AFSA's 2011 Constructive Dissent Awards - No Winner for Entry-Level Diplomats

Image via WikipediaAFSA's constructive dissent awards publicly recognize individuals who have demonstrated the intellectual courage to challenge the system from within, to question the status quo and take a stand, no matter the sensitivity of the issue or the consequences of their actions. According to the FS union, the issue does not have to be related to foreign policy. It can relate to a management issue, consular policy, or, in the case of the newest award, the willingness of a Foreign Service Specialist "to take an unpopular stand, to go out on a limb, or to stick his/her neck out in a way that involves some risk."

"Within the foreign affairs agency system, the term "constructive dissent" is used to describe cables passed through the official dissent channel which object to or proscribe amendments to official U.S. foreign policy or regarding conditions of work. Recent examples of such dissent include a USAID officer at AFRICOM who protested the military's approach to sexual and gender-based violence treatment in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and a security engineering officer who persuaded the State Department to issue commissioning certificates for FS specialists. Excluded from AFSA's definiton of constructive dissent are objections raised outside the system, i.e. airing policy disagreements in the media or blogs."

The winners via AFSA:  

This year’s winner of the F. Allen "Tex” Harris Award for constructive dissent by a Foreign Service Specialist is Maurizio Visani, an FS-3 Department of State Information Program Officer serving in Consulate General Surabaya.  By performing a security assessment, he enabled consular agents in Bali to obtain OpenNet access, thereby enabling them to provide sound technical solutions to protect American Personally Identifiable Information (PII) more securely.   It was through his initiative that Bali became the first consular agency to receive OpenNet access.

The winner of the 2011 William R. Rivkin Award for constructive dissent by a mid-level Foreign Service officer is Joel Ehrendreich, an FS-1 Department of State political officer in Singapore.  While serving in Tokyo in 2005 he was asked to decline an invitation, on behalf of the embassy, from the mayor of Hiroshima to send a representative of the U.S. government to attend the annual Peace Memorial Ceremony.  He recommended changing the policy and accepting the invitation.  It took five years, with Joel resubmitting his dissent each year, to change this policy, but in 2010 Ambassador John V. Roos attended the ceremony, a gesture that has helped to strengthen bilateral relations.

The Christian A. Herter Award, for constructive dissent by a Senior Foreign Service officer, this year goes to Dr. James W. Bayuk. The nominating officer for Dr. Bayuk describes him as a medical officer who, “seeks to improve the medical services offered to his colleagues wherever he serves.”  Over the course of his career, he has proposed several institutional changes to improve both the efficiency and quality of medical services. Some of his proposals have been controversial, and not all have been implemented.  He has challenged prevailing wisdom in several areas related to the provision of services, and has called for greater transparency in the selection of key leadership positions in the Office of Medical Services.  In those cases where he has been successful, the results have been tangible. In 2006, he was awarded the Department’s Award for Innovative Use of Technology for his work on linking post-specific medical information to the Overseas Briefing Center. 

The AFSA Awards and Plaques Committee selected the Harris and Herter Award winners.  (There was no winner this year of the W. Averell Harriman Award for constructive dissent by an entry-level Foreign Service officer.)   Committee members include: Retired Ambassador John Limbert, chairman; active-duty Foreign Service employees Francisco Zamora, John Naland, Ernesto Pizarro and Eva Groening; and retired FS employees Janice Bay, John Long, Ambassador Edward Peck and Dick Thompson.

The William R. Rivkin Award winner was selected by a panel including the children of the late Ambassador William R. Rivkin -- Julia Wheeler, Laura Ledford, Ambassador Charles Rivkin and the Honorable Robert Rivkin – joined by retired Ambassador Thomas Boyatt, who worked with Ambassador Rivkin; the Honorable Newton N. Minow; Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood and former Representative Jim Leach, R-Iowa.

I should note that this is the third time since 2007 where there is no winner for the W. Averell Harriman Award for constructive dissent by an entry-level Foreign Service officer. 

I am disappointed -- but of course, it's not my career on the line.

I have to wonder out loud why the elephants in the room are conspicuously absent as constructive dissent subjects - subjects related to policies and management practices in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Pakistan (AIP); policies related to personnel security in Mexico undergoing a full blown drug war, though of course, we don't call it a war; policies related to post drawdowns/evacuations, how soon, how fast, how much politics get into the what, when and how; the quality of pre-deployment training for personnel heading off to AIP posts I heard is crash bang but also shit bang.  And the soc-med policy, of course ...

Good luck for next year!

 

 

 

On Performance Pay Awards and Why No HR Seniors to Rat-Tat-Tat-Kaboom Posts?

It's not everyday that the State Department’s Human Resources Office is called "as opaque as the black hole of Calcutta on a moonless winter night." Which sounds almost poetic and all, but not in any way something you want to brag about. Below is from this post at WhirledView by Patricia Kushlis. Excerpts below:   

As I noted in previous posts, ambassadorships have gone overwhelmingly to HR insiders over those who have put their lives on the line in Iraq and Afghanistan. The latest -- and most appalling -- examples? The most recent Director General and his Deputy -- both having spent their two-year tenures pushing their State colleagues off to war zones -- are going where? To Iraq or Afghanistan? Not a chance. They are both enjoying agreeable posts in the South Pacific.

Nor has the situation regarding bonus pay for senior foreign and civil service improved. HR insiders dot the lists as they have for years. As an example on the Civil Service side, a current senior HR official and a former senior HR official (now at the Department's training institute) have received either SES (Senior Executive Service) Performance Awards or Presidential Rank Awards every year for at least the last five years -- including 2009. Whether the awards lists are long or short -- these two women are on them.


HR is a support function at the Department -- not a line function. The several hundred SES employees in the State Department do complicated, high-profile work on the front lines of diplomacy; many of these people are ignored at awards time. It is difficult to imagine how these HR employees (who after all, have run a Bureau unable to put together six-person meetings on a regular basis) manage to snag the US government's top honors year after year. It certainly calls into question the integrity of the awards process -- from the selection of the boards that grant the awards -- to the choice of award recipients themselves.

I repeat my suggestion to Hillary and her people -- revise the regulations to bar any one senior employee (Civil or Foreign Service) from getting an award more than once in three years.

Not a new post but still relevant. Active links added above. Continue reading The Broom’s April Check Up.
 
OPM has an August 2010 order to freeze discretionary awards, bonuses, and similar payments for federal employees.  But wait - the directive has the following exception:

Although Foreign Service Officers and career members of the Senior Foreign Service (SFS) appointed under section 302(a)(1) of the Foreign Service Act receive PAS appointments, they are not political appointees and are not subject to the freeze.  Also, SFS members with PAS or PA appointments who elect to retain eligibility for SFS performance awards under section 302(b) of the Foreign Service Act of 1980 are not political appointees and are not subject to the freeze.  

So - I guess you better be in the lookout for the next performance pay cable.  Unfortunately, none of those cables seem to be available anywhere in the public domain. Wonder why that is, ward off the evil eye?  But isn't that taxpayer money?  You can look those up for comparison year to year if you are inside the firewall at State.  It now seems amusing to watch folks get all contorted over political ambassadorships when right in the front inside of the yard -- well ...

Anyhow, Patricia's suggestion that the revised regs should only allow senior employees in the Civil or Foreign Service to receive performance pay awards once every three years sounds extremely reasonable given our current budget pains.   

In the same spirit, shouldn't senior officials serving in the HR Bureau ought to have a "cooling off" period after serving in that bureau before being considered for career ambassadorships? I mean, if I'm the boss/next bosses of the bureau that puts together the names of the next ambassadors and my name is in it, too -- well, wouldn't you think that smells Epoisses cheesy? Unless, of course -- I'm going to one of the two, wait three, no - five war zones, two of them undeclared.

I do think that the next Director General of the Foreign Service ought to have experience not just in hardship posts but real on the ground experience from one of our increasingly rat-tat-tat kaboom posts, that now includes Pakistan and Mexico (although they're not listed as such anywhere).  Why? Because why not? The DG is the most senior HR person at the State Department. His/Her office is the arm twister, excuse me, the carrot dangler for all those folks who are volunteering to serve in the rat-tat-tat place.  One old friend could not get hold of anyone during the bidding season, that is, apparently, no one was reading the old friend's multiple emails until there was nothing left on the bidlist. In this case, the carrot was hidden not dangled.  When the old friend finally got a response, well, all the options in that short list says Iraq.  But she's the small fry!

As far as we are aware, one senior official at State went directly from an HR tour to a warzone tour.  That's Ambassador Joseph Mussomeli, now of the US Embassy in Slovenia. He was the Director of Human Resources/Entry-Level CDA at the U.S. Department of State for a year prior to deploying to the US Embassy in Kabul as Assistant Chief of Mission, then went on become ambassador to Ljubljana.  Yay for Ambassador Mussomeli!

But other senior HR folks seems to have skipped the warzone tours before proceeding to ambassadorial appointments.  HR's top recruitment guy went on to an ambassadorship in Europe. Another director of HR's Entry-Level Career Development and Assignments went on to an ambassadorship in Europe. Two former top HR officials, went on to ambassadorships in Asia. And one senior advisor to the Office of Performance Evaluation went on to a lovely island in the South Pacific.  

But if these are important enough foreign policy engagements that the HR bureau cajole colleagues every year to volunteer to go, shouldn't the HR seniors' names be on that volunteer list, too?  Because that's probably the best recruitment tool for the warzones ...

Everybody would finally come around to thinking -- hey, things must be really serious ... the boss who's asking me to go to the rat-tat-tat kaboom place, is also going to the rat-tat-tat kaboom place...


Note: The term "rat-tat-tat kaboom" to describe posts in war zones was absolutely originally coined by one of our favorite bloggers, Dakota of The Afghan Plan.
The rat-tat-tat-kaboom posts in our book includes all posts in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Pakistan and Mexico.
 



Related item:
3 FAM 2870 | Senior Foreign Service Performance Pay and Presidential Awards 

Diplopundit is Officially a Source in Wikipedia -- in Disputed Proposed Awards Entries for the State Dept!!!

I was having a quiet Sunday when I got an email informing me that a Wikipedia user has created several articles on purported proposed Service Awards in Crisis Management, Civilian Campaign, Hazardous Duty, Hardship Service, Language Aptitude and Public Service at the State Department.  Apparently, in substantiating these, each article has a link to Diplopundit; to this page which does not mention the proposed awards but to the general awards given by the State Dept annually.  My correspondent writes that the awards appear to be "pure fantasy." Oh, dear.

So, obviously a must look up item and I found the Wikipedia page here. In its discussion page, Wikipedia user, Mikebar wrote on 12 April:

While this article and singular articles note proposed Department of State awards, there are no references that point to factual information. The ribbon pictures look convincing, but there are no references to official US Department of State proposals for establishment of these particular awards. Unless public references to award proposals or news articles or other acceptable reference documentation is included to substantiate proposed awards, this article should be edited to remove any proposed awards. Not that I'm against State awards, on the contrary but facts are required. Mikebar (talk) 00:20, 12 April 2011 (UTC)

I'm glad to see that there are volunteers like Mikebar who help ensure that entries in Wikipedia are reliably sourced. That's the go-to place for 53% of American adult internet users and 62% of internet users younger than 30. So facts are required, indeed. 

All official State Department awards are in the Foreign Affairs Manual.  I would look at two regulations, specifically -- 3 FAM 4820 Department Awards Program Honor Awards or 3 FAM 4830 Annual Awards, both online. If there are other award citations in the FAM that I overlooked, let me know.  Diplopundit's blog posts on awards are here.

Frankly, I have no idea if these really are proposed awards for State Department personnel; not privy to discussions in the Sounding Board, this is the first time I've heard of these service awards.  But if these are proposed awards, who has gone through the trouble of designing the ribbons and the medals during the proposal stage?    

For example, the Nominating and Approval Procedures for the Crisis Management Award  has the following:

The employee should submit a JF-66 form and copies of orders to the Human Resources Officer (HRO) at Post where it will be forwarded to the Department for final determination. For employees who previously served in an area that underwent an ordered evacuation before the award was finalized, they should notify their HRO or, if assigned domestically, submit a JF-66 and their previous orders to HR/PE.[3]

That #3 citation there happens to be our blog. 

JF-66, what's that? That's the Nomination for Award form; we had to look it up in Google. 

Wikipedia: Proposed Crisis Management
Award Medal

This award's Wikipedia entry includes criteria, eligible area, military use, and a description of the design that says: "The proposed design is that of a hurricane symbol, indicating that many of the crises are related to natural disasters. On the edges of the hurricane symbol are inscribed the words “Crisis” and “Management.” Around the center are the words “Department of State United States of America,” and in the center itself is an image of an individual entering a helicopter in preparation for evacuation."

Again, this begs the question, if these awards are in the proposal stage, who has taken the trouble to design ribbons and medals for it?  That is, for all the six proposed awards?  And why are these proposed awards even in Wikipedia when they are not found anywhere else in published regulations?       

I understand that the State Dept Management is not on board on this (we are trying to get confirmation).  But if it were, these would already be included in the Foreign Affairs Manual. 
     
Below are the proposed awards with their corresponding links in Wikipedia (which presumably will not be up for very long given its lack of reliable publicly available citations):

Crisis Management Award (proposed)
Ribbon of the Foreign Service Crisis Management Award (proposed)

The Foreign Service Crisis Management Award, as currently submitted to the Director General of the Foreign Service for approval, would be presented to members of the Foreign Service (and members of the Civil Service who are on a Foreign Service Excursion Tour and have been granted a temporary rank in the U.S. Foreign Service) who were present in country during an ordered evacuation as directed by the Undersecretary for Management. Although it is awarded primarily for service during evacuations, it may be bestowed upon employees for service during other crises when so determined by the Undersecretary for Management. One of the criteria is that the recipients must actually be present at the scene of the crisis in question; the award may not be presented for assistance from afar.

The award consists of a medal set and a certificate signed by the Undersecretary of Management or an official of higher rank. Subsequent evacuations, including evacuations in the same country on the same tour provided they are distinct events and that the post had returned to normal duty status, may be denoted by adding service stars to the ribbon, as may other crises when so defined by the Undersecretary for Management.

Civilian Campaign Award (proposed)
Ribbon of the Foreign Service Civilian Campaign Award (proposed)

The Foreign Service Civilian Campaign Award, as currently submitted to the Director General of the Foreign Service for approval, would be presented to members of the Civil and Foreign Services who, on or after September 11, 2001, to a date to be determined, participate abroad in direct support of a U.S. Department of State operation in a location designated by the Department of State as a combat zone.

The award consists of a gold medal set and a certificate signed, by an assistant secretary, an official of equivalent or higher rank or the Chief of Mission. Subsequent service in areas that meet the criteria above may be denoted by adding service stars to the ribbon.

The Foreign Service Civilian Campaign Award is part of a series of awards to recognize service in dangerous or otherwise difficult areas. The other awards in the series include the Foreign Service Hazardous Duty Award and the Foreign Affairs Hardship Service Award.

Hazardous Duty Award (proposed)
Ribbon of the Foreign Service Hazardous Duty Award (proposed)

The Foreign Service Hazardous Duty Award, as currently submitted to the Director General of the Foreign Service for approval, would be presented to members of the Foreign Service (and members of the Civil Service who are on a Foreign Service Excursion Tour and have been granted a temporary rank in the U.S. Foreign Service) who served 30 consecutive days or 60 non-consecutive days in a region or country that was denoted by the Department of State during the time of service as requiring 15% danger pay or more.

The award consists of a silver medal set and a certificate signed by the Chief of Mission or an official of equivalent or higher rank. Subsequent tours, where tour is defined as an assignment lasting ten months or longer and are successfully completed, may be denoted by adding service stars to the ribbon.

The Foreign Service Hazardous Duty Award is part of a series of awards to recognize service in dangerous or otherwise difficult areas. The other awards in the series include the Foreign Service Civilian Campaign Award and the Foreign Affairs Hardship Service Award.

Hardship Service Award (proposed)
Ribbon of the Foreign Affairs Hardship Service Award (proposed)

The Foreign Affairs Hardship Service Award, as currently submitted to the Director General of the Foreign Service for approval, would be presented to members of the Foreign Service (and members of the Civil Service who are on a Foreign Service Excursion Tour and have been granted a temporary rank in the U.S. Foreign Service) who served a minimum of 11 months of a year-long tour or 22 months of a two-year-long or longer tour in a region or country that was denoted by the Department of State during the time of service as requiring 15% hardship pay or more.

The award consists of a bronze medal set and a certificate signed by the Chief of Mission or an official of equivalent or higher rank. Subsequent tours, where tour is defined as an assignment lasting one year or longer and are successfully completed, may be denoted by adding service stars to the ribbon.

The Foreign Affairs Hardship Service Award is part of a series of awards to recognize service in dangerous or otherwise difficult areas. The other awards in the series include the Foreign Service Hazardous Duty Award and the Foreign Service Civilian Campaign Award.

Language Aptitude Award (proposed)
Ribbon of the Foreign Service Language Aptitude Award (proposed)

The Foreign Service Language Aptitude Award, as currently submitted to the Director General of the Foreign Service for approval, would be presented to members of the Foreign Service (and members of the Civil Service who are on a Foreign Service Excursion Tour and have been granted a temporary rank in the U.S. Foreign Service) who achieve a 3/3 or higher in a language designated by the Foreign Service Institute as hard or super hard, or a 4/4 or higher in any other language, excluding English.

The award consists of a medal set and a certificate signed by the Director of the Foreign Service Institute. Subsequent languages mastered that meet the criteria above may be denoted by adding service stars to the ribbon.

Public Service Award (proposed)
Ribbon of the Foreign Affairs Public Service Award (proposed)

The Foreign Affairs Public Service Award, as currently submitted to the Director General of the Foreign Service for approval, would be presented to members of the Foreign Service (and members of the Civil Service who are on a Foreign Service Excursion Tour and have been granted a temporary rank in the U.S. Foreign Service) who have volunteered their time and energy in support of a humanitarian effort or other public service that reflects positively on the U.S. Department of State, USAID, or other foreign affairs agency and the U.S. Government as a whole for acts in a personal capacity while assigned overseas on official orders. Nominations are only accepted from Chiefs of Mission, USAID Directors, Assistant Secretaries, or officials of higher rank.

The award consists of a medal set and a certificate signed by the Chief of Mission or an official of equivalent or higher rank. Subsequent awards may be denoted by adding service stars to the ribbon.

And I have no problem with awards, but I think they should serve a function to help shape desired organizational outcome. 

For example, the Language Aptitude Award proposes to give an award to an employee who has achieve a 3/3 or higher in a language designated by the Foreign Service Institute as hard or super hard, or a 4/4 or higher in any other language, excluding English.  But that's why the employees are in school full time, anyway, to reach those required levels or they may not ship to their language designated positions overseas. That is already a strong  motivation to do well in language training, so I don't see the necessity of this award. Now, if you proposed an award for those who are able to maintain their hard language skills in periodic review/test, perhaps every 2-3 years, without additional FSI training (thus saving the government money), then I can understand the ribbon and medal and even additional monetary incentives.        

If you know anything more, let me know. You just don't pluck these from thin air.  I am actually curious how many work hours were spent on the brainstorming/planning/design of these service awards alone.  

Last week, we received a response from the State Dept's Annual Awards Team:

Thank you for your query. There are currently no new proposed annual
service awards awaiting approval from the Director General, contrary to
what Wikipedia may say.

This post has been updated 4/24/2011.

2010 State Department Foreign Service National (FSN) Awards

Typically in November each year, the State Department honors Foreign Service Nationals or LE employees from each of its six regional bureaus worldwide. One of the six awardees is also selected as the FSN of the Year.  The names of awardees are usually announced via cable but not available publicly until 2-3 months later. Last year's awardees have now been published in the February 2011 issue of State Magazine (extract provided below).  

From State Mag:  "The winners represent thousands of other Locally Employed Staff around the world, without whose efforts U.S. missions could not function, said Under Secretary for Political Affairs William Burns, who handed out the awards. “They are truly the backbone of every U.S. embassy and consulate,” he said."
 
The FSN of the Year Award went to Dominique Gerdes, a visa specialist at the U.S. Embassy Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

Burea of Western Hemisphere (WHA)

Dominique Gerdes
Visa Specialist, Consular Section
U.S. Embassy Port-au-Prince, Haiti

South Central Asia Bureau (SCA)

Agha Tanveer Hussain
Senior Security Investigator, Regional Security Office
U.S. Consulate General, Lahore, Pakistan

Near east Asia Bureau (NEA)

Mona El-Azem
Passport and Citizenship Specialist, Consular Section
U.S. Embassy in Damascus, Syria

East Asia Pacific Bureau (EAP)

Pajaree Sritham
Program Assistant, Refugee and Migration Aff airs
U.S. Embassy in Bangkok, Thailand

Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs (EUR)

Nathalie Trouve
Special Consular Services Assistant, Consular Section
U.S. Embassy in Paris, France

Bureau of African Affairs (AF)

The winner representing the Bureau of African Affairs was unable to come to Washington for the awards ceremony. Abureau representative said, “Due to concerns for the individual’ssafety, we are unable to reveal the name of AF’s FSN of the Year.”

2010 State Department Awards FSNs Source: Extracted from State Magazine | February 2011

2010 State Department Awards (FSOs) --- A Lot of Kabul Hands

November in the State Department's Benjamin Franklin Room  is always a full house, especially during the annual awards day for employees. If you work for State, the following is no longer news as you probably have seen this already in a cable.  For non-State folks, the names of awardees are often published in State Magazine, months after the actual  ceremony; this time in the February 2011 issue of the magazine.   

The State Mag coverage notes that more employees are serving in war zones and hardship posts and that "the respect for what they have managed to achieve, despite the obstacles, was palpable in the words of their leaders and the reaction of their peers."

The State Department gave out a total of 28 awards last year. A quarter of the 2010 awards went to employees who served in Afghanistan, primarily, in Kabul. Seven current and former officers at US Mission Afghanistan received awards in impact and originality in reporting, economic achievement, innovation in technology, advancing women's role, information technology, international economic performance and mentoring.

The second Ryan Crocker Award for Outstanding Leadership in Expeditionary Diplomacy went to Ambassador Anne Patterson, most recently of US Embassy Pakistan.  She was cited for "her unrelenting pursuit of U.S. national security goals in Pakistan while ambassador there and ushering in a new era of productive relationships between Pakistan and the United States that will lay the groundwork for a more secure future for both countries."

As a reward, she will  reportedly be sent to Cairo as our next ambassador to Egypt. A quick note here: the first recipient of the Ryan Crocker award was Elizabeth Rood, previously of Afghanistan/PRT and until recently, the Consul General in Peshawar, Pakistan.  

Speaking of the U.S. Consulate in Peshawar, the Diplomatic Security Employee of the Year is Steven M. Miller, formerly the regional security officer there. He was cited "for exceptional leadership in balancing traditional security concerns with the importance of implementing U.S. foreign policy goals to ensure U.S. national security and counterterrorism objectives were met during a period of extreme danger."

The Barbara Watson Award for Consular Excellence went to Charles E. Bennett, the consular section chief at the U.S. Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City and consular coordinator for Mission Vietnam. He was cited "for outstanding success in revitalizing the consular section, planning for the future, providing key policy input and serving as a role model for the next generation of Department officers while contributing to the career development and morale of officers and LE staff alike."

The Linguist of the Year Award went to Ambassador Kathleen Stephens, the US ambassador to South Korea. She was cited "for her  exceptional commitment and success in learning and using the Korean language, and inspiring others to do the same to deepen and strengthen the bilateral relationship."

I should note that Ambassador Stephens runs a bi-lingual blog with the help of her embassy staff, check it out here. She may also be the only chief of mission who has turned her blog into a book -- it’s called “내 이름은 심은경입니다 (My name is Shim Eun-Kyong),” and in English, “An American Ambassador’s Reflections on Life in Korea.”

Awardees from US Mission Afghanistan:

Director General’s Award for Impact and Originality in Reporting |
Christopher R. Green
Green, former political officer at the Provincial Reconstruction Team in Helmand Province, was cited for his comprehensive reporting that provided policymakers with a sophisticated understanding of the complex political dynamics and potential solutions in Helmand, one of the most challenging Afghan provinces because of its mix of Taliban activities, opium and corruption.

Cordell Hull Award for Economic Achievement by Senior Officers |
Earl Anthony Wayne
Wayne, coordinating director for Development and Economic Affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, was cited for outstanding leadership in reorganizing, reforming, redirecting and reinvigorating U.S. economic, development and governance policies and programs in Afghanistan and making them more effective in promoting economic reform, growth and development.
Ambassador Wayne is currently deputy ambassador at the US Embassy in Kabul

Innovation in the Use of Technology Award |
Erin A. Nickerson
Nickerson, former political officer at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, was cited for enabling civilians throughout Afghanistan and Afghanistan watchers worldwide to access critical information and communicate more effectively by establishing the post’s Intelink Web site and transferring fi eld personnel to www.Ugov.gov accounts.

Swanee Hunt Award for Advancing Women’s Role in Policy Formulation | Nujayed Ahmad –FSN
Ahmad, political specialist at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, was cited for outstanding work in Nangarhar Province to advance and report on the status of women and their role in the 2010 parliamentary elections.

Thomas Morrison Information Management Award |
Elizabeth M. Slater
Slater, former information management offi cer at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, was cited for sustained superior performance in expanding mission systems throughout Afghanistan to support those in the field, as well as expanding the capabilities of those systems while maintaining a high level of service to the embassy.

Arnold L. Raphel Memorial Award |
Joseph A. Mussomeli
Mussomeli, former deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, was cited for his extraordinary commitment to motivate, encourage and care for those with whom he lived and worked at Embassy Kabul in 2009 and 2010.
Ambassador Mussomeli is currently chief of mission at US Embassy Slovenia.

Herbert Salzman Award for Excellence in International Economic Performance | Jerry Bisson
Bisson, director of the Offi ceof Infrastructure, Engineering and Energy with the U.S. Agency for International Development at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, was cited for his exceptional achievements in advancing the implementation of the President’s strategy for Afghanistan by integrating U.S. government investments across key sectors to create jobs and generate income crucial to providing alternatives to the insurgency.

Read the rest of State's 2010 "Super Stars" below:

2010 State Department Awards | FSOs

Extracted from State Magazine | February 2011

We give thanks for all our Sal Guintas ...

Sebastian Junger and Tim Hetherington did a war documentary chronicling the men of B Company during their yearlong deployment in the Korengal Valley. The documentary Restrepo won the Grand Jury Prize for best documentary at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival. Restrepo will have its world television premiere on the National Geographic Channels, unedited and with limited commercial interruption, on Monday, November 29, 2010, at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT. 

Staff Sergeant Sal Giunta of the 173rd Airborne became the first living Medal of Honor recipient since the Vietnam War. His actions occured in Afghanistan's Korengal valley during the deployment chronicled in the movie 'Restrepo'. Below is a 14 minute Sal Guinta video by Junger/Hetherington. You can also read the complete text of Tim Hetherington's interview with him on Vanity Fair.

The Sal Giunta Story from SebastianJunger/TimHetherington on Vimeo.

Via Vanity Fair: Medal of Honor Winner Salvatore Giunta on Bravery, Brotherhood, and the Korengal

What else sticks in your mind about the Zabul Province deployment?
On September 1, 2005, Lieutenant [Derek Haines] died in the Baylough area, and that made me really feel my own mortality at 19 or 20. My team leader, Nicholas Post. talked to me. He said, “It is what it is and you just got to try to do everything you can when it’s your time to do it. It might be you tomorrow. It might be me tomorrow. It might be, you know, all of us tomorrow. But that’s tomorrow.” I’ve pretty much taken that with me the rest of my life from the time we had that talk.

Did you re-up after Zabul, or had you signed up for a certain length of time?
I signed up for four years when I came into the army. I didn’t think that I was going to go again, but Stop-Loss. I didn’t really understand Stop-Loss, until Stop-Loss.

So as a result of Stop-Loss you went to the Korengal?
We were in the Korengal, but I couldn’t leave the Korengal as a result of the Stop-Loss, yes.

When did you first hear that you were going to be up for a Medal of Honor? It was some time after you returned from the Korengal, wasn’t it?
It was a couple of days later that I heard. Sergeant Gallardo went down for a meeting and came back up and told me. That’s when I found out.

What went through your head when you heard about it?
“Fuck you,” I said. It sounds really awesome in theory, but what’s it worth? Brennan? Mendoza? No. I did what I did because in the scheme of painting the picture of that ambush, that was just my brush stroke. That’s not above and beyond. I didn’t take the biggest brush stroke, and it wasn’t the most important brush stroke. Hearing the Medal of Honor is like a slap in the face. I don’t think you know what I did. I didn’t do shit.

What does the Medal symbolize for you?
I want to stress the fact that this is the nation’s highest honor. Awesome. And it’s given to me, but just as much as me, every single person that I’ve been with deserves to wear it—they are just as much of me as I am. This isn’t a one-man show. I’m here because someone picked me. I hope that everyone around me can share in whatever pride that comes from it. They deserve that pride.

And here is President Obama:
"You may believe that you don’t deserve this honor, but it was your fellow soldiers who recommended you for it.  In fact, your commander specifically said in his recommendation that you lived up to the standards of the most decorated American soldier of World War II, Audie Murphy, who famously repelled an overwhelming enemy attack by himself for one simple reason:  “They were killing my friends.”


Related item:
President Obama Presents the Medal of Honor to Staff Sergeant Salvatore Giunta: "We’re All in Your Debt"
Congressional Medal of Honor Society

Related articles

• Paul Rieckhoff: This Thanksgiving, Be Thankful for Real Heroes (huffingtonpost.com)
• Restrepo, review (telegraph.co.uk)
• Medal of Honor Winner Salvatore Giunta Suffers for Our Sins (psychologytoday.com)
• Transcript: Martha Raddatz Interviews Tim Hetherington (abcnews.go.com)
• Soldier given highest medal for heroism on a ridge (sfgate.com)
• Medal of Honor takes moment to earn, years to receive (cnn.com)

Cameron Munter, new US Ambassador to Pakistan arrives in Islamabad

Cameron Munter, the newly appointed Ambassador of the United States to Pakistan, presented his credentials to Asif Ali Zardari at the Aiwan-e-Sadr in Islamabad today, October 27.

Photo from US Embassy Islamabad

From the embassy press shop:  

Speaking at the ceremony, Ambassador Munter told the President, "I am looking forward to working with the democratically elected Government and with people around the country to strengthen our deep, long-term relationship based on honesty and mutual respect." The Ambassador expressed U.S. appreciation for Pakistan's sacrifices in its ongoing fight against extremism and terrorism. He also assured the President of America's continued support for Pakistan's economic development, and for regional stability.

Ambassador Munter was joined at the ceremony by his wife, Ms. Marilyn Wyatt, and accompanied by Deputy Chief of Mission Stephen Engelken, Civilian Assistance Coordinator Ambassador Robin Raphel, Defense Attaché Colonel Joseph Abbott, and his personal staff.

Active links added above. Ambassador Munter and his wife, Marilyn Wyatt, arrived in Pakistan on Tuesday, October 26, and he spoke at the embassy: 

He also spoke with VOA here about rebuilding trust. 

On a related note, Ambassador Munter's immediate predecessor, Ambassador Anne Patterson was presented by HRC with the “Secretary’s Distinguished Service Award," at the Department of State on October 25.  The event was closed to the press and no photo of the ceremony has surfaced as of yet. 

Related articles

• New US envoy arrives in Islamabad (nation.com.pk)
• U.S. envoy nominee aims to foster Pakistani trust (reuters.com)
• US envoy vows to hit Pakistan mistrust head-on (alternet.org)

State Department's 2009 Presidential Rank Awards and Awesome Curiosity

The July/August issue of State Magazine includes a list of the State Department's Presidential Distinguished Rank Awardees for 2009 (see p.5):

A quick note on the awardees: Bill Brownfield was chief of mission to Venezuela prior to spending the last three years in Colombia; Bill Burns, was in Moscow prior to becoming "P;" Jeffrey Feltman was in Lebanon prior to becoming A/S for Near East Asia; Maura Harty was A/S for Consular Affairs from 2002 until she retired in February 2008; James Jeffrey was Deputy NSA and chief of mission to Turkey prior to his current assignment in Baghdad;  Joseph Mussomeli was in Cambodia prior to Kabul; Frank Ricciardone was in Egypt and the Institute of Peace prior to Kabul, William B. Wood was in Kabul from 2007-2009 (according to OPM, William B. Wood was also a meritorious rank awardee in 2005). Nancy Powell was in Nepal prior to becoming Director General of the Foreign Service in August 2009.

But no Ryan Crocker, who was previously in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iraq, or Anne Patterson, who was previously in Colombia, INL and spend the last three years of her life in Pakistan; no John Negroponte either.

Curious, we went and look up the names of the previous Presidentiall Distinguished Rank awardees... 

DEPARTMENT OF STATE 2008

• Linda S. Taglialatela (Deputy Assistant Secretary Bureau of Human Resources)
  

 DEPARTMENT OF STATE 2007

•  Richard L. Greene

DEPARTMENT OF STATE 2006

• Ruth A. Whiteside

DEPARTMENT OF STATE 2005

• Charles Thomas Fingar Assistant Secretary,Bureau of Intelligence and Research

Presidential Rank Award Winners - Meritorious

• 2008 Meritorious Senior Professionals & Executives 
• 2007 Meritorious Senior Professionals & Executives
• 2006 Meritorious Senior Professionals & Executives
• 2005 Meritorious Senior Professionals & Executives

 
I think I said "WOW"! when I saw the previous 4-year list.  If there is a separate list for Foreign Service folks awarded the Presidential Distinguished Rank Award during the past years, we have been unable to find it in the OPM website or anywhere else in the interwebs.

From State Mag:

Among the winners of the 2009 Presidential Rank Award were several current and former Department of State officials, including Deputy Assistant Secretary for Economic, Energy and Business Affairs John R. Byerly, Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern Affairs Jeffrey Feltman, Deputy Legal Advisor Jonathan B. Schwartz and Maura Harty, who retired as assistant secretary for Consular Affairs. 

Other winners included two Bureau of Human Resources officials, Director General Nancy Powell and Office of Resource Management Director Philippe Lussier, and Foreign Service Institute Director Dr. Ruth Whiteside. The award winners provided exceptional service over an extended period and were nominated by their agency heads, evaluated by citizen panels and designated by the President, according to the Senior Executives Association. The awards were presented in May by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, who said she was proud to play a small role in recognizing these individuals. “No way could we make any progress without your dedicated efforts,” she said.

Secretary Clinton highlighted how Schwartz did the “first-rate legal work” that led to Libya’s offer of a $2.7 billion settlement to compensate survivors of the 270 people killed by Libya’s bombing of PanAm Flight 103 in 1988. She also praised Feltman for his coordination of the evacuation from Lebanon of 15,000 Americans in the wake of Israel’s 2006 invasion. During the evacuation, “he did one difficult assignment after another,” she said. Byerly chaired negotiation of the Air Transport Agreement with the European Union. The agreement encompasses 60 percent of global civil aviation traffic and is expected to yield up to 26 million new passengers and $9 billion in economic growth.

Byerly and Schwartz were the two Civil Service winners among the 10 Department employees who won the Distinguished Rank award (see below). Others received the Meritorious Rank award. Winners of the Distinguished Rank receive an award equal to 35 percent of their annual basic pay, while Meritorious Rank executives receive an award equal to 20 percent of their annual basic pay.

Patricia Kushlis of WhirledView has an excellent question -- What does it take to qualify for a Presidential Rank Award?  Read more-- The 2007 Passport Fiasco, Maura Harty and State’s 2009 Presidential Rank Awards.



As part of our learning process, we went to the Googles to look this up. Here is what we found from OPM:

WHAT ARE PRESIDENTIAL RANK AWARDS?

Each year since the establishment of the Senior Executive Service (SES) in 1978, the President has conferred the ranks of Distinguished Executive and Meritorious Executive on a select group of career members of the SES who have provided exceptional service to the American people over an extended period of time. These senior executives are outstanding leaders who consistently demonstrate strength, integrity, industry, and a relentless commitment to public service. Through their personal conduct and results-oriented leadership, they have earned and kept a high degree of public confidence and trust. They have demonstrated their success in balancing the needs and perspectives of customers, stakeholders, and employees with organizational results. Executives from across Government are nominated by their agency heads, evaluated by citizen panels, and designated by the President. The awards are prestigious and unique.

THE DISTINGUISHED PRESIDENTIAL AWARD:

The Distinguished Executive rank is awarded to leaders who achieve extraordinary results. Only 1 percent of the career SES may earn this award. Distinguished Executives receive a lump-sum payment of 35 percent of their rate of annual basic pay, a gold pin, and a framed certificate signed by the President.

THE CRITERIA:

Nominees must meet the following eligibility criteria by the nomination deadline (January 16, 2009):

• Hold a career appointment in the SES;
• Be an employee of the nominating agency on the nomination deadline; and
• Have at least three years of career or career-type Federal civilian service at the SES level. Service does not have to be continuous. Qualifying service may include appointments in the SES, Senior Foreign Service, FBI/DEA SES, Defense Intelligence SES, and other SES equivalent systems. Service under other than career-type appointments (e.g., noncareer, limited, indefinite) or in Senior Level or Scientific-Professional or equivalent positions is not qualifying.

Presidential Rank Awards recognize long term achievement. One strong performance rating may justify a performance bonus but not a Presidential Rank Award. However, three such performance ratings demonstrating consistently high performance may indicate an executive is deserving of nomination for a rank award.

An agency may nominate a reemployed annuitant who meets all eligibility requirements. Also, an Executive Schedule employee who was appointed by the President with Senate Confirmation (PAS) without a break in service from a career SES appointment and chose to remain eligible for rank awards under 5 USC 3392(c) may be nominated, although 5 USC 4509 otherwise precludes a PAS Executive Schedule employee from receiving the award. A part-time or intermittent executive may be nominated but the agency must be prepared to pay the full award. It should not be pro-rated.
[...]
An individual who has received either rank award (i.e., Distinguished or Meritorious) may be nominated for the other; however, a senior executive may not receive the same rank award more than once in any 5-year period.

Read more here.

Interesting, no? I think I now know where I wanna work when I grow up.

Quickie: RSO Belize did 19 fugitive returns to the U.S. in 2009

Image via Wikipedia

You didn't know that, did you? Well, here is one from Kirk Lang/Westport News about DSS agent and Regional Security Officer, Robert Kelty who recently received an Investigative Excellence Award from the U.S. Marshals Service. Read  Westport native wins investigative honors for bringing murder fugitive to justice |  Thursday, June 3, 2010. Excerpt below: 

He's worked a presidential inauguration. He's traveled with former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright to China. He was the assistant regional security officer at the U.S. Embassy in Athens, Greece, for two years ahead of the 2004 Olympics.

Robert Kelty, a Westport native, clearly isn't stuck in a cubicle working 9 to 5.

In fact, he recently received, along with three other Diplomatic Security Service agents, the Investigative Excellence Award from the U.S. Marshals Service for helping bring to justice a fugitive murder suspect. Jamaican citizen Patrick Brown was wanted for allegedly stabbing a man to death in Boston in 1995, but had been hiding in southern Belize. Brown was once profiled on television's "America's Most Wanted."

Kelty, the regional security officer for the U.S. Embassy in Belize, is not unaccustomed to making "America's Most Wanted" the no-longer wanted.

Brown was the third fugitive featured on the John Walsh-hosted TV show over the past year that his office and the Belize Police Department captured and returned to U.S. soil. But the third time was the charm as far as earning something nice to put on display in his office.

"I appreciate the recognition from my colleagues in the U.S. Marshals Service," Kelty wrote in an e-mail interview. "But the greatest reward is the satisfaction that a dangerous fugitive will face justice in the U.S. after 15 years on the run and that the family of the victim may finally have closure after the tragedy they experienced."

Prior to laying low in Belize, Brown was living in Costa Rica, but Kelty, acting on a tip, partnered with colleagues in neighboring Costa Rica and Belize to investigate Brown's alleged connection to a drug gang in Costa Rica. When the heat was turned up by the Costa Rica investigation that began in September 2009, Brown fled to Belize. Kelty, with the help of the U.S. Marshals Service, picked up the trail and tracked Brown to southern Belize, where he was arrested by local authorities in February. Brown has since been flown to the United States, and is expected to stand trial for murder.

Kelty, Paul Trachtenberg, Wade DeWitt and Jason Meixner were the first Diplomatic Security Special Agents ever to be recognized and receive the Investigative Excellence Award by the U.S. Marshals Service.

Asked to cite the most challenging thing in bringing Brown to justice, Kelty responded, "Anytime an international fugitive is returned to the U.S., it is a complicated matter. It is extremely important that the proper coordination occurs within the Belize Police Department and the government of Belize, and that each step of the investigation, capture and subsequent return follows both U.S. and Belizean laws.

"Fortunately, Diplomatic Security has a tremendous amount of experience in this area as Diplomatic Security returned 136 international fugitives in 2009."
[...]
As the regional security officer for the U.S. Embassy in Belize, Kelty's job is to make sure that the business of diplomacy is conducted safely and securely.

"That means -- first and foremost -- that I am responsible for protecting our ambassador, our diplomatic staff and the embassy from acts of terrorism, crime and even natural disasters," he said. "I am also responsible for investigating passport and visa fraud cases and the return of fugitives. Last year, my office worked with the Belize Police Department to return 19 fugitives back to the U.S."

Read the whole thing here.

Note that from 1999 until May 2008, 100 fugitives were returned to the U.S. from Belize, approximately 10 fugitive returns per year during that period. Last year, DSS did 136 fugitive returns; 19 of those returns came from Belize, almost double the number from the previous years. I don't know how many RSOs are there at the US Embassy Belmopan, but I hope they have more than one.    

Now more than ever, I'm convinced that Belize is really too good to be true, especially for fugitives. If the manta ray won’t get you, DSS will.

 


Related Post:

Good and Bad from the News Front: Fugitive Returns & Missing Laptops | May 06, 2008

Overlooked: Tate Mallory Receives Defense of Freedom Award

I did not see this when it came out, but thought I’d reprint this here even when late. Contractors are the unrecognized fourth leg of our foreign policy. If we have any doubt about that at all, let’s take them away and see how quickly the operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere would quickly fold without their support.  The article below is reprinted in full from ProPublica under Creative Commons:       

War Contractors Receive Defense of Freedom Medal for Injuries, But Attract Little Notice

by T. Christian Miller, ProPublica - February 18, 2010 1:08 pm EST

Falls Church, Va. -- A former sheriff's deputy from South Dakota named Tate Mallory got a medal for service to his country on Wednesday, but it didn't get much attention. There was no top military brass at the ceremony, no long line of politicians waiting to shake his hand. Instead, Mallory stood on a dais in an anonymous hotel room in suburban Washington, D.C., looking pleased and slightly embarrassed as he was handed a Defense of Freedom medal.

"I thought that if someone was going to get hurt, it was going to happen to somebody else," he told the audience, which included friends, family, co-workers, State Department officials and representatives from a congressional office or two.

Mallory was a civilian contractor who worked for DynCorp [1], a large defense firm that helps train police in Iraq and Afghanistan. He was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade in western Iraq in 2006, punching a hole in his gut. He almost bled to death until U.S. Marines saved him.

He is one of thousands of civilians whose deaths and injuries are not included in the Pentagon's official list [2] (PDF) of casualties from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. A joint investigation [3] by ProPublica, ABC News and the Los Angeles Times found that injured civilian contractors routinely face drawn-out battles to get medical treatment paid for under a taxpayer-financed federal system known as the Defense Base Act.

The Labor Department, which tracks injuries to contract workers abroad, recently updated the tally [4]: Since 2001, more than 1,700 civilian contractors have died in Iraq and Afghanistan and nearly 40,000 have been reported injured.

More than a hundred contract workers have been given the Defense of Freedom medal [5] (PDF), a Pentagon citation that is the civilian equivalent of the military's Purple Heart. Still, it's difficult to track who receives the medal, which was created by the Defense Department after 9/11. Typically, corporations such as DynCorp or Houston-based KBR [6] nominate their workers, with the Pentagon approving the final award. But there is no centralized record of recipients, nor are the award ceremonies [7] (PDF) usually publicized.

Several of those at Wednesday's ceremony, which was sponsored by DynCorp, lamented the lack of attention. They noted that contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan usually get in the news for bad behavior -- such as wasting taxpayer money or the killing of innocent civilians.

Ken Leonard, a former DynCorp employee who was also recognized for valor on Wednesday, said Americans are not always aware of the contribution made by civilian contractors at work in the war zones. Leonard had both legs amputated after being injured by a roadside bomb in 2005. After 18 months of surgeries and rehabilitation, he returned to work as a police officer in High Point, N.C. [8]

"I'd say there was a public misunderstanding. I was there to work with the military," Leonard said. "There's a perception that we're all gun-crazy, trigger-happy cowboys. That's not the case."