Overseas assignment system at State could leave diplomatic posts vulnerable

The State Department's system for assigning personnel overseas is causing staff shortages at critical embassies and consulates, a situation that could reduce the agency's ability to effectively carry out U.S. foreign policy, according to a new report from the General Accounting Office. Though the State Department requires foreign service employees to work wherever they are assigned, the agency has been reluctant to arbitrarily send people to countries, according to GAO's report "State Department: Staffing Shortfalls and Ineffective Assignment System Compromise Diplomatic Readiness at Hardship Posts" (02-626). As a result, many countries considered "hardship posts" have numerous vacancies or are staffed with mid-level employees who lack the experience needed to ensure the success of diplomatic programs, GAO found. A "hardship post" is determined by the quality of medical facilities and schools, climate, crime rate, political instability and the physical isolation of a particular country. Foreign service personnel bid on positions in various countries, but GAO found that few employees bid on hardship posts and even fewer employees are forced to take an assignment they did not bid on. "In making assignment decisions, State attempts to strike a balance between matching the preferences, personal circumstances and personal development goals of individual employees with the needs of the service," the report said. "However, in an environment where the number of positions exceeds the number of staff to fill them, State is not able to ensure that staff are assigned where they are needed most." In its investigation, GAO visited hardship posts in China, Saudi Arabia and Ukraine, and found positions that had remained unfilled for indeterminate periods of time, or that were filled with entry- or mid-level employees working above their grade level. There were no applications for 25 openings in China and Russia this year, GAO said. "These shortfalls, according to ambassadors and senior post officials, compromise diplomatic readiness," the report said. "For a number of the hardship posts we examined, the dual problem of a shortage in the number of positions a post has and the lack of fully qualified, experienced and trained staff to fill them has been a long-standing concern, dating back to the 1990s." Exacerbating the problem is a lack of information about employees' experiences at hardship posts, GAO found. To turn the situation around, GAO recommended that Secretary of State Colin Powell work to improve personnel and assignment data to ensure the agency was better equipped to assess its workforce needs and plan for human capital management. Powell should also consider adopting a targeted hiring strategy that includes measurable goals to address critical shortfalls and craft a pay and benefits package that make hardship posts more attractive to foreign service employees. In a written response, State Department officials concurred with GAO's findings and said the agency was using its diplomatic readiness initiative to address staffing shortfalls.