Senate confirms State Dept nominations EXCEPT Robert Ford, Frank Ricciardone, Norman Eisen and Matt Bryza, then adjourns for midterm campaigns

The US Senate adjourned late Wednesday and the House of Representatives quickly followed Thursday morning. On their way out the door, our representatives managed to pass a measure to continue to fund the federal government until Dec. 3. So there will be no lights out for a couple of months, at least. 

Raul Yzaguirre, the nominee for  the Dominican Republic was released from the hold and was confirmed. The nominations of Robert Stephen Ford (for Syria), Frank Ricciardone (for Turkey), Norman Eisen (for Czech Republic) and Matthew Bryza (for Azerbaijan) did not get their confirmation votes in the Senate and continue to be stuck in the hold placed on their nominations by various Senators. They could get the nod after Congress returns in December, they could get recess appointments, they could all get renominated in the 112th Congress -- we don't know. But what is sure as day is that we won't have an ambassador in three possible flashpoint missions for a while lot longer.  But who cares, right?   

The Senate confirmed various executive nominations for the State Department, USAID and related agencies on September 29 (see below):

PN1221 *      DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Raul Yzaguirre, of Maryland, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of
the United States of America to the Dominican Republic.

PN1944 *      DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Alexander A. Arvizu, of Virginia, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service,
Class of Minister-Counselor, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of
the United States of America to the Republic of Albania.

PN1950 *      DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Duane E. Woerth, of Nebraska, for the rank of Ambassador during his tenure of
service as Representative of the United States of America on the Council of the
International Civil Aviation Organization.

PN1952        DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Robert P. Mikulak, of Virginia, for the rank of Ambassador during his tenure of
service as United States Representative to the Organization for the Prohibition of
Chemical Weapons.

PN1988        DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Kristie Anne Kenney, of Virginia, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service,
Class of Career Minister, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of
the United States of America to the Kingdom of Thailand.

PN1989        DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Jo Ellen Powell, of Maryland, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class
of Minister-Counselor, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the
United States of America to the Islamic Republic of Mauritania.

PN1991        DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Mark M. Boulware, of Texas, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class
of Minister-Counselor, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the
United States of America to the Republic of Chad.

PN1992        DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Christopher J. McMullen, of Virginia, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign
Service, Class of Minister-Counselor, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and
Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Angola.

PN1993 *      DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Joseph A. Mussomeli, of Virginia, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service,
Class of Minister-Counselor, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of
the United States of America to the Republic of Slovenia.

PN1994        DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Wanda L. Nesbitt, of Pennsylvania, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service,
Class of Minister-Counselor, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of
the United States of America to the Republic of Namibia.

PN1995        DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Karen Brevard Stewart, of Florida, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service,
Class of Minister-Counselor, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of
the United States of America to the Lao People's Democratic Republic.

PN2128        DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Cameron Munter, of California, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service,
Class of Counselor, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the
United States of America to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.

PN2129        DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Pamela Ann White, of Maine, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class
of Career Minister, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the
United States of America to the Republic of The Gambia.

PN2091        UNITED STATES AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Nancy E. Lindborg, of the District of Columbia, to be an Assistant Administrator
of the United States Agency for International Development.

PN2098        UNITED STATES AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Donald Kenneth Steinberg, of California, to be Deputy Administrator of the United
States Agency for International Development.

PN1770 *      EXPORT-IMPORT BANK OF THE UNITED STATES
Osvaldo Luis Gratacos Munet, of Puerto Rico, to be Inspector General,
Export-Import Bank.

PN1850 *      AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION
Mimi E. Alemayehou, Executive Vice President of the Overseas Private Investment
Corporation, to be a Member of the Board of Directors of the African Development
Foundation for a term expiring September 22, 2015.

PN1851 *      AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION
Johnnie Carson, an Assistant Secretary of State (African Affairs), to be a Member
of the Board of Directors of the African Development Foundation for a term
expiring September 27, 2015.

PN1852 *      AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION
Edward W. Brehm, of Minnesota, to be a Member of the Board of Directors of the
African Development Foundation for a term expiring September 22, 2011.

Confirmations - September 29, 2010

• [Page: D1035]  GPO's PDF
• [Page: D1036]  GPO's PDF
• Pages S7724-29, S7776-80
• [Page: S7777]  GPO's PDF

Officially In: Thomas R. Nides to State Dept's Management and Resources (D/MR)

On September 29, President Obama announced his intent to nominate Thomas R. Nides to be the State Department's Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources vice Jack Lew. The Wh released the following brief bio:

Thomas R. Nides is the Chief Operating Officer of Morgan Stanley. He is an executive officer and serves as a member of Morgan Stanley’s Management Committee and Operating Committee. Prior to joining Morgan Stanley, Mr. Nides served for one year as Worldwide President and Chief Executive Officer of Burson-Marsteller, one of the largest public relations agencies in the world. From 2001 to 2004, Mr. Nides was Chief Administrative Officer of Credit Suisse First Boston, and served on the firm’s Executive Board. Mr. Nides has also served as Chief of Staff to the United States Trade Representative, Executive Assistant to the Speaker, Assistant to the Majority Whip of the United States House of Representatives and Senior Vice President of Fannie Mae.

Mr. Nides is a graduate of the University of Minnesota.

Additional info from Morgan Stanley:

Tom Nides  has served as the Chief Administrative Officer of Morgan Stanley and a member of the Firm's Management Committee since 2005, where he has led the human resources and talent management, government affairs, communications, marketing, community affairs and corporate services functions. 




Related item:
President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts, 9/29/10




Related post:
Thomas Nides: to succeed Jack Lew as State's Deputy Secretary for Management and Resources? | September 20, 2010

Quickie: Reconstruction Chief Quits, Putting ‘Civilian Surge’ in Doubt

Ambassador Herbst heads to NDU's Center for Complex Operations.
Via Spencer Ackerman of Danger Room: Reconstruction Chief Quits, Putting ‘Civilian Surge’ in Doubt:

Most observers of Afghanistan say the war doesn’t have a prayer if the U.S. can’t send a cadre of civilian experts — diplomats, engineers, farmers — to rebuild Afghanistan. But on Friday, the diplomat in charge of building that force quietly resigned. Uh oh.

John E. Herbst, a 31-year veteran diplomat, has been the State Department’s coordinator for reconstruction and stabilization since 2006. Set up by the Bush administration in 2004, his office, known as S/CRS, sought to create precisely that legion of civilian reconstruction experts to send abroad when crisis strikes. Danger Room has learned that despite building the so-called Civilian Response Corps up from a handful of diplomats, Friday was Herbst’s last day on the job.

Ambassador Robert Geert Loftis, who helped negotiate the 2008 accord to get U.S. troops out of Iraq, started yesterday as S/CRS’s acting coordinator; State’s website just announced the leadership change today.
[...]
Herbst dealt with a lot of challenges as S/CRS’s second chief. Although the Bush administration created the office in 2004, Congress didn’t really fund it until 2008, hobbling its goal of creating a standing interagency crew of governance, agriculture and building experts ready to operate overseas.

Since then, Herbst pulled together what’s become an $800 million effort that claims around 1100 federal civilian employees. But in reality, only about 300 of them can deploy at any given time, fewer than two U.S. Army companies. And while the corps has sent civilians to Afghanistan, Congo and Sudan, the State Department’s powerful regional bureaus, special envoys and embassies have largely sidestepped it.

Take Afghanistan. In the Obama administration’s much-hyped “civilian surge,” corps members have helped the U.S. embassy and the military write a key planning document last year. But Herbst has complained that it’s been otherwise ignored. American diplomacy and development work in conflict areas remains largely a military job. In Afghanistan, U.S. infantrymen politic with local potentates on reconstruction projects. The Army is thinking about bolstering troops’ negotiation skills on the expectation that the civilian diplomats will stay at home.

Herbst has eyed the exits for awhile. In July, the National Defense University named him its next director of its Center for Complex Operations. But the future of his now-vacated office and the corps he built is less secure. The Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review, expected as soon as next month, will likely recommend a structural facelift for both.

Active links added above.  Read More -- http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2010/09/reconstruction-chief-quits-putting-civilian-surge-in-doubt/#more-31910

Ambassador Herbst writes, "After a long and rewarding career, I have decided to retire from the Foreign Service, and move on to other challenges. In parting, I wanted to take a look at the beginning of the Office and discuss what a difference we have made in just a few short years."
Read his reflection as S/CRS Coordinator -- A Look Back: Ambassador Herbst Retires, Reflects on Four Years as Coordinator

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State Dept's Helo Fleet Shaping Up with 11 Additional S-61™

Image via WikipediaOn Sept. 20, Sikorsky Aerospace Services announced that the U.S. State Department has ordered 11 additional upgraded S-61™ utility helicopters for use in Iraq and Afghanistan. Sikorsky Aerospace Services (SAS) is the aftermarket division of Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX).

Earlier this year, the State Department entered into a five-year indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract for up to 110 upgraded S-61 aircraft for passenger and cargo transport missions in support of its worldwide operations. Under the IDIQ agreement, the first four aircraft purchased in February are currently in completion and are scheduled for deployment in Afghanistan this fall.
[...]
"Increasing the U.S. State Department's current fleet to 15 S-61 aircraft marks a significant milestone for the Sikorsky S-61 program," added Anthony Serksnas, director, S-61 Programs.

The S-61 helicopter is known as an industry workhorse, and for more than 50 years has reliably and safely performed missions for U.S. and foreign allied militaries. The upgraded S-61 helicopter incorporates key components including composite main rotor blades (CMRB), a state-of-the-art glass cockpit and modular wiring harness – all of which dramatically improve aircraft supportability. Additional features have been incorporated to reduce pilot fatigue and maintenance requirements for increased safety.

An open IDIQ purchase agreement serves as the contracting vehicle for any U.S. Government agency to purchase upgraded S-61 aircraft. The first delivery of the 11 upgraded S-61 helicopters for Iraq and Afghanistan is scheduled to occur in mid-2011.

Read the announcement here.









Related post:
State Dept’s New Helo Fleet: Up to 110 S-61 Sikorskys for Worldwide Operation | February 23, 2010

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Officially In: Paige Alexander to USAID/EUR

Image by simminch via FlickrOn September 23, President Obama announced his intent to nominate Paige Alexander to be USAID's Assistant Administrator for Europe and Eurasia. The WH released the following brief bio:

Paige Alexander is currently the Senior Vice President at IREX, an international nonprofit development organization that supports educators, journalists and community leaders in over 100 countries.  Prior to joining IREX in 2001, Ms. Alexander served for eight years in a number of positions with the US Agency for International Development’s Bureau for Europe and Eurasia, including as acting Deputy Assistant Administrator.  Alexander’s other notable positions include serving as Associate Director of Project Liberty at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government; and as a Consultant to the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, the C.S. Mott Foundation and the Open Society Institute in Prague. Ms. Alexander currently serves on the Boards of the Basic Education Coalition and the Project on Middle East Democracy.

Ms. Alexander holds a B.A. from Tulane University.


Related item:
President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts

Officially In: Fulp, Nickels, Shaheen and Wicker to UNGA-65th Session

Image via WikipediaPresident Barack Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to key administration posts:

• Carol Fulp, Representative of the United States of America to the Sixty-fifth Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations

• Greg Nickels, Alternate Representative of the United States of America to the Sixty-fifth Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations

• Senator Jeanne Shaheen, Representative of the United States of America to the Sixty-fifth Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations (U.S. Senator from the State of New Hampshire)

• Senator Roger Wicker, Representative of the United States of America to the Sixty-fifth Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations (U.S. Senator from the State of Mississippi)

Related item:
President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts

Can the ESTA Euro Reciprocity Version be far behind?

Image via WikipediaBack in March, we wondered out loud how long before other countries with their own travel/tourist promotion boards decide that they have forgotten to tack a $10.00 travel fee to visitors from the United States. Actually the total fee is $14 since there is an additional $4.00 "administrative cost."

The ESTA fee went into effect earlier this month, and we're now just hearing the furious feedback from the other side of the Atlantic.

Via Spiegel Online:

European Union officials are furious with a new US fee mandatory for most travelers from Europe. Calling the charge tantamount to a new visa requirement, the EU is now considering introducing a similar fee for American travelers.

Fourteen dollars may not sound like a lot. But this autumn, the sum -- in the shape of the new fee being charged by the United States to some overseas visitors coming into the country -- is proving enough to inflame tempers in the European Union. This month, an increasing number of members of the European Parliament and other EU officials are blasting the charge for being both incongruous and for running counter to US-EU agreements.

"I think it is a bit bizarre to introduce a tax to promote tourism," intoned Alexander Graf Lambsdorff, a member of European Parliament with Germany's business-friendly Free Democratic Party during a recent debate on the issue in Strasbourg. In addition to pointing out that such a tax could actually dissuade people from traveling to the US, Lambsdorff also said "it seems a bit absurd that the US of all countries would tax people who are not represented in this debate. Taxation without representation, I believe, has played a certain role in American history."

At issue is the so-called Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA), a $14 fee which travelers from 36 countries now have to pay prior to visiting the US. While $4 dollars of the fee is to be for ESTA administrative costs, $10 is to pay for US efforts to promote the US as a tourism destination. Travelers to the US, in effect, are being asked to pay for the advertising aimed at encouraging them to travel to the country.
[...]
The US fee applies only to travelers from countries not currently required to obtain a visa prior to travel -- a list comprising 36 countries worldwide including every EU country except for Bulgaria, Cyprus, Poland and Romania.

Some quotes:

"I remain convinced that these new requirements ... are inconsistent with the commitment of the US to facilitate trans-Atlantic mobility."
European Commissioner for Home Affairs Cecilia Malmström

"The EU needs to continue negotiating with the US on this issue and, if necessary, introduce a fee of our own."
Elmar Brok, a center-right MEP from Germany and chair of the European Parliament committee which overseas US-EU relation

“It seems peculiar [...] that foreigners are requested to pay for promoting tourism to the United States, as this may possibly lead to less — and not more — travel.”
 European Commission Vice President Maros Sefcovic during the debate in Parliament

"Maybe the US is developing a new business model here: to have consumers pay for the advertising given to them. This is unbelievable."
said German MEP Elmar Brok of the European People's Party

"We are examining all possibilities, including an EU Esta system. A feasibility study is being worked on now and could be introduced in the future, if member states agree."
from Commissioner Maros Sefcovic

The US Administration has been "discourteous to its friends," said one deputy.

Several members of the center-right European People’s Party, the largest in the European Parliament, issued a harsh response, calling the fee “harassment,” “unjustifiable” and a “burden on transatlantic relations.” “We have to remind the U.S. once again,” the lawmakers said in a statement, “that transatlantic cooperation can only work if both partners are on the same level … . This rip-off is not acceptable.”

Darn! They called the USG's Electronic System for Travel Authorization a rip-off. A rip-off as in a bad financial transaction where a person overpays for something?

According to this website, around 900,000 travelers will use it every month, estimated one MEP, paying $4 for administration and $10 to promote tourism to America.

That seems like a lot of eurobucks funding the whole travel promotion for the United States, doesn't it?  I mean, think about it -- the Europeans will be underwriting those nice NYC, New England, Alaska, etc. parks and adventure travel posters and brochures, DVDs, fancy postcards, website, blogs, and presumably the salaries of people doing the work of USA promotion.

We can understand why our friends across the pond are so very upset.

The major overseas destinations for American tourists are the UK, Italy and Japan.   Can you imagine what kind of tempest it would have created back here had those countries decided to add on a $14.00 travel fee for all American travelers?  Especially if the money we paid was used to promote travel to the UK, Italy and Japan to urge more American travelers to visit?

In essence, we'd have paid a fee to these countries so they could convinced our neighbors and friends to visit the Colosseum in Rome, or the Tower of London, or the Sensoji Temple in Tokyo, etc. Their ads on our dime! Imagine the signs over in the national mall -- caving in to foreigners and such things?      

One of our favorite bloggers, back from the grave, had to excuse herself to visit the vomitorium: 

There was a time when Madam believed that there were still depths to which the USG would not stoop.  No more.  The new ESTA fee has finally served to reach those ultimate depths.  At least this month.

In case you might have missed it, the Travel Promotion Act of 2009, signed into law earlier this year, implemented a new public-private partnership between the U.S. government and the nation’s travel and tourism industry.  (Since said industry is so responsible with its cash, apparently, and since similar ventures have worked so well in the past.  Please excuse Madam while she gags.) 

If you're an overseas American, you don't have to walk around with paper bags over your head as you tour around Brussels or Rome or anywhere in the 36 countries for the next few weeks.  If anyone inquire about this matter, blame it on ... whatshisname... oh, Harry Reid.  But USG passport holders should be prepared to underwrite the tourism promotions of countries XYZ at some future time.
 
And although we agree that this is an unhappy development for our friends across the pond, and quite tacky, too -- we feel the need to point out that $14.00 is a bargain since it is good for two years and does not include iris scans, ear scans, fingerprints, toeprints, mouth swabs, and real hair or skin samples.






Related posts:

• Coming Soon – a Corporation for Travel Promotion to the U.S. |  March 2, 2010
• Corporation for Travel Promotion Signed into Law | March 18, 2010

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Colton v. Clinton: Age Discrimination Case Fails in DC Court

Image by schnaars via FlickrOn September 24, Judge Richard Leon of the District Court for the District of Columbia dismissed FSO Elizabeth Colton's age discrimination case against the State Department.  Below are selected excerpts from the Memorandum of Opinion:

On the retaliation claim:
[C]olton has failed to comply with her statutory obligation to notify the EEOC within 180 days after the alleged unlawful practice-i.e., retaliation-occurred. As a result, her retaliation claim in Count III of the Complaint must be dismissed in its entirety.

On the non-promotion:
The failure to promote was included as an additional act of discrimination and retaliation in her First Amended Complaint filed on October 22, 2009. See id. As discussed above, the plain language of § 633a(d) requires plaintiff to have filed notice of her intent to sue within 180 days "after" the allegedly "unlawful practice" occurred. Since it was impossible for the January and April 2009 notices to include any allegations of the purported failure to promote in October 2009, Colton would have had to file another amended notice to comply with the statutory prerequisites to suit. See Morgan, 536 U.S. at 114 (finding failure to promote to be a "discrete act"). As she has failed to do so, to the extent that plaintiffs discrimination claim in Count I is based on the agency's decision not to promote her, it must also be dismissed.

More below:

In Count I, plaintiff claims that the State Department discriminated against her on the basis of age by: (1) denying her the two-year position in Algiers; (2) failing to assign her to a position "equivalent" to the Algiers position; (3) denying her requests for an extension of service under 22 U.S.C. § 4052(b)(2); and (4) failing to promote her in October 2009. See CompI. ~ 91. With the exception of the failure to promote allegation,
which is not properly before this Court as explained above, plaintiff is, in effect, asserting that the State Department discriminated against her by complying with and enforcing the statutorily mandated age of65. This claim must fail as a matter oflaw, however, because our Circuit has already held that the mandatory retirement provision Colton is challenging here is a valid exception to the ADEA. See Strawberry v. Albright, 111 F.3d
943,947 (D.C. Cir. 1997).
[...]
The Circuit Court found that Congress's reenactment of the mandatory retirement age in the Foreign Service Act of 1980-which raised the mandatory retirement age from 60 to 65-after the ADEA was made applicable to federal employees reflected Congressional judgment that "the ADEA's general provision on age discrimination does not prohibit enforcement of the mandatory retirement provisions." Id.; see also Kimel v. Florida Bd. of Regents, 528 U.S. 62, 68-69 (2000) ("Under the current ADEA, mandatory age limits for law enforcement officers and firefighters-at federal, state, and local levels-are exempted from the statute's coverage"); Stewart v. Smith, 673 F.2d 485,492 (D.C. Cir. 1982) (finding maximum age rule for federal law enforcement officers to be an exception to the ADEA).
[...]
In light of this controlling authority, plaintiff's challenge to the enforcement of the mandatory retirement provision must be dismissed. Her allegations of discrimination based upon the failure to assign her to the Algiers position simply reflect her disagreement with the defendant's implementation and enforcement of the mandatory retirement provision. Plaintiff admits that the Algiers position or, for that matter, any other two-year tour of duty beginning in Mayor June 2009 would have required her to serve nine or ten months past her mandatory retirement age. See Compl. ~ 51. Colton also admits that she did not view any of the available one-year assignments as "equivalent." See id. ~~ 64, 72. Thus, plaintiffs ineligibility for the Algiers assignment or any other assignment she thought "equivalent" resulted from enforcement of the mandatory retirement provision of the Foreign Service Act and, therefore, is not actionable under the ADEA.
[...]
What Colton fails to acknowledge is that she was denied the Algiers position because a/the mandatory retirement provision, which our Circuit has already held to be an exception to the ADEA. She further attempts to distinguish Strawberry by arguing that, unlike that plaintiff, who challenged his mandatory retirement after being forced to retire, she is complaining of alleged acts before she turned 65. As the defendant points out, this argument, if accepted, would subject the defendant to suit for all actions taken prior to the actual date that an employee must retire under the Foreign Service Act, even when the challenged acts are taken to implement or enforce the requirements of the mandatory retirement provision. Such a result is, of course, nonsensical. Simply put, it is irrelevant whether the challenged acts occurred before or after plaintiff s mandatory retirement, and it is of no moment when the suit is brought. The only pertinent question is whether a challenged act was undertaken to implement or enforce the provision. If so, then the ADEA' s general prohibition on age discrimination does not apply. See Strawberry, 111 F.3d at 947.
[...]
Similarly, Colton's allegation that the Secretary of State's refusal to grant her an extension pursuant to § 4052
( d) was a discriminatory act is unavailing. Although the mandatory retirement provision grants the Secretary the discretion to retain a person for up to five years past the mandatory retirement age if in the "public interest," there is no requirement that the Secretary do so.
[...]
Colton is woefully misguided to imply that this Court can and should disregard Supreme Court precedent if it appears outdated. The Supreme Court alone can overrule its own precedents, and the fact that a plaintiff articulates a new theory as to why a different result should be reached is insufficient to revisit a settled issue.

The Memorandum of Opinion is here.

We are still trying to reach Dr. Colton's lawyers for a statement. 

Sorry folks, there won't be any show for now. Please mind the old people sign (political appointees, civil servants and contractors excepted, of course).

Later ....

This made me think of John Scalzi -- probably because in his Colonial Defense Forces, you have to be 75 to sign up for the Army;  his Colonial Union want people who who carry the knowledge and skills of decades of living to fight their wars.

But not yet, not here, not now.    

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Officially In: William Brownfield to State/ International Narcotics and Law Enforcement (INL)

Image via WikipediaOn September 22, President Obama announced his intent to nominate William R. Brownfield to be the State Depatment's Assistant Secretary for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL). The WH released the following brief bio:

William R. Brownfield is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service.  He has served as Ambassador to Colombia, Venezuela and Chile.  In Washington, Mr. Brownfield’s assignments have included Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, Executive Assistant in the Bureau of Inter-American Affairs, Member of the Secretary’s Policy Planning Staff, and Special Assistant to the Under Secretary for Political Affairs. He has also served overseas in El Salvador, Argentina, Panama, and Switzerland.

A native of Texas, Mr. Brownfield received his B.A. from Cornell University, graduated from the National War College.

* * *

Three-times ambassador, Bill Brownfield is, of course, the other half of soon to be three-times ambassador Kristie Kenney (bound for Bangkok as soon as she receives Senate confirmation).   


Related item:
President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts, 9/22/10

Officially In: Kurt Tong to APEC

Image via WikipediaOn September 22, President Obama announced his intent to nominate Kurt Walter Tong to be the United States Senior Coordinator for the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum with the rank of Ambassador.  The WH released the following brief bio:
 
Kurt W. Tong is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service. He is currently serving as Economic Coordinator in the State Department's Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs. Mr. Tong has served overseas in the U.S. Embassies in Manila, Tokyo, Beijing and Seoul. Most recently, he held the position of Director for Korean Affairs at the Department of State. Prior to that, he was Director for Asian Economic Affairs at the National Security Council. Mr. Tong was a Visiting Scholar at the Tokyo University Faculty of Economics.

He holds a B.A. from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University.


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US Embassy Seoul Hosts the Governator on Trade Mission in South Korea

The Governator tweeted about his Asia trip (see selection below and @Schwarzenegger) and posed with the Embassy Marine Detachment.

On September 14, 2010, US Ambassador to Seoul Kathleen Stephens hosted a reception in honor of California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Governor Schwarzenegger came to Korea on a trade mission, highlighting the close ties between the Republic of Korea and his state. Pictured below: Jeju Governor Woo Keun-Min, Representative Na Kyung-Won, and Gangwon Governor Lee Kwang-Jae with with the Governator and the ambassador.

Photo from US Embassy Seoul

From Ambassador Stephen's blog: "Governor Schwarzenegger and I with the U.S. Marine detachment - the governor told us all to flex our biceps for the photo, but I’m not sure you can tell that I’m trying!"

Photo from Ambassador Stephen's blog

Before Korea, he was over Alaska, of course:

Over Anchorage, AK. Looking everywhere but can't see Russia from here. Will keep you updated as search continues. http://twitpic.com/2mvxod 
5:35 AM Sep 10th via Twitter for iPhone 

He stopped in China and saw our ambassador there:

Having breakfast with Ambassador Huntsman http://twitpic.com/2n7f3o
Saturday, September 11, 2010 5:11:48 AM via Twitter for iPhone

Then he visited Tokyo and saw the PM but did not seem to stop by our embassy there:

Meeting with Prime Minister Kan in Tokyo http://twitpic.com/2o0v0d
Monday, September 13, 2010 1:17:01 PM via Twitpic

He arrived in South Korea and tweeted about the US Embassy in Seoul:

The US Embassy in Seoul pulled out all the stops http://twitpic.com/2objs8
Tuesday, September 14, 2010 1:49:17 PM via Twitpic

Then the Governator went to see the troops before heading back to California:

Greeting our great troops in Seoul right now to thank them for their service http://twitpic.com2olu9k
Wednesday, September 15, 2010 1:05:34 PM via Twitpic

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WaPo: It is shameful that the ethnic origin of a U.S. diplomat's wife should be used against him

Image via WikipediaIt is shameful, yes it is. But who, pray tell, is ashamed?

Last Friday's WaPo editorial called attention to the prompt hold placed by Barbara Boxer (D-CA), who was joined later by Robert Menendez (D-NJ) on the nomination of career diplomat, Matthew Bryza for the US Embassy in Baku. Excerpt below:

FOR THE AWARD for Most Craven Election-Year Pandering at the Expense of the National Interest, we nominate -- this week -- Sens. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and Robert Menendez (D-N.J.). Ms. Boxer, who is facing a tough reelection fight, and Mr. Menendez, who heads the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, are blocking the confirmation of a top-notch State Department diplomat, Matthew J. Bryza, as ambassador to Azerbaijan, an energy-rich and strategically important nation in the volatile Caucasus region.
[...]
Mr. Bryza is an unlikely target for a political fight. Highly regarded by both Republicans and Democrats, he has spent the past 13 years working to advance U.S. interests in the Caucasus at the National Security Council and the State Department. He served for three years as co-chair of the Minsk group, a coalition of nations seeking to broker peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia. Mr. Bryza won the respect of both sides; both governments are supporting his nomination.

So what is Ms. Boxer's objection? The senator claims that Mr. Bryza has been unwilling "to speak out forcefully in the face of increasing Azerbaijani aggression" against Armenia. This is ludicrous. Mr. Bryza, acting like all nominees under the instructions of his State Department superiors, has simply echoed the Obama administration's statements -- which have opposed violence by both sides and insisted that there is no military solution to the conflict. What stands out here is not Mr. Bryza's public statements, but his record as a peace negotiator -- which makes him the American most likely to prevent more aggression.

Mr. Menendez, echoing ANCA's ugly propaganda, has questioned Mr. Bryza's "very close ties to Turkey"; the diplomat's wife, scholar Zeyno Baran, is Turkish-born. Yet Ms. Baran has been an outspoken critic of the current Turkish government; it is shameful that the ethnic origin of a U.S. diplomat's wife should be used against him. (After first telling us that Mr. Menendez was concerned about Mr. Bryza's wife, his office backpedaled, saying that what worried the senator was "ties to Turkish government officials." Our request for the names of those officials, and an explanation of why "ties to officials" of a major NATO ally would be of concern, went unanswered.)
[...]
If ANCA succeeds in blocking the nomination of a competent U.S. ambassador to Azerbaijan, it will only lessen U.S. influence in the Caucasus and make war more likely. In advancing such interests, Ms. Boxer and Mr. Menendez disgrace themselves.

WaPo was thereafter accused of pandering to the State Department.

Meanwhile political scientist Sergey Shakaryants is confident that the elections have nothing to do with current developments. “There is a confrontation between the pro-Armenian and pro-Turkish forces in the United States, and the US Congress has become the field for this battle,” he said.

We have previously written about this nomination here.

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US Embassy Kabul: Natalie Cole Sings at Black Tulip's Sneak Preview

Sonia Nassery Cole brought her film, The Black Tulip, to Kabul for its world premiere. Embassy staff were treated to a showing of the movie, shot entirely in Afghanistan, in a large shura tent. Cole also brought her son and co-producer Christopher Cole, cinematographer Dave McFarland and good friend and singer for the film's theme, Natalie Cole (no relation).

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR
Photos from US Embassy Kabul/Flickr

Below from the US Embassy Kabul press shop:

Legendary American singer, Natalie Cole, performed for a mesmerized audience of embassy staff and their guests on September 21, 2010. Ms. Cole’s songs are featured in a new film, The Black Tulip, which was screened at a special sneak preview at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul. Ms. Cole traveled to Afghanistan to help promote the film along with the film’s director and cinematographer.

The Black Tulip was filmed entirely on location in Afghanistan, with an Afghan crew, by a female director, Sonia Nassery Cole (no, they’re not related). It was filmed in Dari, and will be shown with English subtitles. The film will premiere before an Afghan audience on Thursday, September 23.
 
Sonia Nassery Cole came to the U.S. from Afghanistan as a young girl when her family fled the Soviet invasion. She returned to Kabul years later to shoot the film, which will be Afghanistan’s entry for the 2011 Academy Awards.

"The Black Tulip" is a modern portrait of Afghanistan that captures the current plight and resilience of its people. Sonia Cole decided to make the film in hopes of giving voice to the voiceless people of her home country by telling a story through the eyes of an everyday Afghan family who remains hopeful despite constant struggle and tragedy.”

The trailer is here. For more information on the film see http://breadwinnerfilms.com/work/blacktulip/


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Robert Young Pelton: The chatter behind the scenes is that Baghdad is not the place you want to be posted to next year

Cover via AmazonVia David Isenberg at HuffPo on the DOD to State transition in Iraq:

"We may be waiting a long time before security conditions allow what Mr. Bowen recommends. At my request I asked Robert Young Pelton, author of Licensed To Kill, one of the better books on security contracting in Iraq, his thoughts. He emailed me back that:"

The chatter behind the scenes is that Baghdad is not the place you want to be posted to next year. Triple Canopy is allegedly 30 percent undermanned and DynCorp according to scuttlebutt has yet to get anything in the air. The current push to double hired guns also comes after Blackwater was dropped and others were asked to fill the gap. The turmoil in protection services began not because Blackwater gunned down 17 Iraqis, but because the State Dept was frozen by the Iraqi government. Condi thought it would be cute to flush BW down the drain but was wise enough to keep them in place under different names. But Hillary nuked them ten days after the inauguration.

The irony in all this is that HIllary Clinton who once sponsored legislation to ban PMC's and specifically Blackwater finds herself at the head of the largest mercenary army in America's history. We have yet to actually see if the U.S. government can operate in Baghdad without Erik Prince and Blackwater. Triple Canopy tried and failed before, resulting in a massive influx of BW in April of 2005 until 2009. We know from Leon Panetta the CIA can't operate without Blackwater, I doubt the State Department is going to magically double their protection overnight without some serious teething problems.

Now that Erik has packed up and taken his toys with him. My advice to Hillary....don't go to Baghdad.

It's rough out there these days.  Read the whole thing here.  (active links added above).

We have previously posted a piece by RYP on Afghanistan here.  

On RYP:  "Author and filmmaker, Robert Young Pelton has made a career of bypassing the media, border guards and the military in his goal of getting to the heart of the story.  In his travels to and through the world’s most dangerous places, Pelton has shared risks with his hosts and often has become the sole surviving witness to history-shaping events. His recent journeys have taken him inside the siege of Grozny in Chechnya, the battle of Qala-I-Jangi in Afghanistan, the rebel campaign to take Monrovia in Liberia, inside the hunt for Bin Laden in the Tribal Areas with the CIA, with insurgents during the war in Iraq and running RPG Alley every day for four weeks with Blackwater in Baghdad."

Check out his official website ComeBackAlive.com, where he also has a Dangerpedia.



Related post:
Our Shooty-Shooty and Talky-Talky Teams in Afghanistan | Diplopundit | January 23, 2009

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Concerns over the State Dept's future in Iraq: diplomats face supply and security problems

Image via WikipediaFrom WaPo last week:

Now that most U.S. military forces have left Iraq, the American diplomats left behind face serious security problems the State Department is ill-prepared to tackle.

That's the grave message the Commission on Wartime Contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan presented to Congress on Thursday.

Much of the security once provided by the military will have to be done by private contractors, yet the department does not have the money to hire the number needed nor the capability to manage them.

"Even if State could obtain the funds for more than doubling its private-security force, it is not clear that it has the trained personnel to manage and oversee contract performance of a kind that has already shown the potential for creating tragic incidents and frayed relations with host countries," Michael Thibault, commission co-chairman, said in a statement to the House Government Oversight and Reform Committee.
[...]
The Pentagon has worked with the State Department but could provide much more help even as the military withdraws from Iraq. The Defense Department has yet to respond to a six-month-old State Department request for assistance seeking, among other things, helicopters, trucks and mine-resistant vehicles.

Citing the lack of response, committee Chairman Edolphus Towns (D-N.Y.) said the Pentagon's "apparent lack of cooperation is unacceptable." A Defense Department spokeswoman said the Pentagon is preparing a reply.
[...]
For example, Thibault told the committee about a "counter battery system" that allows the military to determine the location of rocket or mortar launches against U.S. positions. "As a result, enemy insurgents seldom fire more than one rocket, as they know they will be targeted," he said.

But the State Department does not have that capability.

"Enemy insurgents will be delighted when they learn and experience that they will not be immediately targeted and brought under fire by the military. Where our enemies worked very hard to launch a single rocket, there will be little reason not to launch entire batteries of rockets," Thibault said. "The safety of Americans, government and contractor employees will likely be jeopardized. This is simply unacceptable."

This has upset members of the committee, including the top Republican, Rep. Darrell Issa of California. He complained that "the government is inadequately prepared to ensure that our diplomatic personnel are properly supplied and protected, now that our combat troops have withdrawn from Iraq."

The report lists 14 security related jobs that are a good fit for the military but are not in a diplomat's job description, including recovering dead and wounded personnel, recovering downed aircraft and bomb disposal.
[...]
All of this isn't the State Department's fault, Thibault said. The department, he said, has been dealt a bad hand that includes "unknown contract and program support from the Department of Defense; funding limitations likely to impact mission capability; and the need to contract for and perform functions that have never been done by their department."

Read the whole thing here.

The Oversight and Government Reform Committee held a hearing on “Transition in Iraq: Is the State Department Prepared to Take the Lead?” Below are the following testimonies from the Commission on Wartime Contracting and SIGIR.

Panel I Testimony:

Testimony of Mr. Michael J. Thibault
Co-Chairman
Commission on Wartime Contracting

Testimony of Mr. Grant S. Green
Commissioner
Commission on Wartime Contracting


Panel II Testimony:

Testimony of Mr. Stuart W. Bowen, Jr.
Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction

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Book burning craze goes weirder, 9,500 copies of "Operation Dark Heart" up in flames

Image via WikipediaVia CNN:

The Department of Defense recently purchased and destroyed thousands of copies of an Army Reserve officer's memoir in an effort to safeguard state secrets, a spokeswoman said Saturday.

"DoD decided to purchase copies of the first printing because they contained information which could cause damage to national security," Pentagon spokeswoman Lt. Col. April Cunningham said.

In a statement to CNN, Cunningham said defense officials observed the September 20 destruction of about 9,500 copies of Army Reserve Lt. Col. Anthony Shaffer's new memoir "Operation Dark Heart."

Shaffer says he was notified Friday about the Pentagon's purchase.

"The whole premise smacks of retaliation," Shaffer told CNN on Saturday. "Someone buying 10,000 books to suppress a story in this digital age is ludicrous."

Read the whole thing here.

Active links added above. If a copy or two of the original edition escaped the flames, we should see it soon over at eBay in four figures. That is, unless DOD buys it first in five figures.

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