F OCUS - American Foreign Service Association

of State’s attention to management and
leadership issues. Our fourth report is
now in the works, which will cover
Condoleezza Rice’s final two years.
Before we started doing that, no one
was drawing public attention to how
the State Department was carrying out
its responsibility to manage its human
and financial resources. But now people
are focusing on that and holding
State’s leadership accountable.
FSJ: You are currently chairman
of a project to develop a zero-based
budget for the 150 Account, which
encompasses federal funding for
State, the Foreign Service and foreign
assistance agencies. What was
the genesis of that?
TDB: The Diplomatic Readiness
Initiative brought some 1,000 people
into the ranks during President Bush’s
first term. But then the demands of
staffing Afghanistan and Iraq absorbed
these people. We’re back to the
major staffing shortfalls of the 1990s.
In one of our meetings about that
problem, a senior person on the Hill
made the point that the traditional
incremental approach of adding a few
bodies and dollars doesn’t work —
you have to build the structure
around the needs.
That made sense, so we sought and
received from the Cox Foundation a
$500,000 grant to come up with a
comprehensive budget proposal that
would do just that. The Stimson
Center is doing the research and
drafting under the leadership of an
advisory group and with the input of a
Red Team, both of which are largely
staffed by American Academy of
Diplomacy members.
We intend to have that proposal
ready this fall and will launch a major
effort to persuade the new Secretary
of State to adopt it early next year.
We’ll make the argument that we
must roll back the increasing “militarization”
of diplomacy, particularly in
public diplomacy and development.
22 FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL/JULY-AUGUST 2008
“Only three Secretaries
of State since World
War II have had the
aptitude and an interest
in managing the
department.”
Furthermore, we will argue that no
administration can have an effective
foreign policy without the professionals
in the field to carry it out. And
we’ll also be on the Hill promoting the
concept.
FSJ: That will be the Fiscal Year
2010 budget, right?
TDB: Right, but we’re also working
on getting more resources into the
FY 2009 foreign affairs budget.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates has
been a big ally in this effort, making
the case that this isn’t just something a
few self-absorbed diplomats are concerned
about. The consequences of
weakening the Foreign Service
through these systemic shortages
affect the whole national security
structure, including the military. So I
believe we’re gaining traction.
FSJ: What qualities do you think
are most important for a Secretary of
State to have?
TDB: A talent for management is
crucial but all too rare; I’d say only
three secretaries since World War II
have had the aptitude and an interest
in managing the department. That
may be because Secretaries of State
have been lawyers or academicians,
with the occasional senator thrown in.
All of these professions are filled with
sole practitioners, who tend to be
management-challenged, to put it
mildly.
And of course, it’s also important
for a Secretary of State to have experience,
flexibility, tolerance for diversity,
and intellectual acuity.
FSJ: Which holders of that position
in recent years would you say
were most successful overall?
TDB: In terms of caring for the
troops, acquiring resources and general
management, George Marshall,
George Shultz and Colin Powell have
been the most successful.
FSJ: Are you optimistic about the
future of the diplomatic profession?
TDB: Yes, thanks to the parallel
universe I’ve alluded to: AFSA, the
Foreign Affairs Council, etc. Again,
the key is that over the years, we’ve
built up our own leadership structure
and public affairs capability. That lets
us speak out independently to reinforce
State’s formal advocacy efforts
for adequate resources.
FSJ: So do you recommend the
Foreign Service as a career to young
people?
TDB: Yes, all the time. For
instance, as a Woodrow Wilson
Fellow, I teach at small liberal arts
colleges around the country twice a
year, and I also promote the Foreign
Service. But I recommend it as a
career not because of bureaucratic
success, but as a wonderful life. As I
tell people: If you’re interested in foreign
countries, would welcome a
change of venue every three years,
and are interested in serving the
nation and having wonderful colleagues,
it is the life for you.
FSJ: Any final thoughts?
TDB: I would like every FSO to
have a career as fun and rewarding as
mine has been.
FSJ: Thank you very much. ■