Diplomats and Soldiers

PUBLISHED BY THE AMERICAN FOREIGN SERVICE ASSOCIATION JUNE 2017 DIPLOMATS AND SOLDIERS PROFESSIONALISM’S GOLDEN RULE HOW TO HAVE A GREAT FIRST SEMESTER EDUCATION SUPPLEMENT FOREIGN SERVICE June 2017 Volume 94, No. 5 37 22 Education Perspectives on Diplomacy and Defense Supplement 22 33 58 Special Operations Killer Drones and New College, and Diplomacy: the Militarization of New Culture: A Unique Nexus U.S. Foreign Policy Preparing for a Strong There has been a growing convergence In the eyes of many around the world, First Semester as a of interest between diplomacy diplomacy has taken a back seat to Third Culture Kid and special operations since military operations in U.S. foreign TCKs deal with repatriation issues the 9/11 terror attacks. policy. The drone program is a and reverse culture shock when they By Steven Kashkett prime example. attend college in the United States. By Ann Wright Here are some tips for success. 28 37 By Hannah Morris Working with Creeping Foreign the U.S. Military: Policy Militarization 74 Let’s Take Full Advantage or Creeping State Facts and Updates: of Opportunities Department Irrelevance? Making Sense of the The challenge for the State State has ceded some turf to the Department of State Department is not necessarily military, but it’s not too late to regain Education Allowance to reduce the role of the Department it and rebalance the civilian-military An understanding of education of Defense in foreign affairs, equation in U.S. foreign affairs. allowances is crucial for but to strengthen our own voice. By Larry Butler Foreign Service families. By Wanda Nesbitt Here is an introduction. By Marybeth Hunter 43 From the FSJ Archive: Defense and Security— Opposite Sides of the Same Coin 88, 90, 92 A September 1988 Conversation with Frank Carlucci Schools at a Glance THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | JUNE 2017 5 FOREIGN SERVICE Perspectives 110 Departments 7 11 Letters President’s Views Getting Out in Front 14 Talking Points By Barbara Stephenson 101 Books 10 Letter from the Editor Where Diplomacy and Defense Meet Marketplace By Shawn Dorman 19 103 Classifieds Speaking Out 110 106 Real Estate The Golden Rule of Local Lens 109 Index to Advertisers Professionalism Trondheim, Norway By Matt Tompkins By Jim DeHart AFSA NEWS THE OFFICIAL RECORD OF THE AMERICAN FOREIGN SERVICE ASSOCIATION 46 AFSA Honors Foreign Service Colleagues 48 Moments of Silence Around the World 49 State VP Voice—On Launching a Rewarding Career 50 FCS VP Voice—Let’s Talk (Commercial) Dialogues 51 AFSA Congratulates Job Search Program Graduates 51 AFSA Governing Board Meeting, April 2017 52 Book Notes: The Dust of Kandahar 46 52 Friends and Family Honor Anne Smedinghoff’s Memory 54 Our Story Is Important—Keep Helping Us Tell It 56 AFSA and Smithsonian Associates Explore Middle East Complexities 57 Last Chance to Vote in the AFSA Election! 54 On the Cover: U.S. Ambassador to Turkey John R. Bass, a career Foreign Service officer, and General Joseph F. Dunford Jr., chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, attend a meeting with Turkey’s senior military leadership in Ankara on Nov. 6, 2016. Photo: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE/D. MYLES CULLEN. 6 JUNE 2017 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL PRESIDENT’S VIEWS Getting Out in Front BY BARBARA STEPHENSON was recently invited by the U.S. Global Being asked to choose between hard power and Leadership Coalition to speak at an event about the vital role the Foreign soft power strikes me as akin to being asked by IService plays in sustaining America’s hotel staff, when I urgently need to sew on a global leadership. As careful readers of button before a meeting, whether I would prefer AFSA’s 2016 Annual Report will know, cementing a closer strategic partnership a needle or thread. with USGLC is one of AFSA’s top outreach goals for 2017. that happen. We need to reassure allies, own horns. After all, American diplomats I am always happy to report progress, contain our enemies and remain engaged pride themselves on coaxing a partner but especially so at times like this when around the globe. If the United States overseas to ‘yes’ without leaving a trace of the Foreign Service needs partners like retreats, we leave a vacuum that will their advocacy.” USGLC to help make the case for a strong be filled by others who do not share our The very skill set that makes us such Foreign Service. There is no place like my interests or values. Walking that back— an effective diplomatic force representing monthly column to review the case and reclaiming American global leadership, and channeling American power while repeat our key messages: once lost—would be a daunting and serving abroad (often best approached Nine in 10 Americans support strong uncertain task. with humility and understatement) can U.S. global leadership. Such leadership is How then do we, in the face of budget be a handicap at home when we try to unthinkable without a strong professional cuts, avoid retreat? We collectively take articulate our case. Foreign Service deployed around the seriously our role as stewards of this great Which brings me back to AFSA’s stra- world protecting and defending America’s organization, the U.S. Foreign Service. tegic partnership with USGLC, and to the people, interests and values. We seize the opportunities of the transi- focus of this edition of the FSJ, the role of Since the end of World War II, the tion to streamline and refocus on core the military in foreign policy. While we United States has enjoyed a position of diplomatic priorities; we adopt compre- are working on improving our own ability unprecedented global leadership, which hensive risk management policies so to speak up for our institution, we need was built on a foundation of military we can get out and do our jobs; and we to make the most of friends and partners might, economic prowess, good gover- reintroduce ourselves as the lean, high- who are eager to make the case for us, nance and tremendous cultural appeal— performing, cost-effective and responsive including the 120 generals and admirals and the diplomatic prowess to channel tool of national security that we are. who signed a letter in April praising the that power, hard and soft, into keeping us I recap all this because I am deter- Foreign Service. safe and prosper- mined to use my presidency to help the One of those admirals shared the ous at home. Foreign Service do a better job of explain- stage with me at the USGLC event, and American ing to the American people what we do he did a terrific job of explaining how leadership is being and why it matters. I increasingly realize, much he as a visitor to a foreign country challenged by however, the magnitude of the chal- depended on the “enduring platform”— adversaries who lenge. As I acknowledge in the Annual aka the U.S. embassy—to do his job. want to see us Report, “Members of the Foreign Service With budget choices being framed as fail; we cannot let are famously reticent about tooting their either “hard power” or “soft power,” Ambassador Barbara Stephenson is the president of the American Foreign Service Association. THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | JUNE 2017 7 Every host country and every situation is I urge you to read the perspectives in different, and we count on you, the career this edition of the FSJ to think about how you can make the most of the potential Foreign Service, to understand the local context offered by partnering with the military, better than anyone else. the potential of the marriage of soft and hard power. Every host country and every situa- I was pleased to hear the admiral argue the right moment. USAID helped divert tion is different, and we count on you, the against that false choice. He explained indigenous youth from drug trafficking career Foreign Service, to understand the how the hard power he commanded by providing an alternative—a forestry local context better than anyone else. We depended on the soft power the school in the Darien, an alternative to also count on you to frame an effective embassy and the career Foreign Service moving to the city. interagency strategy—it’s called the “Inte- deliver around the world. SOUTHCOM provided funding for grated Country Strategy” for a reason— I am still searching for the perfect coast guard stations to enable Panama- that brings all agencies at post, including metaphor to describe the partnership nian forces to respond instantly to reports DOD, into the effort. between the Foreign Service and our (usually from U.S. counter-narcotics Many if not most of the cautionary military colleagues. Being asked to choose patrols) of attempted landings by drug tales I have heard on the theme of bad between hard power and soft power boats. SOUTHCOM also provided MIST things that happen when DOD gets strikes me as akin to being asked by hotel support—a “military information support involved could have been averted or staff, when I urgently need to sew on a team” from its Special Forces component. at least mitigated by a COM-led effort button before a meeting, whether I would Is this a set-up to a cautionary tale to frame a strategy in partnership with prefer a needle or thread. about the bad things that can happen Defense. But that metaphor is too simplistic when an ambassador invites military Combatant commands often have to capture the richness of what can be partners—Special Forces, at that!—into significant resources; and, if you don’t achieved by expertly combining soft and her country? To the contrary.

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