thesuccess of an International Compact rests on Iraq’s abilityto secure a National Compact, which can dramaticallyreduce civil strife.

Second, as Iraqis work to buildtransparent, accountable andeffective democratic institutions,the government must deal with itsunspent budgetary funds. Thesefunds are essential to addressingthe Iraqi people’s most urgentneeds, and the Iraqi governmentmust use this money, quickly andresponsibly, to help its citizens.Finally, Iraqis must do everythingin their power to combat corrup-tion at all levels of governmentand to tackle the urgent need toreform their ministries.

As Iraq meets these goals, theinternational community mustlive up to its side of the bargain.The success of Iraq’s reformsdepends on the full support of theinternational community—from

debt reduction and technical assistance to new invest-ment and budget or project support. The Iraqis havepresented their goals and reforms to the community ofnations; now the community of nations is proposing tothe Iraqis how it intends to support them. Much workwill have to be done, but by the end of November, welook to gather again to present our proposals and to sealthe Compact with Iraq.

The Iraqi people face enormous challenges on theirpath to a better life. But through their perseverance andtheir many daily sacrifices, we see a people whose capac-ity and desire to prosper in freedom are greater thanevery challenge they face. Iraq’s greatest resource is theindustry and creativity of its citizens, and with the fullsupport of the international community, we can be con-fident that Iraqis can, and will, succeed. �

F R O M T H E S E C R E TA R Y

An International Partnership with Iraq

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“As Iraq implements tough reforms that willchange its political economy, the internationalcommunity will step forward to help.”

Remembering Peggy WoosleyIt was with great sadness and many joyful

memories that I read Peggy Woosley’s obit-uary (September issue). We were duplexneighbors in West Berlin 1978–80. She,daughter Susan and Cairn terrier Laddielived downstairs while my husband Ed, ourdachshund Edgar and I occupied theupstairs apartment. You could not ask for abetter friend, neighbor or coworker.

Her last assignment before Berlin hadbeen Tehran. When the Shah left Iran, sheopened her apartment to her Persianfriends and our duplex became a temporarysanctuary for Iranian refugees. It was a greatblessing that these visitors found a safeharbor on their way to new lives.

After our Edgar died in Karachi, I calledher and she found a wonderful little dachs-hund for us. We lost track of each other, butthere’s never been a time when I didn’t thinkof her and wish we could sit down and shareour adventures over one of her martinis.

Mona PoeTyler, Texas

Head Scarves in IraqSome of my State Department col-

leagues have made comments to me aboutSheila Faulkner’s letter to the editor thatran in the July/August issue, whichexpressed reservations about my wearing ahead scarf during a soccer ball charityevent in Basrah. I wanted to provide someclarification for State Magazine readers.

Most readers were probably not awarethat the charity event was held inside thegrounds of a large mosque in Basrah. Theimam of the mosque graciously invited allof us to attend, but politely reminded usthat women should wear head covers whileinside the property. For me to show upwithout a head cover would not only havebeen shocking to the Iraqis present, butalso incredibly inconsiderate and religious-ly inappropriate.

I don’t want to convey the impressionthat the decision whether or not to wear ahead scarf while in Basrah was always aseasy as it was the day of that soccer event.By showing up at provincial governmentmeetings with my head covered, the issue

of my appearance was taken off the tableand the meetings could center on theimportant topics of security, elections andeconomic development.

But I was aware that the social environ-ment in southern Iraq was becomingincreasingly fundamentalist and that allwomen were pressured to adhere to strictdress codes and wear head covers. Some ofthe Iraqi Christian women who worked inour office told me they were being threat-ened for not wearing head scarves, but thatthey refused to wear them because theywere not Muslim—even though it may costthem their lives. I frequently felt torn aboutmy own decision to cover my head to haveeffective meetings.

I thank Ms. Faulkner for drawing atten-tion to how much the environment in Iraqhas changed in the past few years and to thedifficulties that State Department employ-ees face working in that environment.

Rachel SchnellerOffice of MultilateralTrade Affairs

R E A D E R S ’ F E E D B A C K

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Mailing AddressState Magazine2401 E Street, NWHR/ER/SMG, SA-1, Room H-236Washington, DC 20522-0108

[email protected]

Phone(202) 663-1700

Letters should not exceed 250words and should include thewriter’s name, address and daytimephone number. All letters becomethe property of State Magazine.Letters will be edited for length,accuracy and clarity. Only signedletters will be considered. Namesmay be withheld upon request.

The article on “dog soldiers” in the September issue reminds usthat not only humans serve the Department. Those who served inMumbai (Bombay), India, from the early 1990s through 2004should remember the cat “Miss Kitty,” who did her part in protect-ing the Consulate. For example, she ensured that duty staff stayedalert during the night by tapping on the door to the Consulatelobby at unannounced times to ask for food. Because crows wouldeat anything left outdoors, Miss Kitty’s dish of kibble was keptinside on the corner of the receptionist’s desk. (On at least oneoccasion, a visitor was seen helping himself to a handful of MeowMix, assuming it was a special American snack.)

I brought Miss Kitty to the U.S. in early 2004. She easily qualifiedfor a Special Immigrant Visa, given her lengthy service—theequivalent of well over 50 human years. She enjoyed two yearsof retirement before succumbing to illness.

One of the Indian staff of the consulate told me Miss Kitty wasrumored to be the reincarnated spirit of a princess who previouslylived in the building, originally constructed as the palace of a rajah.If that is true, her life of devoted duty to the U.S. Government hassurely earned her a promotion in a future life.

Frederick PolaskyRetired Foreign Service OfficerFairfax, Va.

Let Us Hear from YouMumbai’s ‘Miss Kitty’


At a Town Hall meeting in theDepartment in May, I launched a newlyinvigorated Department-wide mentoringprogram. My goal is to ensure that anyemployee, in any place, at any time canget the mentoring that he or she needs.There is no timeline on when mentoringshould happen in one’s career. I hopeeveryone will want a mentor and want tobe a mentor. To achieve this outcome,our programs must be open to all con-stituencies, be as flexible as possible andbe available to any employee, in anyplace, at any time. We want to broadenour existing programs as well as createnew ones.

Why mentoring? Mentoring opens upopportunities for all of us. Mentors canhelp us make connections—as colleagues,as public servants and as people. Thementee gets the advice, know-how and“deep understanding of the culture” froma more experienced employee. Thementor can gain fresh ideas, approachesand the wisdom of other organizationalcultures.

Mentoring can allow us to create newways to approach the world and newways to use our experiences. Fully a thirdof our workforce has joined us since2000. One-third or more of our work-force is ready for retirement. We need tobenefit from one another’s experiences.

This year we added a well-received “sit-uational mentoring” program for Civiland Foreign Service colleagues who wantadvice on a short-term basis, or on a par-ticular topic. Situational mentors canprovide additional support for those in

mentoring programs or provide optionsfor those who want mentoring withoutstructure. Situational mentors are theright help at the right time and areusually available to help solve a quickproblem, uncover a hidden talent or learna new skill or behavior. Situationalmentors can lend their assistance for as

little time as it takes to discuss an ideaover coffee or an e-mail or as long as ittakes to complete a long-term project. Tolearn more about situational mentoringand other mentoring programs at State,go to “Mentoring” under “Key Programs”on the Department I-Net home page.

Up to now, our mentoring programshave captured segments of ourDepartment family. More than 900employees in Washington and through-out the U.S. have been successfully pairedin our structured one-year program forthe Civil Service. All new Foreign Serviceemployees have been given the opportu-nity to have an individual mentor as partof their orientation program, and, infiscal year 2006, 92 percent of all new

Foreign Service generalists and specialistswere paired. Those who did not havementors at the outset of their career andhave moved up through the mid-levelranks of the Foreign Service are nowencouraged to request a mentor. Anyonein the Foreign Service—including entry-level mentees—may change mentors if

they wish by sending an e-mail [email protected].

Mentoring of and by our LocallyEmployed staff offers a new set of oppor-tunities. We began to explore thesepossibilities in June during the annualFSN conference. We are also encouragingprograms for Foreign Service familymembers. If you are a spouse or memberof a household who would like a mentoror if you are eager to share your hard-won knowledge about the way thingsREALLY work overseas, you can do so viathe Family Liaison Office.

During FY 2007, we want to see con-tinued growth of the Civil Service,Foreign Service Officer, Foreign ServiceSpecialist, Foreign Service National andForeign Service family member mentor-ing relationships. We are encouragingcolleagues at all posts and domestically toparticipate in situational mentoring, asboth mentors and mentees. We areworking with regional bureaus and poststo create new and expanded opportuni-ties for Local Employees overseas.

A new Mentoring Coordination groupunder the guidance of a Senior Advisorfor Mentoring, Ambassador SylviaStanfield, will continue to investigate bestpractices in mentoring and meet withother agencies, starting with our sisteragency, USAID, to share information andideas. We are also looking at enhancedmentoring partnerships within embassycommunities. Our vision is that everyemployee—Civil Service, Foreign Serviceor Foreign Service National—who wishesa mentor be paired with one soon afterhe/she joins the Department.

The success of all these mentoring ini-tiatives depends on all our people in theDepartment volunteering and joining.Mentoring can benefit both individualsand the Department as a whole. I urgeyou to get informed about what rolementoring can play in your professionallife. Be sure to check out theDepartment’s new combined Civil andForeign Service mentoring web site,http://hrweb.hr.state.gov/mentoring.So…make a new friend—mentoring isfor everyone. �

UNDER SECRETARY HENRIETTA FORE

Mentoring Is for Everyone

“Mentoring opens upopportunities for all of us.”

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)(NEWS

>>>PLUS>>> VOLUNTEER SPIRIT INFUSES JULY 4 IN DAMASCUS + U.S.–BRAZILSCIENTIFIC COOPERATION + DHAKA IS READY FOR EMERGENCIES +YOUTH AWARD WINNERS HONORED + INCENTIVE PROGRAM HELPSSTATE RETAIN IT WORKERS + SINGAPORE SHARES PASSPORT DATA

U.S. Embassy Reykjavik Political OfficerBrad Evans took home a pair of silver medalsfrom the Icelandic National Road CyclingChampionships in August.

In the 30-kilometer time trial event, hefinished 10th overall and second in the30–39 age group. In the 90-kilometerroad race championship—three laps ona hilly 30-kilometer course—he pressedon for an eighth place finish, again takingsecond in the 30–39 age group.

Mr. Evans, who began cycling in his teens,commented afterward on the impact of thestrong North Atlantic winds: “These guyshave no problem racing in the face of ahowling wind—it’s pretty impressive.”

He said he looks forward to riding andracing as much a possible during his assign-ment in Reykjavik, as “cycling is a greatexcuse to get out and see a lot of the country.”

EMBASSYCYCLIST WINSMEDALS ANDSEES ICELAND

Brad Evans gives it his allin the time trial event.


Adopting a different approach to the annual celebration ofAmerica’s Independence Day, the U.S. Embassy in Damascus can-celed its traditional Fourth of July reception for the second year ina row and instead organized a volunteer event to benefit a localnongovernmental organization serving handicapped children andtheir families.

The embassy wanted to emphasize that the United States doesnot consider it appropriate to host festive, celebratory occasions inSyria at a time when profound policy differences have severelystrained bilateral relations. In addition, by demonstratingAmerica’s commitment to volunteerism and community service,the embassy wanted to show publicly its support for Syria’s embat-tled civil-society activists, many of whom have been imprisonedfor their efforts to encourage a more open political process.

Chargé d’Affaires Stephen Seche explained the embassy’s inten-tions in a letter sent to the hundreds of Syrian and diplomaticcontacts on the Fourth of July guest list:

“We have decided once again this year to forego the traditionalreception and observe our Independence Day by participating in avolunteer event to benefit a local organization that serves under-privileged children.”

The letter also described the tradition and extent of volun-teerism in America.

“On the anniversary of our nation’s independence, theAmerican Embassy community in Damascus would like to cele-brate the spirit of volunteerism that is one of the hallmarks of ourdemocratic way of life,” the letter said. “In addition, we wish tohonor our Syrian friends who believe as we do that individualsjoining together in support of the common good strengthen everysociety and every nation. We look forward to celebrating togetheron another occasion.”

On July 7, the embassy hosted 60 children between the ages of 4and 10, accompanied by their mothers, for an afternoon of games,crafts, food and a clown show on the spacious grounds of theAmerican School in Damascus.

American and local employees of the embassy and others fromthe American community turned out in great number to paintfaces, dance, play soccer, toss water balloons, make handcrafts andeat traditional Syrian shawarma. Our young guests seemed toenjoy every minute. The pleasures of the day weren’t limited to thechildren: Their mothers also took part enthusiastically, dancingand participating in other activities.

The spirit of volunteerism that is a hallmark of the Americanway of life was on full display in the smiling faces of our Syrianguests. And everyone agreed it was a lot more fun than areception.

VOLUNTEER SPIRIT INFUSES JULY 4 IN DAMASCUS

In July, the first-ever U.S.-Brazil Ministerial Level JointCommission Meeting on Scientific and TechnologicalCooperation was held in Washington at the National Academy ofSciences and by all accounts was very successful.

Cooperation between the United States and Brazil hasadvanced understanding of the earth’s climate, improved weatherforecasting, enhanced coordination to address infectious diseasesand contributed to basic scientific research in a range of fields.

White House Science Adviser John H. Marburger III headedthe 48-member U.S. delegation, which was cochaired by ClaudiaA. McMurray, Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans andInternational Environmental and Scientific Affairs. Agency headsand senior officials from Commerce, Energy, Interior, Health andHuman Services, the Environmental Protection Agency, theNational Aeronautics and Space Administration, the NationalInstitutes of Health, the National Science Foundation and othersparticipated.

The 27-member Brazilian delegation was led by Dr. LuisManuel Rebelo Fernandes, the deputy minister of Science andTechnology, with Ambassador to the United States RobertoAbdenur serving as cochair.

Under Secretary for Democracy and Global Affairs PaulaDobriansky gave a keynote address on the social benefits of scienceand technology and international cooperation. She highlighted ben-efits of U.S.-Brazil cooperation in S&T, including environmentalbenefits of renewable fuels; joint biotechnology programs in agricul-ture; earth observation technologies, such as the Global EarthObserving System of Systems and Landsat imagery; global position-ing systems that benefit transportation sectors; and broadband and

wireless communication technologies used to connect rural resi-dents to knowledge, skills and education.

Two implementing agreements were renewed under the 1984U.S.-Brazil S&T framework agreement in a signing ceremony atthe Smithsonian Institution’s Museum of Natural History: theNASA Large-Scale Biosphere-Atmosphere Experiment inAmazonia, which is an international, multidisciplinary cooperativeresearch program; and the Biological Determinants of ForestFragments Program, which is the world’s largest and longest-running study of habitat fragmentation in the central Amazon.These collaborations on earth sciences and forest fragmentationare centerpieces of conservation biology and are fundamental tostewardship of the Amazon forest.

Meeting Highlights U.S.–Brazil Scientific Cooperation

Attending the meeting at the National Academy of Sciences were, from left,U.S. Ambassador to Brazil Clifford Sobel, White House Science Adviser JohnH. Marburger III, Under Secretary of State Paula Dobriansky, NationalAcademy of Sciences President Ralph J. Cicerone, Deputy Minister ofScience and Technology Luis Manuel Rebelo Fernandes and Brazil’sAmbassador to the U.S. Roberto Abdenur.


The 2006 Youth Awards ceremony, heldJuly 19 in the Benjamin Franklin Room,honored winners in three categories: theForeign Service Youth Foundation’sCommunity Service Awards, the AmericanForeign Service Association’s National HighSchool Essay Contest and the ForeignService Institute Transition Center’s KidVidAwards. Director General George M.Staples delivered the keynote address.

The awards program and ceremony was ajoint endeavor of the award sponsors, theFamily Liaison Office and the Office ofOverseas Schools.

“The individuals behind the scenes atFLO and the volunteers at FSYF ultimatelymake each year’s ceremony successful,” saidFSYF President Blanca Ruebensaal.

Foreign Service Youth FoundationCommunity Service Awards

The Community Service Awards recog-nize Foreign Service teenagers who havedemonstrated outstanding leadership ininternational community service or inservice to their peers. Through their selflessacts, this year’s winners demonstrated thepower of the individual to improve the livesof others less fortunate than themselves.

First Place: There were two winners: JohnAlsace of Barcelona, Spain, and JessicaHimelfarb of Harare, Zimbabwe. John

spearheaded a project to provide food to 80impoverished families at a local children’scenter. Jessica led a project to paint andremodel a one-room school building usedto educate more than 60 children, raisedmoney for school uniforms for more than50 orphans and served as the point personto receive and distribute donated clothes.

Highly Commendable: Nelson Pattersonof Harare, Zimbabwe, dedicated a year ofhis life to work in an HIV/AIDS hospiceand orphanage in Zimbabwe, work on theorphan outreach team, visit the poorestcommunities in Zimbabwe and serve as abig brother to hundreds of orphans.

Clements International Insurance spon-sored the $3,000 U.S. Government SavingsBond awarded to the first-place winners.

AFSA National Essay ContestAFSA established the contest seven years

ago to encourage American high school stu-dents to learn more about the ForeignService, the craft of diplomacy andAmerica’s role in the world. Of this year’s300 submissions, three essays were recog-nized for having an exemplary command ofresearch, style and English usage.

First Place: Eva Lam of Milwaukee,Wis., for her essay on empowering womenin Afghanistan. Eva received an awardof $2,500.

Second Place: Kimberly Hayward of OakLawn, Ill., for her essay on the role ofForeign Service officers in bridging the edu-cation gender gap in Africa.

Third Place: Karina Legradi of Tampa,Fla., for her essay on the role of the ForeignService in the war on drug trafficking inColombia and Afghanistan.

The essay contest was sponsored by theAFSA Fund for American Diplomacy andthe Nelson B. Delevan Foundation.

KidVid Awards The KidVid Awards honor Foreign

Service youth between the ages of 10 and 18for their videos depicting life at post foryoung people. All KidVids become perma-nent additions to the Overseas BriefingCenter library.

First Place: Christian and Patrick Liskofor their video of Valetta, Malta.

Second Place: Annamaria Ward for hervideo of Quito, Ecuador.

Third Place: Tie between Sean PatrickKelly for his video of Vilnius, Lithuania, andAnthony Oman and Thomas Litchfield fortheir video of Helsinki, Finland.

Oakwood Worldwide Corporate Housingsponsored the prize money.

A cable and Department announcementcalling for nominations for the 2007 YouthAwards will go out in February.

2006 YOUTH AWARD WINNERS HONORED

Emergency preparedness is a very important issue atthe U.S. Mission in Dhaka. In addition to the threat ofmonsoon-related flooding, Bangladesh faces the threatof cyclones from the Bay of Bengal as well as earth-quakes resulting from its location on a major geologicalfault line.

This year, the mission began to establish responseteams that could quickly intervene in the event of anemergency. The staff responded to the call for volun-teers, the Dhaka Fire Department provided training andGeneral Services Office mechanics outfitted several offi-cial vehicles with basic emergency equipment, includingsirens and fire hoses.

On August 15, Ambassador Patricia A. Butenis joineda celebration of the volunteers’ graduation from the fireservice course and the official establishment of theresponse teams. Some 28 dedicated Locally EmployedStaff are divided into four teams—two for emergencyresponse and two for fire response.

Dhaka Embassy Is Ready for Emergencies

The response teams pose at their graduation ceremonywith Ambassador Butenis, center rear.


MAGAZINE STAFF

Rob WileyEDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Bill PalmerWRITER/EDITOR

Jennifer LelandWRITER/EDITOR

David L. JohnstonART DIRECTOR

ADVISORY BOARD MEMBERS

Maurice S. ParkerEXECUTIVE SECRETARY

Larry Baer

Kelly Clements

Pam Holliday

State Magazine (ISSN 1099–4165) is pub-lished monthly, except bimonthly in Julyand August, by the U.S. Department ofState, 2201 C St., N.W., Washington, D.C.Periodicals postage paid at Washington,D.C., and at additional mailing locations.

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SUBMISSIONS

For details on submitting articles to StateMagazine, request our guidelines,“Getting Your Story Told,” by e-mail [email protected]; download themfrom our web site at www.state.gov;or send your request in writing toState Magazine, 2401 E Street, N.W.,HR/ER/SMG, SA-1, Room H-236,Washington, DC 20522-0108.

The submission deadline for theJanuary 2007 issue is November 15.The deadline for the February 2007issue is December 15.

For information technology profession-als at the State Department, SIP couldmean more money.

The Skills Incentive Program began in1999 as a pilot program. Qualifying IT pro-fessionals were entitled to incentive paybased on certain certification require-ments. The pay increase could be 5, 10 or15 percent. In 2005, SIP became a formalprogram and the 5 percent category wasdiscontinued.

The program has been successful inretaining highly skilled technologyworkers. In fact, 50 percent of theDepartment’s IT work force participates inSIP. The total incentive pay awarded isapproximately $8.3 million per year.

Annually, the SIP management team willreview and revise the qualifying certifica-tions, percentages and continuingeducation requirements necessary to

qualify. The program is currently limited toFS-01s and GS-15s and below who meet allof the eligibility requirements.

Two separate panels handle policy andcertification recommendations. The ITProfessional Skills Panel votes on individ-ual cases and also provides policyrecommendations to a Senior AdvisoryPanel consisting of the chief informationofficer, dean of the School of AppliedInformation Technology and a deputyassistant secretary in the Bureau of HumanResources. The Senior Advisory Panelmakes decisions on the changes recom-mended by the IT Skills Panel.

For questions regarding SIP, theprogram has an e-mail box named ITProfessional Skills Panel. The IT SkillsProgram administrators are located at theForeign Service Institute. The new SIPIntranet website is http://sip.state.gov.

INCENTIVE PROGRAM HELPSSTATE RETAIN IT WORKERS

From left, Immigration and Checkpoints Authority officials Ng Jyh Pyng,Tam Chek Fran and Ong ChoonBeng; U.S. Consular Chief Julie Kavanagh; U.S. Vice Consul Susan Wong.

The U.S. Embassy in Singapore’s Consular Chief, Julie Kavanagh, and Fraud PreventionManager Susan Wong received the first delivery of lost and stolen passport records fromrepresentatives of Singapore’s Immigration and Checkpoints Authority on July 21.

The delivery of more than 39,000 records inaugurated an information-sharing processthat will reduce U.S. vulnerability to fraudulent use of Singapore’s passport. The initiativemarks an important step in U.S.-Singapore cooperation to enhance the security of inter-national travel.

Singapore Shares Passport Data

9N O V E M B E R 2 0 0 6 S TAT E M A G A Z I N E 9N O V E M B E R 2 0 0 6 S TAT E M A G A Z I N EN O V E M B E R 2 0 0 6 S TAT E M A G A Z I N E

At the Department of State, we haveone mission: to create a more secure,democratic and prosperous world for thebenefit of the American people and theinternational community. Each employeebrings a different contributing elementto this mission.

More than 8,000 Civil Service employ-ees support our foreign policy mission inWashington, D.C., at passport agenciesand field offices across the nation, atconsulates in Mexico and in other postsaround the world. They have served welland honorably abroad, and provide avital service in the U.S. We will continueto look at how we might best use theirservices overseas when the need arises.

While much of the Bureau of HumanResources’ recent work has, of necessity,focused on the Foreign Service, I alsowant to tap into the experience andtalents of our Civil Service. Wheneverand wherever possible, I am committedto enhancing development opportunitiesfor our Civil Service employees.

I would like to create career develop-ment programs for Civil Service andLocally Employed staff, much as we didfor the Foreign Service. This will not beeasy, and HR cannot do it alone, but theneed to develop our employees’ skills isuniversal.

In August, we implemented a pilotCivil Service Mid-Level RotationProgram that is designed to providedevelopmental assignments for ForeignAffairs officers and those in equivalent

positions at the GS-12 and GS-13 gradelevels to broaden their knowledge, skillsand abilities. We developed this programin close coordination with the FoggyBottom Society. I hope to expand thisprogram, both domestically and overseas.

The MLRP fosters a shared under-standing of our agency and its mission,

vision and objectives. The philosophy isto develop a diverse group of highly qual-ified visionary and strategic-thinkingindividuals as future Department of Stateleaders; the future leaders must be adapt-

able, capable of leading change and readyto manage a multicultural workforcewhile being results driven.

The program is designed to provide a“replacement” for each candidate selectedto participate. Once the pilot participantsare identified, each of their home bureauswill have the opportunity to fill the newlycreated temporary vacancy with one of

the other pilot participants. I anticipateall of the rotational assignments begin-ning during January 2007.

Bureau training officers can provideCivil Service employees with detailedinformation about short- and longer-term training opportunities, both at theForeign Service Institute and externally.

They can also provide guidance on howto create Individual Development Plans.The FSI-prepared Civil Service trainingcontinuum and the leadership and man-agement continuum also provideinformation that can be used by employ-ees and their training officers whendeveloping Individual DevelopmentPlans. Continuing education, trainingand professional development should bethe cornerstone of everybody’s careerplanning.

In HR, we also have a CareerDevelopment Resource Center whereemployees can consult with professionalcounselors and job coaches, take advan-tage of computer-based and otherresources that help them identify theirstrengths and areas for growth and checkout their extensive library of books andvideos on professional development.

I encourage all Civil Service employeesto consider signing up for our CivilService Mentoring Program. Theprogram challenges participants toprepare an action plan for a full year ofsustained focus on career developmentwith opportunities to meet and learnfrom mentors throughout theDepartment.

It is important that Americans under-stand what we do. Therefore, I would liketo see our Civil Service colleagues beactive participants in our public outreachefforts. Community outreach activities,such as those that are sponsored byYPRO, are critically important.

We must ensure that Civil Serviceemployees are well trained and that theirskills are properly utilized. Only byworking together as a team will we beable to achieve our common goals.

If you have suggestions or comments,please send them via unclassified e-mailto “DG Direct.” �

D . G . G E O R G E S TA P L E S

Tapping Civil Service Talent

“Whenever and wherever possible,I am committed to enhancing developmentopportunities for our Civil Service employees.”


CASUALTY ASSISTANCE DEALS WITH DEATH, INJURY AND ILLNESSBY KENDALL MONTGOMERY

OCA Director Kendall Montgomery,standing, conducts a training sessionfor a crisis support team.

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CASUALTY ASSISTANCE DEALS WITH DEATH, INJURY AND ILLNESSBY KENDALL MONTGOMERY

OCA Director Kendall Montgomery,standing, conducts a training sessionfor a crisis support team.

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“What do I do now?” Those are often among the firstwords family members say when contacted by the office.Their relief is palpable when they find that there is anoffice to help with administrative concerns. From thatmoment, they know they have a place where every ques-tion is important and every concern will be heard. Theoffice’s toll-free phone number facilitates communication.

The office provides guidance on benefits for which afamily may be eligible and supplies the necessary forms.But that is only the beginning. Just as each death isunique, so are the needs of each family member. While aspouse may ask about having household effects deliveredor gaining access to Social Security benefits, a parent mayseek guidance on assisting a child struggling with grief orinformation about staying at post for the remainder ofthe school year. These questions may cease after a fewmonths or continue for several years. The office is avail-able for as long as support is needed.

The small size of the office is an advantage for clientsduring normal times. Each family’s issues and concernsare known and can be addressed by whoever answers thephone. But the small size makes it difficult to respond toall families’ needs in the aftermath of a mass casualty.

Crisis support teams, made up of 70 volunteers fromthe Bureau of Human Resources, are trained and ready

to provide surge capacity should the need arise. Onlyonce in their six years of existence were they asked torespond to families, but on that occasion they provedinvaluable—meeting family members at airports andserving as their escorts, providing a point of contact forunforeseen issues and offering support at emotionallydifficult moments.

Although responding to the needs of families follow-ing the death of an employee or family memberaccompanying an employee overseas is the major workof the office, helping injured or ill employees is equallyimportant. These employees also need an advocate inthe Department to hear their concerns and work toidentify solutions.

Any employee or family member who experiencessuch a crisis and wants a single point of contact andadvocate in the Department may contact the Office ofCasualty Assistance at (202) 736-4302 or by e-mail [email protected]. In addition, employees can visit theoffice’s Intranet site at http://hrweb.hr.state.gov/prd/hrweb/oca/Index.html for information on contingencyplanning, the stages of grief, death benefits and more. �

The author is the director of the Office of CasualtyAssistance.

With just three staff members, the Office of Casualty Assistance may be the smallest

in the Department. And yet, following the death of an employee, whether Foreign or

Civil Service, it becomes the connection to the Department for a grieving family.


The Little OfficeThat Cares

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Thinking Green

The U.S. Embassy in London coversa quarter million square feet and, rela-tively speaking, is old. Built in 1959from a prize-winning design by archi-tect Eero Saarinen, the building is outof step with 21st century security andenvironmentally friendly energyrequirements.

New embassies are being built withthese requirements in mind, but retro-fitting an “old” Embassy to be green is ahuge challenge. The embassy’s manage-ment section took on that challenge,and the solutions they found couldserve as models and prototypes forother projects in London, including themassive construction required to hostthe 2012 Olympic Games. Green proj-ects of this nature are the responsibility

of each embassy and every employee.Energy-saving projects are reviewed byOverseas Buildings Operations andworthy projects (having a payback ofless than 10 years) are approved andfunded by the OBO Energy Program,run by the Mechanical EngineeringBranch.

Because of its size and number ofstaff, the U.S. Embassy in London con-sumes much energy. As part of themanagement section’s new long-termstrategic plan, facility manager JerryPifer and his staff searched for ways toconserve energy and reduce carbonemissions to preserve the environmentwhile also cutting costs. Their “green”initiatives, some fairly common andfamiliar and others much more innova-

tive, have already resulted in water andenergy savings, and the program couldalso save thousands of dollars each year.

In addition to conservation aware-ness and budget savings, themanagement section also saw the“greening initiative” as a great outreachactivity, a positive way to demonstrateto the people and government of theUnited Kingdom that the U.S. Embassyin London was striving to be a goodguest. In the process, the mission alsoset an example for other institutions inLondon, including foreign missions,international schools and even privatebusinesses.

Following ISO 14001 environmentalmanagement systems guidelines, Mr.Pifer and his staff secured a commit-

Wind turbines such as this one, although stillin the experimental stage, could eventuallyreduce electricity costs.

David T. Johnson, deputy chief of mission, U.S.Embassy, London offers the welcomingremarks. Seated, from left, Liz Thompson, headof external relations, British EnvironmentalAgency; Tim Curtis, director of operations,Energy Saving Trust of Britain; Trevor Evans,ECON/EST Officer, U.S. Embassy, London.

ment from management to support envi-ronment management trainingprograms. They also established goalsand objectives that should result in meas-urable progress, such as reducing by 50percent the amount of rubbish going tothe landfill. They weeded out impracticaland costly options, considering onlythose that would save money after theinitial outlay or at least be cost-neutral.

Earth Day KickoffEnlisting the help of the community

liaison officer, the public affairs office,the general services officer, the scienceofficer and other management sectionunits, the staff hosted an Earth Day cele-bration on April 20 to officially kick offthe project. Following remarks fromDeputy Chief of Mission David Johnsonand speakers from the EnvironmentalProtection Agency and the Energy Trust,guests and embassy personnel were freeto wander among displays that covered a

wide range of energy conservationtopics. Guests were invited to access acomputer application that estimated theamount of carbon emissions their house-holds create annually and were givensuggestions for reducing the amount.U.S. embassy employees were given elec-tricity consumption statistics for theirhomes and invited to sign pledges toreduce emissions by any percentage theychose as a target.

One of the first ground-breaking ideasinitiated was installing 52 waterlessurinals, resulting in cost and watersavings in a country that is facing adrought for the first time in many years.These devices use scented olive oil toneutralize odors, and they’re easier tomaintain than ordinary urinals.

The chancery’s new condensingboilers will replace older modelsthroughout the embassy and reduceenergy consumption by about 30percent. While the embassy’s basementconference rooms were remodeled, thestaff selected new lights that reduceenergy usage from six kilowatts to two.The embassy also sponsored a lightbulbexchange that allowed staff to trade theirincandescent bulbs for energy-efficient,compact fluorescent bulbs that use up to75 percent less electricity.

Turbine PowerAs early as August 2004, the embassy

had contacted a company that manufac-tures wind turbine generators suitablefor use on the roof of an averagedwelling. The turbine blades are 1.75meters across and are mounted on a two-meter-high pole. The turbine producesup to one kilowatt of electricity, enoughto power a television, DVD player, com-puter, refrigerator or freezer (Europeanappliances), as well as several types oflights, such as fluorescent lights.

This particular unit simply plugs intoany power socket in the house, via aninverter/conditioning unit. An averagehousehold could reduce its electricity billby 30 percent, and the unit could pay foritself within five years if it is in a nonelec-tric home where gas cooking is in place.

The embassy purchased the Windsaveturbine, and it was installed on the roof ofthe embassy warehouse in midsummer.Both units are in the experimental phase.

One of the embassy’s residentialapartment buildings is benefiting fromLondon’s first fuel cell, which usesnatural gas to produce electricity andheat. This experimental fuel cell’soutput is small and risks failure fromcontaminants in the natural gas.However, it is important for theDepartment to participate in green pro-grams so its design, maintenance andoperations staff can learn.

As funds permit, the embassy motorpool will be converted from regular gaso-line to LP gas, a more environment-friendly fuel. The conversion may or maynot pay for itself, but is justified and beingdone for environmental stewardship andemissions reduction. And this summerthe embassy plans to create several “greenroofs” to insulate the building.

These are some of the steps themission has taken, with many more planson the drawing board for conservation,better waste recycling and a number ofother environment-friendly measures.

“Our hope is to make this the greenestold U.S. embassy in the world,” saidDCM Johnson. �

The author is an assistant communityliaison officer at the U.S. Embassy inLondon.


Whiffaway representative James McLeanexplains to some Embassy guests how thewaterless urinals work.

One of the first ideasinitiated was installing 52waterless urinals

The summer of 2006 was to showcaseLebanon’s triumph over instability andadversity as record-breaking numbers ofArab tourists and the Lebanese diasporaarrived to enjoy the country’s beautifulhotels and resorts, exciting nightlife andthe cool temperatures of quaint mountainvillages. Then, on July 12, Hezbollah com-mandoes crossed south from Lebanon intoIsraeli territory, kidnapping two Israeli sol-diers and killing others.

The next morning, a deep, thunderingboom jolted me awake. Turning on CNN, Ilearned that in retaliation, Israel hadbombed the runways of Rafik HaririInternational Airport, rendering it inoper-able. My staff looked worried and uneasy asthey arrived at the office two hours later.Instead of fighting traffic to reach theembassy compound 15 miles north ofdowntown Beirut, they encountered emptyroads and an eerie calm. No one knew whatwould happen next.

In the two days that followed, a torrentof Israeli aerial bombing and artillery firerained on southern Lebanon and the

Dahiye district of Beirut. The responsestunned Lebanese and Americans alike.Our telephones kept ringing…andringing…and ringing with Americansseeking help to depart Lebanon as quicklyas possible.

QUICKLY AND SAFELYBut how many Americans were in

Lebanon? And how many would need ourassistance? Our American Citizens Servicescounted 8,000 Americans registered, butrecognized that the number of Americans,including dual nationals, in Lebanon couldexceed 23,000. We needed to getAmericans out as quickly as possibly butalso safely, and we needed to inform thecommunity of our plans. We set up aphone bank, and embassy volunteers—American and Lebanese—answered morethan 500 phone calls an hour, round theclock, for 10 long days.

Panic in the American communityincreased as the bombing intensified.Embassy resources were enhanced withDepartment of Defense expertise, security

assets, vessels and helicopters. We quicklyadopted their unfamiliar acronyms as ourown and worked side by side to carry outthe Non-Combat Evacuation Order we hadorganized together. We gratefully welcomedtwo platoons of Marines who arrived withenergy, enthusiasm and enormousappetites, which our tiny Embassy snack barstruggled to feed. They unrolled their sleep-ing bags on the ground, turned ourair-conditioned multipurpose room andgym into barracks and got down to work.

In a poignant link with the embassy’spast, the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit,which had come to our rescue, was thesame unit that suffered the tragic attackagainst the Marine Barracks at the BeirutAirport on Oct. 3, 1983. In addition to pro-viding protection at the embassycompound and nearby departure process-ing center, the Marines and embassy staffcompiled manifests for departing vessels.They also organized people for transit tothe port of Beirut to board commercialships, or directly from the shore to U.S.Navy ships by amphibious landing craft.


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BEIRUT’S BRIDGEEMBASSY BEIRUT HELPS 15,000 AMERICANS DEPART LEBANON BY JULIET WURR

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We all became accustomed to themetronome of helicopter landings anddepartures. A helopad—which the BeirutAir Bridge used from October 1984 to July1998 to sustain our Embassy—once againbecame a hub of activity. Four days afterthe bombing of the airport, the first twoCH-53 Sea Stallion helicopters arrived withemergency supplies and additional securityassets. They left carrying our first departingcustomers—47 Americans, including chil-dren with medical needs.

DOUBLE STAMINAAmericans quickly began arriving at our

evacuation processing center. We predictedwe could move 1,000 Americans a day, con-sidering the tasks of verifying nationality,ensuring security, managing distraughtfamilies and transporting them to thevessel. In a sheer test of stamina, consularofficers and Marines hit their target on thefirst day.

The Department asked us to aim for2,000 departures the next day. We nailed it,and on day three, we moved an astonishing4,000 Americans as the processing centeroperated from 6:00 a.m. until well pastmidnight.

Although most Americans departedLebanon on either contracted commercialvessels or U.S. Navy ships, Department of

Defense helicopters carried the neediestAmericans more quickly to safety andmedical care. The helicopters also broughtin boxes of water, Meals Ready to Eat and

even a generous care package—lots ofchocolate and coffee—from our colleaguesat the U.S. Embassy in Nicosia (see October2006 issue). VIP visitors, including Secretaryof State Rice and Assistant Secretary of Statefor Near Eastern Affairs C. David Welch,came in on the choppers, as well as our firstdelivery of humanitarian assistance.

The U.S. Embassy in Beirut is nestled ona hillside overlooking the MediterraneanSea half a mile away. The 17-acre com-pound on which 50 Americans live andwork is a cobbled-together collection ofbuildings transformed into an embassywhen terrorists destroyed the downtown

building in 1983. Once again, its locationfar from the fighting but near the shoremade it a secure and convenient operationalbase during the conflict. From the embassycompound, we observed chimneys ofsmoke rising after bombs fell on Beirut’ssouthern suburbs. And although the buzz ofaircraft overhead and the thunder of bombsinterrupted our sleep, the fiercest fightingtook place many miles away.

The war came much closer to ourLebanese staff and their families. Manyreturned to homes without electricity tospend sweltering nights listening to earsplit-ting explosions. But their commitment tothe embassy never wavered. The expertise,experience and loyalty of our Lebanese col-leagues contributed significantly to theembassy’s ability to assist more than 15,000Americans in departing Lebanon safely.

When the departures ended nine dayslater, the hundreds of American andforeign journalists who came to cover thestory packed up and left. But for those of uswho remain at the embassy, and particular-ly for the Lebanese people, the greatestchallenge lies ahead— to rebuild a prosper-ous, peaceful and stable Lebanon offeringhope for a better life for all of its citizens.�

The author is the public affairs officer at theU.S. Embassy in Beirut.


Opposite page: Many of the helicopter passengers were families with small children, all provided with appropriate earplugs. Above: Embassy personnelgave priority to those with special medical or humanitarian needs. Below: The United States facilitated the safe return to Lebanon of the MaronitePatriarch Mar Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir, left.


Imagine getting ready to go back to workthe first day after a vacation. You get intoyour car, but before you can drive away youhear the wail of air raid sirens. Momentslater a Katyusha rocket plunges into a traindepot a few miles away, explodes and killseight workers.

That was the situation JonathanFriedland, U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv’s con-sular agent in Haifa, Israel, faced on July 16.As the deadly rain of rockets fired byHezbollah forces from across the border inLebanon continued on an almost dailybasis, Mr. Friedland, a New Jersey nativewho has lived in Israel since the early 1970s,kept the consular agency open.

An attorney with a private practice spe-cializing in admiralty law, Mr. Friedlandruns the consular agency out of his law

office. Aided by office assistants MargalitBoyangiu and Meirav Shoham, Mr.Friedland continued to accept passportapplications, notarize documents andanswer countless questions from anxiousAmerican citizens throughout war-scarrednorthern Israel. An estimated 25,000American citizens live in Haifa and thenorthern Israel region that was underrocket attack.

Seeing television images of Americancitizens departing Lebanon, they askedwhat to do about leaving northern Israel.

“That was pretty easy,” he said. “We toldthem to go to Tel Aviv or Beersheva,” Israelicities outside the zone of rocket attacks.

Eventually, he said, most of the consularwork became phone work as more peoplechose not to come in. Mr. Freidland and his

staff settled into a routine; each time thesirens sounded, they left their desks, gotaway from the windows and gathered at themost protected interior location in thesmall office building that houses theagency.

They listened for a rapid succession ofthumping sounds from rocket impactsbefore leaving their “safe” areas. The closestimpact took out an abandoned house twoblocks away.

Haifa emptied out as the rocket attackscontinued, and the agency’s businessslowed to a trickle. “The city essentiallybecame a ghost town, a ghost town withpeople, but nobody was outside,” Mr.Friedland recalled.

However, there was one important pieceof wartime business to handle. Officials of

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DOING GOOD WORK

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GOOD DEEDS IN HAIFA BY RICHARD C. BEER


a Long Island, N.Y., Jewish day camp des-perately wanted to bring a group of teenagechildren, mostly recent immigrants fromEthiopia, out of their low-income neigh-borhood of war-torn Haifa to the summercamp for a much needed respite.

They needed passports at a time whenmost Israeli government offices in theregion were closed, and then they neededU.S. visas during the peak summer seasonat the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv, where thewait time for an interview appointmentwas more than two months. The Israelisopened their office and quickly issued pass-ports to the children. Mr. Friedland thencontacted Embassy Tel Aviv Consul DoniPhillips, who jumped the children to thehead of the line and ensured that theyreceived visas the same day they applied.

They were soon on the airplane and offto New York. Once the children settled intothe camp, their host families took them tothe Empire State Building and a Yankeesbaseball game and on a boat cruise on LongIsland Sound.

After returning to Haifa, the childrenand their parents showed their apprecia-

tion by hosting a party for embassy officersat their neighborhood community center.Speaking on their behalf, Mr. Friedlandtold the embassy officers, “You have per-formed a true mitzvah (good deed).” �

The author is consul general at the U.S.Embassy in Tel Aviv.

Opposite page: Hezbollah rockets struck thisbuilding about two blocks from the agency.Above: Tel Aviv consular officer Doni Phillips,center front, poses with the children after theirreturn from a U.S. summer camp. Right: Consularagent Jonathan Friedland with assistantsMargalit Boyangiu, left, and Meirav Shoham, keptthe Haifa consular agency up and running.

Aside from the angst-ridden examina-tions held in the language testing unit, theForeign Service Institute does not oftensubject students to rigorous testing. Andalthough the luckless country of Z hasinspired countless role plays, we are notaware of any course offering a practical testof skills acquired in the style of “TheApprentice.”

Given this tradition, the 25 students ofthe PC-532—Advanced Consular Coursewere surprised when they returned fromlunch halfway through the three-weekcourse to find an announcement on theboard that 13 of them had won a free tripto Turkey.

Although every member of the groupwas in transition of some kind and couldmiss out on important family events—

including a birth—all 13 jumped at thechance to get back to what consular officersdo best and do every day—make a differ-ence in the lives of real people. Withinhours, the group had packed, acquiredhundreds of blank passports and emer-gency food supplies, including candy forthe children, and could cite chapter andverse on departure procedures. The firsttranche was bound for Turkey within 24hours.

The practical exam began when theU.S.S. Trenton, loaded with 1,705 realpeople who were fleeing the chaos inLebanon, landed near Adana, Turkey.Consular officers from the AdvancedConsular Course joined the smoothlyoperating team of staff from Adana,Istanbul and Ankara to help meet those cit-

izens, bring them to nearby Incirlik AirBase and complete in-processing.

In the consular equivalent of triagemedical care, the departing citizens weresorted into three groups: those with validpassports and visas; those with minor doc-umentary problems, such as expiredpassports; and those with major problems,such as no documentation. After the wholegroup had passed through, they were takento “Patriot Village,” where they enjoyeddormitory style housing, complete withair-conditioning.

After helping the citizens settle in for thefew hours of night remaining, consularteams of Locally Employed staff andForeign Service officers from around theworld were formed to provide a 24-hourpresence. They had three basic tasks:


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FINAL EXAM—LEBANON CRISIS BY WILLIAM D. SWANEY

THE ULTIMATE CLASSROOM

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provide information and assistance to thecitizens, resolve the citizens’ minor ormajor documentary problems, and helpmanage the boarding procedures fordeparture flights to prevent unauthorizeddepartures and to generate an accuratemanifest to send to the Department ofHomeland Security.

For the next week, the group appliedcoursework lessons on dealing with peopleunder stress, working in the interagencycommunity, information technology incrisis situations, consular interviewing andmore. As the days wore on, the difficulty ofgetting airplanes to transport the denizensof Patriot Village challenged the team’spatience, stamina and creativity.Meanwhile, the group had plenty of time tocompare notes, adjust tactics and learnfrom each other. The team began to resem-ble an extended family, and it was hard toget in the taxi and leave my colleagues atwork on the overnight shift, preparing thefinal flight for boarding.

On the trip to the airport, I reflected onhow we had spent the second half of ourcourse. We may not get academic credit forthe practical exam, but a consular officercould ask for no better training than ourweek in Adana.

After a brief stay in the Adana airport, Iwas settled in my seat for the 5 a.m. flight toIstanbul, facing the tough choice ofwhether to take the traditional pre-takeoffchampagne or stick with orange juice.Actually unwinding for the first time in aweek, I chatted and compared notes withmy seatmate, a Canadian Foreign Service

officer. With a pensive smile, he capturedthe essence of our experience perfectly:

“It’s not often you get to be involved insomething so unambiguously worthdoing.” �

The author is currently consular sectionchief in Yaoundé.


Opposite page: Officers from the U.S. Mission in Turkey, military colleagues from Incirlik Air Base and temporary duty employees from around the worldhelp unload the USS Trenton at the Port of Mersin. Above: Adana Locally Employed staffer Hamza assists with the children arriving on the USS Trenton.

BY JEFFREY R. BIGGS ANDMICHELLE L. STEFANICK

FSOs BRING FIELDEXPERIENCE TO

‘HILL’ FELLOWSHIP

Every year a dozen or so State Department Foreign Service officers areaccepted to spend a year gaining legislative experience by working ascongressional staff. One of the two primary programs for this purpose isthe American Political Science Association’s Congressional FellowshipProgram.

Founded in 1953, the APSA Congressional Fellowship over the yearshas brought talented political scientists, journalists, domestic andforeign policy government specialists, health policy specialists and inter-national scholars to Capitol Hill to experience the U.S. Congress at work.

A 1964 Department of State News Letter pictured 16federal Congressional Fellows at the White House at theinvitation of President Lyndon B. Johnson. They were allwhite men. The president told the Fellows that “no highgovernment official can be completely effective if he doesnot understand the role of Congress in our democracy.”After looking over the group, he reportedly asked,“Where are the women?” The class following the meetingwith President Johnson included three women.

The APSA fellowship includes a two-month foreign affairs seminar inSeptember and October run in collabora-tion with the Johns Hopkins Nitze Schoolof Advanced International Studies. Theseminar is run by Professor CharlesStevenson, who brings the experience ofseveral decades as a Senate staffer onnational security and foreign policy andnearly a decade on the faculty of theNational War College.

In November, the Foreign Affairs Fellowsjoin the other 20 to 25 APSA Fellows in anintensive three-week orientation onCongress, the political atmosphere for thatsession and the mechanics of the legislativeprocess. Panels of Senate and House stafferstalk about their work, expert speakers leadin-depth discussions of areas such as thepolitical landscape and the budget andappropriations process, and there are visitsto key legislative support organizationssuch as C-SPAN.

Concluding the orientation is a programon utilizing the resources of the Library ofCongress’ Congressional Research Serviceand an introduction to advanced Senateand House legislative procedure.

EXPANDED EXPERIENCEAPSA Fellows begin their assignments in

December or January. Michelle Stefanickjoined the staff of Senator Olympia J.Snowe (R-Maine), who at the age of 31 in1978 became the youngest Republicanwoman and first Greek-American womanelected to Congress.

To broaden their legislative experiencebeyond what a single assignment canprovide, the Fellows also attend the bi-monthly Wilson Seminar Series, whichincludes speakers from the House Parlia-mentarian, Congressional Budget Office,Government Accountability Office, Officeof Legislative Counsel and the press corps.

The APSA Fellows also spend a day at theAnnapolis State House observing the work-ings of the Maryland State Legislature.

A high point this year, Ms. Stefanick said,was attending the State of the Unionaddress.

APSA Fellows participate in a Canada-U.S. Parliamentary Exchange. The Fellowsorganize and host a week’s orientation forthe Canadian parliamentary interns inWashington and the Canadians return thefavor in Ottawa. The Canadian interns metwith Philip Drouin, then deputy director ofthe Sudan Programs Group on the Darfurcrisis and the role of the U.S. and interna-tional community.

The Canadians arranged for Ms.Stefanick’s attendance at an internal parlia-mentary discussion led by Senator Lt. Gen.Romeo Dallaire, the U.N. commander incharge during the Rwandan genocide. Shealso had a personal discussion with Sen.Dallaire and since then has been exchang-ing information on Darfur with his staff.

REAL ISSUESHaving previously been assigned to

Khartoum, Ms. Stefanick was the senator’spoint person on Darfur. She followed the

issue closely and met with concernedMaine constituents, members of the non-governmental organization communityand Senate staffers.

Ms. Stefanick also prepared SenatorSnowe for her trip to Iraq, helped obtainthe support of 65 senators to join SenatorSnowe’s request for an additional $150million to support breast cancer researchand helped win unanimous support forlegislation cosponsored by Senator Snoweand Senator Barbara Boxer that expandsthe eligibility for the Purple Heart to pris-oners of war who die in captivity.

The conclusion of the fellowship ismarked by a reception in the historicMansfield Room of the Capitol. Membersand key staff are joined by alumni and the180-plus individuals who have participatedin the fellowship that year.

“This has been truly an amazing year,”Ms. Stefanick said. “The relationshipbetween the Congress and the ExecutiveBranch is such a crucial one. I strongly rec-ommend the APSA CongressionalFellowship Program to anyone who has aninterest in learning more about Congress.”

Additional information on the programcan be found at www.apsanet.org. �

Jeffrey Biggs is a former Foreign Service offi-cer, former Foreign Affairs Fellow and cur-rent Congressional Fellowship director.Michelle L. Stefanick is a Foreign Serviceofficer who just completed a 2005–06 fel-lowship with Senator Olympia Snowe (R-Maine).


Left: Michelle Stefanick with Canadian Senator Romeo Dallaire. Right: Michelle Stefanick joins Senator Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) as she talks to a constituent.


WORKFORCE CHALLENGES LOOMDESPITE OVERALL LOW ATTRITION

BY MONICA BRADLEY

MANAGINGLOSS

Life in the Foreign Service or Civil Service may not be for every-one. However, statistics bear out some simple facts. Overall, theDepartment’s attrition rate is lower than other foreign affairs agen-cies, and the Department has a 77 percent job satisfaction rate.

When comparing Department data to other foreign affairs agen-cies, State’s overall attrition rate for 2005 was the lowest, at 5.5percent. According to the Office of Personnel Management’s website for 2005 employment trends, attrition rates for the U.S. Agencyfor International Development, Commerce and Agriculture were8.6, 17.7 and 28.5 percent, respectively.

The 2004 Federal Human Capital Survey shows that 68 percentof Department employees were satisfied with their current jobs and63 percent were satisfied with the Department. Both of these ratesare comparable to other federal agencies and private industry, asreported in the FHCS.

In 2006, the Department conducted a Quality of WorklifeSurvey. Some 77 percent of employees reported being satisfied withtheir current job, and 70 percent said they were satisfied with theDepartment. Table 1 shows the results by service.

The nonprofit organization Partnership for Public Service com-piles an index from the FHCS survey that ranks the best places towork in the federal government. State was ranked 10th in 2005, upfrom 19th in 2003.

Many factors affect attrition. One is that the Foreign Service isan up-or-out system. Employees must separate for others to moveup the ladder. A small number of officers separate for lack of beingtenured or decide the Foreign Service is not for them after one ortwo tours, and a small number are selected out during the promo-tion process. However, most officers separate because oftime-in-class restrictions or voluntarily retire starting at age 50.On average, 3.6 percent of the Foreign Service voluntarily separat-ed and 1.3 percent was involuntarily separated each year between2001 and 2005.

FOREIGN SERVICE GENERALIST ATTRITIONThe average annual generalist attrition rate for 2001–05 was 4.3

percent. Junior officer attrition has dropped significantly over thelast five years, from 2.7 percent to 1.4 percent. Table 2 displays theattrition rates for junior officers, mid-level officers and the SeniorForeign Service by fiscal year.

To develop promotion plans, the Department uses a computersimulation to project future attrition. The average generalistattrition rate is expected to increase slightly over the next fiveyears from 4.3 to 4.7 percent. This is primarily because ofincreased attrition projected in the Senior Foreign Service for ageand time-in-class. The rate for junior officers is projected toremain below the five-year historical average of 2.1 through theend of fiscal year 2010. Table 3 displays the projected attritionrates for junior officers, mid-level officers and the Senior ForeignService by fiscal year.

Some 79 percent of Senior Foreign Service generalists are eli-gible to retire, and 97 percent will be eligible to retire within fiveyears. Although these percentages are high, retirements in theSenior Foreign Service will create opportunities for others to bepromoted into the senior ranks. The current deficit of mid-levelofficers should be significantly reduced over the next four yearsas newly hired junior officers are promoted. There should be suf-ficient numbers of eligible mid-level officers prepared to moveinto the senior ranks when the time comes.


Table 1: State Satisfaction by Type of Service

State2006

OverallQWL

Results

77% 74% 79% 78%

70% 72% 69% 70%

Current JobSatisfaction

Overall AgencySatisfaction

CivilServiceResults

FSGeneralist

Results

FSSpecialistResults

Table 2: Foreign Service GeneralistAttrition Rates FY 2001–05

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

2.7%

4.6%

10.3%

5.1%

2.7%

3.6%

9.9%

4.4%

2.5%

4.5%

6.6%

4.3%

1.8%

3.7%

8.8%

3.8%

1.4%

4.3%

11.1%

4.2%

Junior Officer

Mid-LevelOfficer

Senior ForeignService

TOTALS

Table 3: Projected Foreign Service GeneralistAttrition Rates FY 2006–10

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

1.6%

4.0%

11.7%

4.3%

1.9%

4.8%

13.1%

5.0%

2.0%

4.1%

15.5%

4.9%

1.7%

3.9%

15.0%

4.6%

1.6%

4.2%

14.9%

4.7%

Junior Officer

Mid-LevelOfficer

Senior ForeignService

TOTALS

S

The Department’s attrition rate for junior officers hassteadily declined over the last 20 years. A recent analysis ofForeign Service generalist attrition revealed that 7.1percent of the officers who entered the Department in 2000(just prior to the Diplomatic Readiness Initiative) leftbefore 2005. By comparison, the cumulative five-year attri-tion rates for employees entering in 1985, 1990 and 1995were 12.5 percent, 8.8 percent and 7.5 percent, respective-ly, as shown in Figure 1.

At a time when the number of Foreign Service language-designated positions has been increasing, the Department isconcerned that a growing number of employees with the mostproficient (4/4 or higher on the FSI scale) “super-hard” lan-guage skills are expected to separate over the next five years.Currently, 34 percent of these employees are eligible to retire,and 60 percent will be eligible in the next five years. By com-parison, 22 percent of all FS generalists are eligible to retire,and 39 percent will be eligible within five years. TheDepartment anticipates that approximately one-third of itsmost advanced language speakers/readers will separate withinthe next five years and is looking at ways to increase thenumber of employees with advanced language skills.

FOREIGN SERVICE SPECIALIST ATTRITIONThe average annual Foreign Service specialist attrition rate

for 2001–05 was 5.5 percent. This rate is expected to decreaseto 4.8 percent over the next five years because of increasedspecialist hiring over the past several years. However, theactual number of employees separating will increase byabout 12 percent per year for each of the next five years.

Attrition rates within the management sub-functions areexpected to increase over the next five years. The attritionrate for General Services is projected to increase from 3.6percent to 5.3 percent, while Human Resources will increasefrom 5.3 percent to 5.9 percent and Financial Managementwill increase from 4.1 percent to 5.1 percent. Attrition is pro-jected to increase for all three management sub-functionsbecause of retirements and time-in-class restrictions.

The Information Technology Manager skill group wascreated in March 2002. Because the InformationManagement Specialist and Information ManagementTechnicians merge into this new skill group at the rank ofFP-02, they were considered together for projection purpos-es. A 24 percent increase in the attrition rate is expected inthe IT skill groups over the next five years—mostly becauseof projected retirements.

While retirements in the IT field are projected to increase,resignations are expected to decrease. This projected declineis partially related to the IT Skills Incentive Program, whichbegan as a five-year pilot program in 1999 and was formal-ized in May 2006. The program has helped the Departmentretain employees while motivating IT professionals to obtainand maintain advanced industry-wide skills, certificationsand credentials. With the continuous review of certificationsand credentials eligible for this program making theDepartment more competitive in the IT field, resignationsare expected to continue to decline.


Table 4: Average Annual Foreign Service Specialist Attrition

Previous5-Year

Average Attrition

ProjectedAverage Attrition

Next 5 Years

3 3ConstructionEngineer

DiplomaticCourier

English Lang.Programs

FacilitiesManager

FinancialManagement

GeneralServices

HealthPractitioner

HumanResources

InformationTechnology

InformationResources

MedicalOfficer

MedicalTechnician

OfficeManagement

Printing

Psychiatrist

SecurityEngineer

SecurityOfficer

SecurityTechnician

6 2

1 1

9 8

6 8

6 10

3 4

4 6

48 60

1 1

1 2

0 1

45 46

1 0

1 1

8 10

57 61

1 2

201 226SPECIALISTTOTAL

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Currently, 16 percent of all specialists are eligible to retire, and 35percent will be eligible to retire within five years. Specialist groupswith 25 percent or more of the population currently eligible to retireinclude financial management officers, human resource officers,general services officers, information technology managers, medicalofficers, medical technicians and office management specialists.

CIVIL SERVICE ATTRITIONCivil Service attrition is expected to rise over the next several

years as the baby boomers reach retirement age. The Department’sCivil Service population has gradually aged over the last decade,with the average age rising from 41 in the early 1990s to 47 in 2006.

The average annual attrition rate for Civil Service employeeswas 6.3 percent during the past five years and is projected toincrease to 7.2 percent in the next five years. At 8.1 percent in 2005,the attrition rate was higher than the most recent five-year averageannual attrition rate. However, this is still well below the overallCivil Service attrition rate for all federal agencies for fiscal year

2005—12.83 percent—and the attrition rate for all agencies in theExecutive Branch—12.97 percent—as reported by OPM.

Although overall Civil Service attrition rates are relatively lowcompared to other Executive Branch agencies, several of theDepartment’s mission-critical occupations are projected to seeaverage annual attrition rate increases above 20 percent over thenext five years. They therefore warrant special attention. Theseinclude public affairs specialists (35 percent increase), passportvisa examiners (25 percent increase) and security administration(23 percent increase). Information technology management (17percent increase) and foreign affairs (11 percent increase) are addi-tional categories to be tracked, given the traditionally high numberof vacancies in these occupational skill groups.

Currently, 14 percent of State’s Civil Service employees are eligibleto retire, and 33 percent will be eligible within five years. 73 percentof the current eligibles are in the Civil Service Retirement Systemand 27 percent are in the Federal Employees Retirement System.

According to OPM data for 2004, 30 percent of the federalworkforce in CSRS and 13 percent of the workforce in FERS wereeligible to retire. At State, 34 percent of CSRS employees are eligi-ble to retire and 5 percent of FERS employees are eligible. Some 54percent of the Department’s most senior Civil Service employees(GS-15 and SES) will be eligible to retire within the next five years.Therefore, leadership and management training for GS-13s and -14s is all the more important to ensure these employees are readyto assume top positions.

While Human Resources projects increased attrition in somecategories of employees over the next five years, everything possi-ble is being done to proactively manage losses. With the increasedfocus on management/leadership training and mentoring thatSecretary Powell began and Secretary Rice has further strength-ened, the Department will be ready for the next generation ofemployees to step up and take charge. �

The author is a management analyst in the Office of ResourceManagement and Organization Analysis.

Previous 5-Year AverageAttrition Rate

Projected AttritionRate Next 5 Years

Differencein Rates

Resultant PercentIncrease

5.2%

4.0%

5.2%

5.6%

4.2%

7.0%

5.0%

6.4%

6.2%

4.9%

1.8%

1.0%

1.2%

0.6%

0.7%

34.6%

25.0%

23.1%

10.7%

16.7%

Public Affairs Specialist

Passport Visa Examiner

Security Administration

Foreign Affairs

Information TechnologyManagement

Table 5: Attrition Rates for Selected Mission-Critical Occupations

Figure 1: Cumulative 5-Year Attritionfor Junior Officers by Entry Year

12.5%

FY1985

FY1990

FY1995

FY2000

8.8%7.5% 7.1%

15.0%

10.0%

5.0%

0.0%

However, it takes more than manage-ment support to make career developmenta reality. It requires initiative and dedica-tion on the part of the employee. SeveralOES-DRL/EX staff members have takentheir careers in hand by negotiating withmanagement for the time, funds andsupport for advanced training. The officehas one graduate from the NationalDefense University’s Advanced Manage-ment Program and three graduates fromthe Executive Potential Program.


OFFICE DELIVERS ON LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT TRAININGBY ROY CHAVERA AND CELINE NEVES

OES-DRL Training

Clockwise from left: Ernestine Pierce, Celine A. Neves,Shaunita Hart-Wright and Jonathan Tull.

In the last few years, the Department has emphasizedleadership and management training. It has sent themessage through the ranks that employees must be giventraining to become better leaders.

That message has been taken to heart and given top pri-ority by the Executive Office for the bureaus of Oceansand International Environmental and Scientific Affairsand Democracy, Human Rights and Labor. PH

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NDU’s Advanced Management Programis a 14-week executive curriculum thatgives senior information technologyleaders an integrated understanding of thepolicies and priorities that affect their field.It provides a series of challenging tasks andopportunities that help develop and refinestrategic leadership skills.

Strategic InsightIn this era of dwindling resources,

budget shortfalls and increasing emphasison competitive sourcing, the AMP curricu-lum gives IT managers insight into strategicplanning, security, emerging technologiesand functional management. Studentsbecome familiar with management prac-tices that facilitate better planning andacquisition of IT systems. They also learnhow to redesign work processes in light oforganizational and human factors.

AMP graduate Celine Neves, Infor-mation Management division chief inOES-DRL/EX, found the program to beone of the best experiences of her life.

“This experience challenged me likenever before,” she said. “By the second weekof the program, I learned it wasn’t so muchabout learning the subject matter. Anyonecan learn, given sufficient time andresources. It was about learning when tolead, learning when to follow, learningwhen to let go, learning to work withpeople you don’t necessarily agree with,learning to work under short deadlines andaccomplishing an objective as a team.”

The Executive Potential Program,offered by the U.S. Department ofAgriculture’s Center for Leadership andManagement Graduate School, is a year-long program designed to make mid-levelmanagers more effective leaders.Participants engage in classroom discus-sions, group exercises and team andindependent studies that encouragestretching, growing, contributing andmaking a difference. The intense curricu-lum is based on experiential learning thatincludes completing temporary job assign-ments, Senior Executive Serviceshadowing, mentorship, team projects,benchmarking and networking.

EPP graduate Ernestine Pierce,Administrative Services division chief inOES-DRL/EX, said the training was veryintense, but worth it.

“The two 90-day detail assignments andinterviews with Senior Executive Serviceand high-level managers taught me thatgood leaders care about their people,

because without them the work would notbe done,” she said. “These successful leadersalso emphasized the importance ofimproving listening and communicationskills. The EPP is one of the best programsavailable to mid-level Department employ-ees who wish to improve their leadershipand managerial skills.”

Shauntia Hart-Wright, AdministrativeServices deputy division chief in OES-DRL/EX, is also an EPP graduate. She saidsome of the tasks were quite challengingand took her out of her comfort zone, butultimately the lessons learned wereimmeasurable.

“It has opened many wonderful oppor-tunities, such as my current position inOES-DRL/EX, and given me many newskills,” she said.

Effective LeadershipJonathan Tull, one of the office’s

Information Management team leaders,enrolled in the EPP because, he said,“careful analysis of my career aspirationsshowed me that I needed to equip myselfwith the knowledge and methodology ofeffective leadership. My participation inthis intense program has allowed meopportunities that normally would nothave been available. It is providing me withinsight and countless intangibles that touchevery part of my life.”

Becoming a stronger and more success-ful leader and manager helps strengthenthe Department’s ability to meet its trans-formational diplomacy goals.

The achievements of the OES-DRLstaffers would not have happened withoutsupport that extends from their immediatesupervisors all the way to SecretaryCondoleezza Rice, who expressed hervision for professional and personal devel-opment in a Town Hall meeting in 2005:

“I’m a huge believer in human capital.What you do in nurturing people, in train-ing them and making sure that they havewhat they need is extremely important.”

The OES-DRL/EX staff members whohave had these opportunities to expandtheir leadership skills look forward to chal-lenging and fulfilling careers. Theyencourage others to make their careerdreams a reality by seeking out leadershipand management training opportunities.�

Roy Chavera was until recently the OES-DRL executive director. Celine Neves is theInformation Management division chief inOES-DRL/EX.



O F F I C E O F T H E M O N T H

Since World War I, the ever-expanding use of explosive devices,including land mines, has led to the killing and injuring of inno-cent civilians long after conflicts have ended. Land mines andexplosive remnants of war kill or maim tens of thousands of civil-ians each year—decades after the fighting has stopped.

Abandoned ordnance and poorly secured or ill-managed stock-piles of small arms and light weapons pose a serious threat toregional stability and public safety, particularly if they fall into thehands of criminals and terrorists. This complicates U.S. diplomat-ic and development efforts in key countries for the war on terror.

THIS OFFICE SAVES LIVES AND MAKES THE WORLD SAFERBY THE STAFF OF THE OFFICE OF WEAPONS REMOVAL AND ABATEMENT

Weapons Removaland Abatement

The United Nations estimates600 million light weapons workagainst peace around the world.

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At a GlanceOffice nameWeapons Removal and Abatement

SymbolPM/WRA

Office directorRichard G. Kidd, IV

Staff size28

Office locationSA-3, Sixth Floor, Suite 6100

Web sitehttp://www.state.gov/t/pm/wra

To clean up this aftermath of conflict and forestall new ones, theDepartment created in 2003 the Office of Weapons Removal andAbatement in the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs to reduce theharmful effects of indiscriminately used, illicit and abandonedconventional weapons of war.

On any given day, WRA staff may be addressing a Rotary Clubin Arizona, chairing a 24-nation donor meeting in New York ordonning helmets and body armor to monitor programs in mine-fields and clearance sites in some 25 countries around the world.The staff is diverse, with Foreign and Civil Service personnel, mil-itary officers and contractors working together to clear a path to asafer world.

PM/WRA formulates policy, manages programs and conductspublic outreach. As Murf McCloy, the office’s senior technicaladviser and a 36-year veteran of the Marine Corps, says, “Nothingwe do is in a vacuum. We work with the Defense Department,international donors, the United Nations, host nation officials,everybody.”

Having to coordinate work with so many actors is difficult, butMr. McCloy says it’s nothing that can’t be solved with a little “extraelbow grease.” Office staff all say their top priority is keeping inno-cent people alive and returning valuable land to productive use.

The Tools of WarThe United Nations estimates that there are as many as 600

million small arms and light weapons in circulation around the

N O V E M B E R 2 0 0 6 S TAT E M A G A Z I N E

Complying with international mine action standards, program managerDennis Hadrick, left, and deputy director for programs Col. Stu Harris, cen-ter, don protective gear during a visit to a demining site in Afghanistan.


globe. Ammunition, explosives and other instruments of war arereadily available as well.

“You see piles and piles of shells,” says foreign affairs officerKatherine Baker, describing a munitions dump she recentlyvisited.

Many weapons that have not yet reached the black market arehighly vulnerable to theft by terrorists and criminal organizations.In countries flooded with light weapons, the rule of law is trumpedby the rule of the gun, making any lasting peace nearly impossible.

PM/WRA works to change this equation by securing stockpiles ofsmall arms, light weapons and munitions; destroying unneededstocks (more than 900,000 small arms and light weapons and 80million pieces of munitions so far); and fighting the illicit arms trade.

One particular weapon—the man-portable air defense system,also known as shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles—has risen tothe top of the post–9/11 U.S. security agenda, in large partbecause of the 2002 attempted shoot-down of a civilian airliner inMombasa, Kenya.

Under Secretary of State for International Security AffairsRobert Joseph has characterized MANPADS as the second greatestweapons threat, after weapons of mass destruction, that the U.S.faces today. Since the 1970s, MANPADS have been used against atleast 40 civilian aircraft, resulting in more than 24 crashes.PM/WRA leads the Department’s effort against loosely secured,excess or otherwise at-risk foreign stocks of MANPADS, helping todestroy more than 19,000 since 2003, with commitments for thedestruction of thousands more.

Policy adviser Stephanie Pico says the job offers great satisfac-tion in “eliminating the tools of war and doing our small part inthe war on terror.”

Problem Solving In 2005, there were a reported 7,328 casualties from land mines

and other explosive remnants of war, with estimates as high as20,000 worldwide if non-reported casualties were included. Some21 percent of the victims are children. But the effects of land minesand explosive remnants of war go far beyond the number ofpeople killed or disabled. Land mines make large swaths of valu-able land unusable, hindering economic development,

post-conflict reconstruction and the safe return of refugees andinternally displaced persons.

Even if mines are not actually present, the fear that they couldbe often stalls post-conflict recovery. That is why PM/WRA’s pro-grams are focused on clearing land mines and explosive remnantsof war from areas where they have the greatest humanitarianimpact, rather than expending finite resources to locate and clearevery last land mine in some remote area.

“The Survey Action Center, a nongovernmental organizationthat specializes in measuring the impact of land mines, has esti-mated that some 20 percent of the world’s minefields cause about80 percent of the casualties,” says Richard Kidd, director ofPM/WRA. The key management challenge is to target limitedresources where they will have the greatest effect.

“This focused approach, one which is being emulated by moreand more donors, really is working,” adds Jim Lawrence, theoffice’s principal deputy director. “The global land mine problemwon’t be with us forever. This is one humanitarian problem thathas an end state. Using a public health metaphor, land mines arelike polio, not malaria. Their harmful effects can be eradicated.”

Program Manager Deborah Netland enjoys “making a differ-ence in the world.” Like most office staff, she spends a lot of timetraveling to countries affected by land mines, small arms and lightweapons. She loves the feeling of accomplishment she gets fromher projects.

“One year, an area is an active minefield,” she says. “Return ayear later and there are now houses, crops, schools and clinics. It isa great feeling. You get to see and enjoy the impact of your work.”

Connecting with AmericansPM/WRA has built a public-private partnership program that

raises awareness and resources from the business community andcivil society to support mine action programs around the world.With nearly 60 nongovernmental organization partners, the officestaff reaches tens of thousands of American citizens each year atoutreach events, conferences and other gatherings.

Left: This shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missile was recovered and destroyedin Chad by the Mines Advisory Group through a WRA grant. Above: A muni-tions cache in Afghanistan gets the “ultimate” WRA treatment.

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Addressing audiences in large cities and small towns,officers describe the successful U.S. program and theprogress being made. They challenge students and adultsto take action. Stacy Bernard Davis has seen the programgrow to a nationwide network of concerned and impas-sioned supporters.

“Something about the land mine problem and its terri-ble impact on innocent children and civilians really movesand motivates people,” she says. “We love connecting withAmericans whose core values of compassion, philanthro-py and volunteerism are as strong as ever. They just needa program they can support, and we provide it by linkingconcerned citizens with NGOs who need help.”

PM/WRA assistance has helped raise tens of millions ofdollars for mine action. The office makes excellent use ofinformation technology, including a highly acclaimed website, distribution lists, a stream of media notes, an e-newsletter and web-conferences. In 2004, the office wonthe Secretary’s Award for Public Outreach.

PM/WRA has an ambitious goal: to rid the world of theharmful effects generated by surplus and dangerous con-ventional weapons of war. With each weapon the officedestroys, the world becomes just a little bit safer, some-thing all in PM/WRA are rightly proud of. �

WRA permanently removed these munitions from the conflictin Afghanistan. Below: WRA Director Richard Kidd standsnext to a dump of hazardous ordnance in Laos.

Arms Control

As an Army officer, I never imagined thatI might someday travel in a helicopter thatonce formed part of a potential adversary’smilitary might. Yet here I was, seated nextto U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine BillTaylor—a West Point graduate who flewhelicopters for the Army—in an MI-8 HIPhelicopter that had been built in 1989.

We were flying in September to a loca-tion in northeast Ukraine, just 50 milesfrom the Russian border, as part of a groupof diplomats witnessing the destruction ofthe last of 1,000 man-portable air defensesystems that were once part of the Sovietarsenal, but now excess to Ukraine’sdefense needs. The MANPADS, shoulder-fired surface-to-air missiles, were similar tothe U.S. Redeye and Stinger missiles I hadonce been trained to deploy.

A North Atlantic Treaty OrganizationPartnership for Peace Trust Fund projectwas the impetus for destroying the missiles,as well as 133,000 tons of munitions and1.5 million small arms/light weapons thatpose a hazard to the population livingnearby.

The Bureau of Political-Military Affairs’Office of Weapons Removal andAbatement has been deeply involved in theproject’s design, funding and implementa-tion. The NATO Maintenance and SupplyAgency is managing the project.

As representative of the lead nation forthe Trust Fund project, Ambassador Taylorinvited representatives of donor nations tothe site near the city of Shostka for the cer-emony. Defense Attaché Air Force ColonelJim Molloy and Public Affairs Section staff

member Vadym Kovaliuk were also on thetrip. Colonel Molloy and I had already goneto Shostka in June to witness the start ofthe MANPADS destruction process.

THE COLD WAR LEGACYUntil I began working at the U.S.

Embassy in Kyiv, I had not realized themagnitude of Ukraine’s demilitarizationchallenge. Ukraine figured prominently inSoviet war plans. As the Warsaw Pactcountries liberated themselves from com-munism’s yoke, first-echelon Soviet unitsoften dumped large quantities of weaponsand ammunition in Ukraine with minimalaccountability as they withdrew to Russia.

Ukraine is endeavoring to transform itsmilitary forces and military-industrialcomplex to meet its current needs. It holds


U.S. LEADS UKRAINE MISSILE DESTRUCTION PROJECT BY MICHAEL M. UYEHARA

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The destruction site near Shostka rests about 50 miles from the Ukraine-Russia border.

as many as 7 million small arms/lightweapons and stores around 2.5 milliontons of obsolete and excess munitions,some dating from the two world wars.

The munitions, stored in more than 180depots and arsenals throughout Ukraine,have caused serious accidents. There havebeen five explosions or fires since October2003. The most serious fire caused sevenfatalities.

NAMSA developed a proposal for theTrust Fund project in response to aUkrainian government request. The agencyestimated it would cost donors more than$25 million and take 12 years.

The United States agreed to be the leadnation for the first three years, or phaseone, of the project because of our strongconcerns over the MANPADS and smallarms/light weapons threat. NATOdescribes the project as the largest of itskind ever.

To date, more than $7 million has beencontributed to phase one, which is project-ed to cost nearly $10 million. In addition tothe substantial U.S. contribution of morethan $3.6 million and Ukraine’s in-kindcontribution, Austria, Bulgaria, Canada,Germany, Lithuania, Luxembourg, theNetherlands, Norway, Slovakia, Switzer-land, Turkey, the United Kingdom and theEuropean Union’s European Commissionhave contributed.

THE LAST MANPADS EXPLODEIn Shostka, Ukrainian Deputy Defense

Minister Volodymyr Tereshchenko briefedus on the procedures to destroy theMANPADS. After being uncrated, two mis-siles at a time were taped together and

carried by a special handling device, essen-tially two lengths of rope looped aroundthe front and back of the missiles. Once themissiles were placed in an outdoor destruc-tion pit, soldiers added six pounds ofplastic explosives and prepared to explodethe whole assembly.

In the bunker at the destruction site,Ambassador Taylor was invited to turn thekey to the electric detonator. The groundshook from the explosion of the twoMANPADS. Regional Governor NinaHarkava then exploded the 999th and1,000th missiles. Back outside the bunker,we inspected the pit and found very littledebris left from the missiles.

Addressing journalists afterward,Ambassador Taylor hailed the successfulcooperation between Ukraine and NATO,and noted that the project had enhancedthe security of Ukrainians and others byeliminating the possibility that theMANPADS could fall into the hands ofterrorists.

After a light lunch and the usual vodkatoasts, we returned to Kyiv, knowing that theworld was safer and that this vital Ukraine-NATO project was off to a good start. �

The author is a political officer at the U.S.Embassy in Kyiv.


Above: These two shoulder-fired surface-to-air missiles were part of the 1,000 destroyed under theNATO Partnership for Peace Trust Fund project. Below: A woman dressed in traditional Ukrainian garbpresents ceremonial scissors to NATO official Susan Pond as Ukrainian Ministry of Defense officialslook on.


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Student Records OnlineNeed your class schedule or an unoffi-

cial transcript of training taken throughFSI? Visit the FSI Registrar’s Office webpage on the Department of State OpenNetat http://fsi.state.gov/admin/reg.

Mandatory Leadership Training Leadership training is mandatory for

Foreign Service and Civil Service employ-ees at the FS-03/GS-13 levels and above toensure that they have the necessary prepa-ration for increasing levels ofresponsibility. FSI’s Leadership andManagement School offers the requiredcourses to meet these mandatory trainingrequirements and other leadership coursesfor all FS and GS employees.

FasTrac Distance Learning:Learn at Your Own Pace,When and Where You Want!

All State Department employees, FSNsand EFMs are eligible. With your FasTracpassword, you may access the entireFasTrac catalog of more than 3,000courses, from home or office (Intranet orInternet). Courses cover numerous topics,such as project management, computerskills and grammar and writing skills, as

Senior Policy SeminarsFSI’s Leadership and Management

School offers professional developmentand policy seminars for senior-level execu-tives of the Department and the foreignaffairs/national security community.

For more information, contact FSI’sLeadership and Management School at(703) 302-6743, [email protected] orhttp://fsiweb.fsi.state.gov/fsi/lms.

well as soft skills such as leadership. Toview the FasTrac catalog, visit the FasTracweb site at http://fsi.state.gov/fastrac.

FSI Distance Learning ProgramAn extensive menu of FSI-developed

distance learning courses is also availableto eligible participants on the FSI learningmanagement system. See (U) State 009772dated January 14, 2005, or the FSI webpage (Distance Learning) for information.

Dates for FSI Transition Center Courses are shown below. For information on all the coursesavailable at FSI, visit the Schedule of Courses on the Department of State’s OpenNet athttp://fsi.state.gov. See Department Notices for announcements of new courses and newcourse dates and periodic announcements of external training opportunities sponsored by FSI.For additional information, please contact the Office of the Registrar at (703) 302-7144/7137.

Security Dec Jan Length

MQ911 SOS: Security Overseas Seminar 4, 18 8, 22 2 D

MQ912 ASOS: Advanced Security Overseas Seminar 12 2 1 D

Foreign Service Life Skills Dec Jan Length

MQ115 Explaining America 26 1 D

MQ116 Protocol and U.S. Representation Abroad 27 1 D

MQ853 Managing Rental Property Overseas 31 .5 D

Length: H = Hours, D = Days, W = Weeks

FS-3/GS-13PK245 Basic Leadership Skills

FS-2/GS-14PT207 Intermediate Leadership Skills

FS-1/GS-15PT210 Advanced Leadership Skills

Managers and SupervisorsPT107 EEO Diversity Awareness for

Managers and Supervisors

Newly Promoted FS-OC/SESPT133 Senior Executive Threshold

Seminar

*Mandatory Courses

EDUCATION+TRAININGThe FSI campus is wearingits fall colors.

S A F E T Y S C E N E

BY EILEEN VERITY

Many people would say the kitchen is the most important roomin their house—and the busiest. It is the place where food is storedand meals are prepared, and it is also where families and friendslike to gather and socialize.

Unfortunately, the kitchen can also be a place where people canbe seriously injured, especially children. Typical accidents involveburns, cuts and falls; more serious ones involve electrical shocksand poisonings. To prevent an accident, look for potential hazardsand use safe kitchen practices.

The kitchen can be the scene of a serious electrical shock. Theinstallation of inexpensive ground fault circuit interrupters on theoutlets is a good measure to prevent shocks. More than two-thirds ofthe approximately 300 electrocutions and thousands of electricity-related injuries that occur in and around the American home eachyear could be prevented by GFCIs. They interrupt the flow of elec-tricity when current leaking to ground is detected. The GFCIconstantly monitors electricity flowing in a circuit and stopscurrent flow when it detects a loss. GFCIs should have a trip pointof no more than 10 milliamps to fully protect children.

All outlets on the kitchen counter should be protected byGFCIs and should be tested monthly to ensure proper operation.To test one, plug a lamp into the outlet and turn it on. Press theTEST button. The RESET button should pop out and the lightshould go out. Press the RESET button to restore power to theoutlet. Contact an electrician to correct any defects if the GFCIdoes not operate properly.

Many common household products, such as cleaning agents, arepoisonous if ingested. Keep them out of reach and out of sight ofchildren by securing them in a locked cabinet or closet and makecertain that the cabinet beneath the kitchen sink is child-proof,since this is often a popular spot to store cleaning products. Do notrepackage toxic or harmful products (e.g., solvents in a sodabottle), because this may result in mistaken identification. Andalways remember to keep these items—cleaning fluids, detergents,lye, soaps, insecticides, etc.—away from food and medications.Finally, always place the number of your poison control center andother emergency numbers near the telephone.

Scalds and burns can occur because heat is required to preparemany foods. Most adults will suffer third-degree burns if exposedto 150º F water for two seconds or to 120º water for five minutes.To prevent scalds and burns, turn pot- and panhandles inwardwhen cooking on the stove, have oven mitts available, keep hotbeverages and food away from the counter edge and out of thereach of children, remove lids and covers on microwave-heatedfood carefully to prevent burns from the steam that is releasedfrom the container and set the temperature on the water heater tono more than 120º.

Cuts are usually caused by contact with a knife or broken glass.Clean up broken glass immediately using a vacuum cleaner. Keepknives sharp. The old adage “A sharp tool is a safe tool” applies.

Dull knives are more likely to slip and can cause skin tears in addi-tion to cuts. Keep knife grips clean and grease-free and always usea good cutting surface away from the body. Store knives in adrawer or knife block out of the reach of children. Don’t leaveknives lying on the counter and never leave them unattended inthe sink.

Kitchen floors can be very slippery when wet so get into thehabit of cleaning up spills immediately. A mat on the floor in frontof the sink will help absorb water from dishwashing and otheractivities. Be sure to eliminate tripping hazards by keeping kitchenwalkways clear and free of clutter and closing kitchen drawers orcabinet doors, especially the low ones.

Why not take a close look at your kitchen today? The approach-ing holiday season is a busy time of the year in the kitchen. Don’tlet an unrecognized hazard cause an accident that will dampenyour holiday spirit. �

The author is a safety and occupational health specialist with theDivision of Safety, Health and Environmental Management.

Keep Your Kitchen Safe


P E O P L E L I K E Y O U

“I have an addiction, and this is what comes from it,” says SteveKrueger as he walks through his Helsinki apartment. He has morethan 400 of his paintings artfully hung on every bit of availablewall space and stacked in piles or leaning against the walls of hisart studio.

During the workweek, Steve is a mild-mannered facilities man-agement officer at the U.S. Embassy in Helsinki. During his offtime, he channels his energy and emotion through his paintbrushand creates modern tableaux that hang in art galleries and collec-tors’ homes all over the world.

“Painting comes from inside,” hesays. “I don’t really think about whatinfluences me, but it is probably anexpression about how I feel or what Iam thinking at the time. My paintingis strictly emotional. There have beentimes when a painting has botheredme so much that I take a paintingknife, cover it up and start over.Sometimes my best paintings comeout that way.”

Steve became interested in paintingwhile working at the U.S. Embassy inVienna. He started visiting Viennesemuseums with his wife Klaudia andbecame intensely attracted to 20th-century modern art.

“I was looking at the paint, thestrokes, and seeing how the painteractually created the painting,” he says.“After going to museums for a while,Klaudia made the suggestion, ‘Whydon’t you paint?’ Eventually, I pickedup a brush and started painting.”

His early influences were GustavKlimt and Egon Schiele.

“Some artists talk about the different professors they studiedunder, but I feel I learned from the best artists that ever lived bylooking closely at what they did,” he says.

Steve has found inspiration from the places where he has lived.In Vienna, he started painting landscapes. When he was living inGuatemala, he was influenced by Cubism and AbstractExpressionism. On a whim, he bought a beat-up Spanish guitarfrom a Mayan shop and kept it in a corner of his house for a while.One day, he started painting guitars and eventually created 20guitar paintings that were exhibited in a Guatemalan gallery.

Since moving to Finland, the abstract tradition that is so strongin Finnish design pulsates through Steve’s work.

“I use just about everything,” he says, “because everything inter-ests me, even collage. Sometimes my art derives from materials

lying around the house. If I didn’t travel the way I did, I’d be paint-ing on old doors and windows or whatever I’d have lying around.

Steve wants his paintings to be shown in public “so people canenjoy them—or hate them and react toward them. I don’t mind ifI get a bad reaction. A bad reaction is better than no reaction.”

When he is not working or painting, he is networking inFinland’s arts community. Steve and Klaudia go to museums andgalleries to see what styles and trends are taking hold of artists andcollectors. Many galleries in Helsinki show only Finnish artists. He

has found that the ones showing international artists are oftenbooked until 2007 or 2008.

Still, Steve has gotten positive reactions in Finland to his work.In 2006, he has exhibited his paintings in the American ResourceCenter at the University of Helsinki Library and at AVA Galleria inHelsinki. His next exhibit will be at the Hanko City Library Gallerylate this year.

Besides Finland and Guatemala, Steve’s work has been onexhibit in Vienna. In Washington, his paintings can be seen atL’Enfant Galerie. His work is also on his web site atwww.stevenkrueger.com. �

The author is the community liaison officer at the U.S. Embassyin Helsinki.

FACILITIES MANAGER CREATES WITH HIS BRUSH BY LISA SABOL-SIKORSKI

Passionate About Painting

Steve Krueger stands with one of his works at the opening of his exhibition at the AVA Galleria.

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A P P O I N T M E N T S

U.S. Ambassador to SwitzerlandPeter R. Coneway of Texas, a businessmanand community activist, is the new U.S.Ambassador to Switzerland, serving con-currently as Ambassador to thePrincipality of Liechtenstein. Prior to hisappointment, he was an advisory directorwith Goldman, Sachs & Co. He foundedand managed the firm’s Houston officeand also worked in Tokyo. He is marriedand has two children.

U.S. Ambassador to theCzech RepublicRichard W. Graber of Wisconsin, an attor-ney and community activist, is the newU.S. Ambassador to the Czech Republic.His law practice, at one of Wisconsin’slargest firms, focused on business transac-tions and government relations. He hasbeen elected chairman of the RepublicanParty of Wisconsin four times and servedas chairman of the Wisconsin delegationat the 2004 national convention. He ismarried and has two sons.

U.S. Ambassador to GuyanaDavid M. Robinson of Connecticut, acareer member of the Senior ForeignService, class of Counselor, is the new U.S.Ambassador to the Cooperative Republicof Guyana. Previously, he served as deputychief of mission in La Paz, from 2003 to2006, and in Asunción. His other overseaspostings include the Dominican Republic,El Salvador and Iceland.

U.S. Representative to theConference on DisarmamentAmbassador Christina B. Rocca ofVirginia is the new U.S. Representative tothe Conference on Disarmament inGeneva. Most recently, she was assistantsecretary for South Asian Affairs. Beforejoining the Department, she was foreignpolicy adviser to Senator Sam Brownback,working on issues relating to South Asia.Prior to that, she served many years withthe Central Intelligence Agency. She ismarried and has two children.

U.S. Ambassador to BrazilClifford M. Sobel of New Jersey, a busi-nessman and former ambassador, is thenew U.S. Ambassador to the FederativeRepublic of Brazil. He was ambassador tothe Netherlands from 2001 to 2005. Priorto that, he was chairman of Net2Phone,the largest provider of Internet telephoneservice. He has served on the boards oftwo public policy think tanks and was onthe advisory boards of Empower Americaand the Republican Leadership Council.

U.S. Ambassador to BelarusKaren B. Stewart of Florida, a careermember of the Senior Foreign Service,class of Counselor, is the new U.S.Ambassador to the Republic of Belarus.She was deputy chief of mission in Minsk.Her other overseas postings includeBangkok, Colombo, Vientiane, Udorn andIslamabad. In Washington, she was direc-tor of the Office of Ukraine, Moldova andBelarus Affairs.

U.S. Representative to theOffice of the United Nationsand other internationalorganizations in GenevaWarren W. Tichenor of Texas, active inPresident Bush’s presidential campaignsand a former business executive, is thenew U.S. Ambassador to the U.S. Missionin Geneva. Prior to his appointment, hewas president of W.W. Tichenor & Co., aSan Antonio–based private investmentfirm. He has served on the boards ofnumerous charitable, political, businessand civic organizations.

U.S. Representative to theUnited Nations Agencies forFood and AgricultureAmbassador Gaddi H. Vasquez ofCalifornia, a public servant and son ofmigrant farmworkers, is the new U.S.Representative to the United NationsAgencies for Food and Agriculture. Mostrecently, he was director of the U.S. PeaceCorps. He was an appointee of threeformer California governors and wasappointed by former President GeorgeH.W. Bush to federal commissions.


O B I T U A R I E S


<<< Merrill M. Blevins, 90,a retired Foreign Service officer, diedAug. 27 of congestive heart failure inHouston, Texas. He served in the Army AirCorps in World War II before joining theDepartment in 1947. His overseas postingsincluded Brussels, Paris, Bonn, Bern,New Delhi, Canberra and Rome. Afterretirement, he served as chief of protocolfor the United Nations Food andAgriculture Organization.

<<< Alexander “Doc”Chodakowski, 89, a retired ForeignService officer, died August 11 of conges-tive heart failure in Venice, Fla. He servedin the Navy in World War II. His overseaspostings included Vienna, Bonn, Frankfurtand Pretoria. After retiring in 1977, heworked as a technical security instructorand consultant for the Department untilthis year.

<<< Leland W. Cross, 76, a retiredForeign Service officer, died May 3 of con-gestive heart failure in Lawrence, Kan. Heserved in the Army before joining the U.S.Information Agency in 1961. His overseasassignments included Argentina, CostaRica, Guatemala, Mexico and the SovietUnion. After retiring in 1983, he served asan escort officer for the Department andtaught English as a second language.

<<< Jonathan W. Dublin, 53,a Foreign Service officer, died Feb. 18 ofa heart attack in Al Hillah, Iraq. Afterretiring as a Navy electrical engineer andworking for Raytheon, he joined theDepartment in 1999. His overseas postingsincluded Rabat, Kingston and Bogotá,in addition to Iraq.

<<< Clifton Forster, 82, a retiredForeign Service officer, died Sept. 19following a fall at his home in Tiburon,Calif. A high school student in Manila atthe beginning of World War II, he wasinterned by the Japanese. Following hisrepatriation, he served in the Navy.He joined the U.S. Information Agencyin 1949 and served overseas in thePhilippines, Burma and Israel, as wellas 15 years in Japan.

James Gorman, 75, a retired Foreign Service officer, diedFeb. 6 of a heart attack in Oregon. He served in the Air Forcebefore joining the Department in 1957. His overseas postingsincluded Bogotá, Palermo, Georgetown, Montevideo, Managuaand Istanbul. After retiring in 1982, he lived in Medford, Ore.,where he operated a bookstore.

<<< John A. “Jack” Hols, 73,a retired Foreign Service officer, diedSept. 15 of bladder cancer in Spokane,Wash. He served in the Army and workedin public relations before joining the U.S.Information Agency in 1967. His overseaspostings included India, Vietnam, Ghana,Turkey and Canada. After retiring in 1989,he conducted tours to Europe and Asiaand was an avid bicyclist and fisherman.

Ray Jones, 84, a retired Foreign Service secretary who servedseveral ambassadors, died Aug. 4 of a heart attack in Washington,D.C. A veteran of World War II, he served in the military govern-ment in Berlin before joining the Department. His overseaspostings included Dusseldorf, Bern, Khartoum, Vienna, Saigon,The Hague, Beijing and Berlin. He had a keen eye for art,antiques and carpets, which he accumulated around the world.

<<< Lawrence L. Petersen, 83,a retired Foreign Service officer, died Sept. 4of congestive heart failure in Delta, Colo.He served in the Marine Corps in WorldWar II. His overseas assignments includedSweden, Germany, Taiwan, Bolivia andGuyana. After retirement, he was a profes-sor of economics at Arapahoe CommunityCollege in Colorado.

39

<<< William T. Sandalls, 89,a retired Foreign Service officer, diedSept. 8 in New London, Conn. He served inthe Army during and after World War II.His overseas assignments included Beirut,Damascus, Hamburg, Mogadishu andAdana, Turkey. He retired in 1968.

<<< Roger L. Street, 68, a retiredForeign Service specialist, died June 15 ofcancer at his home in Bethany Beach, Del.He joined the Department in 1990 andserved overseas in Mauritania, Pakistan,Hong Kong, Ghana and Panama. Heretired in 2003. He was a member of theBethany Beach city council and volunteerfire department.

<<< Ruth Marriner Szopa, 79,widow of retired Foreign Service officerEugene Stanley Szopa, died Aug. 26 of res-piratory failure in Camden, Maine. Shemet and married her husband in Tehranand accompanied him on overseas postingsto Palermo, Munich, Warsaw, Mozambiqueand Singapore. They retired to the coast ofMaine in 1984, where she was active inlocal art events.

<<< Judith A. Thurman, 62,widow of retired Foreign Service officer J.Richard Thurman, died Sept. 26 of lungcancer in Boulder, Colo. She accompaniedher husband on overseas postings toSantiago, Ankara, Nicosia, Mexico City andBrasilia. After his death in 1997, she livedin Santa Barbara, Calif., and Boulder.

<<< Donald A. Wetherbee, 79,a retired Foreign Service officer, died Aug.8 after a brief illness in Silver Spring, Md.He served in the Marine Corps during theKorean Conflict and as part of embassyMarine Security Detachments in Asunciónand Santiago. During his 23 years with theDepartment, he served overseas in Laos,the Belgian Congo, Algeria, France andEngland. He retired in 1978.

In the Event of a DeathQuestions concerning employee deathsshould be directed to the Office ofCasualty Assistance at (202) 736-4302.Inquiries concerning deaths of retiredemployees should be directed to theOffice of Retirement at (202) 261-8960.

N O V E M B E R 2 0 0 6 S TAT E M A G A Z I N E

Botti, Anita LouiseConrad, Maria Julia G.Courlang, Edward M.Davidson, Michael C.Gallini, Linda SchmittHancks, Merry SusanHardesty, Charles R.Irwin, Bayard M. Jr.Lewis, Carolyn M.

Muller, Edward G.Sayasithsena,

SouksombounSears, Elizabeth AnnThompson, Richard A.Ward, Everett B.Ward, Marvin E.Webber, Daniel StewartWinter, Roger P.

Civil Service >>>Bigelow, Stanton R.Bracken, Joseph M.Clark, Jennifer A.Cook, William H.Cooper, Melissa J.Curley, Renate H.Davis, Luella B.Erdman, Richard W.

Gould, Barry K.Levine, Henry A.Louton, JohnMagnusson, Lori G.Maxstadt, James EdwardMoore, Barbara CalandraNielsen, Marie A.Roberts, Mary F.

Rogers, P. DianeRose, Ellen MaeSlotta, Gregory S.Williams, Stephen BryanYoumans, Patricia J.Young, Michael L.

Foreign Service >>>

retirements*

T H E L A S T W O R D

STATEMENT OF OWNERSHIP

This issue overflows with examples of Department colleaguesaround the world actively engaged in deeds described eloquently by aCanadian Foreign Service officer as “unambiguously worth doing.”

For example, we fill out the picture of the Department’s response tothe Lebanon crisis with reports from Beirut, Haifa and Turkey. We’llsee how the professionals in Beirut, tasked with expediting the depar-ture of 2,000 Americans a day from that war-torn country, actuallydoubled that number by foregoing sleep and working closely withtheir old friends from the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit. We’llwatch the embassy’s consular agent in Haifa and his Locally Employedstaff as they dodge Hezbollah rockets to provide calm, professionalservice to the estimated 25,000 Americans living in Haifa and north-ern Israel.

Finally, half of the students enrolled in the PC-532–AdvancedConsular Course at FSI got a treat in the middle of the course—an all-expenses paid trip to Turkey to put into practice what they werelearning in the classroom. Within 24 hours, these 13 students were onthe ground near Adana, Turkey, taking a real examination in the artand science of helping more than 1,700 real and frightened citizensfleeing the chaos in Lebanon.

Colleagues in the Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement settheir goals high: cleanse the world of the harm caused by surplus anddangerous conventional weapons of war. With the United Nationsestimating as many as 600 million small arms and light weapons cir-culating around the world, the task is daunting. But the rewards arejust as great as the challenge: keeping innocent people alive andreturning valuable land to productive use. So far, the diverse staff ofForeign and Civil Service professionals can claim more than 900,000small arms and light weapons, 80 million pieces of munitions andmore than 19,000 man-portable air defense systems destroyed—and asomewhat safer world.

While the staff is small—just three full-time employees—the heartis big, because the Office of Casualty Assistance represents theDepartment’s human face to grieving families following the death ofan employee. It also acts as advocate for sick or injured employees. Incases of mass casualties, the office can call on crisis support team vol-unteers from the Bureau of Human Resources, but much of its workfocuses on the routine but vital questions that follow a loss—shippinghousehold effects, access to Social Security benefits, keeping childrenat post and in school.

Last but never least, a final salute to our colleagues en route to theirfinal posting: Merrill M. Blevins; Alexander “Doc” Chodakowski;Leland W. Cross; Jonathan W. Dublin; Clifton Forster; James Gorman;John A. “Jack” Hols; Ray Jones; Lawrence L. Petersen; William T.Sandalls; Roger L. Street; Ruth Marriner Szopa; Judith A. Thurman; andDonald A. Wetherbee.


“Worth Doing”

4040

Rob WileyEditor-in-Chief

U.S. Department of StateBureau of Human ResourcesWashington, DC 20520

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*NOV.2006The CombinedFederal Campaignruns from October 3to December 31.This year’s goalis $2 million.

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