Secretary Clinton last week announced the creation of the Pakistan Relief Fund, a fund through which the public can offer donations to the ongoing relief efforts in response to the devastating floods there. Funds donated by individuals will supplement the US government’s contribution, which total $150 million to date. That figure includes funding for the operations of the Pakistan National Disaster Management Authority, the UN’s emergency relief plan, and the many local and international organizations responding to this disaster. These funds are also being used to provide critical supplies to flood affected populations.

U.S. aircraft have carried more than 8,000 Pakistanis to safety and distributed more than 1.8 million pounds of relief supplies; the U.S. has provided more than 20 helicopters to fly relief missions to populations inaccessible by ground.

Since August 8, U.S. water treatment units have provided approximately 4.8 million liters of safe drinking water. A total of 440,928 halal meals were delivered to civilian and military officials in Pakistan via U.S. Air Force airlift. USAID in particular has played a vital role in relief efforts, providing millions of dollars in food-vouchers to flood-affected families, reporting on the flood’s path, and offering support for health and water, sanitation, and hygiene activities in flood-affected areas, among other assistance.

Ms. Powell said that the Obama Administration is aiming to increase the Foreign Service–comprised of both Foreign Service Officers and Foreign Service Specialists–by 24% by 2015.  In addition, the administration hopes to increase the Civil Service by 14% by 2015. Given the demand for FSOs in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iraq—over 1,000 positions need to be filled—and the growth of State and USAID as they work to handle new global issues and increase their presence in other parts of the world, hiring has jumped three-fold, according to Ms. Powell.

This personnel expansion represents the expansion of the State Department’s responsibility to include wartime stabilization, nation building, environmental policy, women’s rights, food security, and counterterrorism to a greater extent than ever before.

Continue reading for the full interview and offer your reactions in the comments section.

Under the banner of “Diplomacy 3.0,” the Foreign Service is also working to ensure that its officers are prepared to meet the tasks and challenges of the 21^st century. Language skills—particularly with critical languages like Arabic and Mandarin—“will continue to be key,” and both State and USAID believe it is “vital” to recruit entrepreneurial personalities who will look for innovative and interdisciplinary solutions.

In recognition that they work on many over lapping issues, the Foreign Service is training officers to better coordinate their work with their military, nonprofit, and public and private sector partners to eliminate inefficiency and confusion. Ms. Powell pointed out that this is widely evident throughout Afghanistan, where Provincial Reconstruction Teams comprised of diplomats, soldiers, and development personnel play a central role in rebuilding the local infrastructure and promoting “security and local governance.”

She emphasized that through this “Diplomacy 3.0” initiative, President Obama and Secretary Clinton have made it a major priority to modernize the United States’ diplomacy and development infrastructure and to ensure that the country is meeting the challenges of today and tomorrow as effectively and efficiently as possible.

The Interview

USGLC: As President Obama has pledged to increase the number of Foreign Service Officers (FSOs) by 2013, can you give us an update on how it’s going?

Nancy Powell: The President and Secretary Clinton recognize the critical role that diplomacy plays in our national security. With Congressional support, we have already begun significant hiring increases and, with continued funding, expect to reach our targets.  Our goal is to increase the size of the State Foreign Service by 24% by 2015.  USAID, which has a much smaller workforce, is attempting to double the size of its Foreign Service workforce.  In 2009, we hired almost 1,400 FS employees—triple the number in previous years—and increased Civil Service hires by 20%.  But I’d note that it’s not just about reaching a numbers target – we need to make sure we continue to recruit aggressively the most talented candidates from a diverse range of backgrounds and experiences.  I’m very pleased with our efforts on that score.

Our increased hiring has enabled us to increase the size of our training complement so that we no longer face the choice of either staffing positions or training employees in a needed foreign language because we were unable to do both.  We also will be able to fill nearly 1000 positions in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iraq, and over 500 new positions will be created and filled to meet the changing needs of the Department.

USGLC: What are your priorities right now for your employees and the Department?

NP: These are challenging, exciting times for us.  The world is changing quickly and it is important for us as a Department to keep pace.  The Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review (QDDR) that the Secretary launched in 2009 and will be completed later this year is a chance to take stock and, as needed, redirect or reform our efforts.

We know we still need the diplomatic skills the Department has always looked for and honed. But, as Afghanistan, Iraq, and Pakistan, as well as other front-line States have demonstrated, we need new skills.  Our work has expanded to include reconstruction, stabilization, governance, and development. Our employees have embraced these new challenges and despite hardships, from family separation to extreme living conditions, they remain willing—even eager—to serve, to make a difference.

And we are making a difference, taking creative approaches to a lengthening list of global issues—food security, global health, the role of women. With Secretary Clinton’s guidance, we are rebuilding the tools of diplomacy and development, which stand beside defense as the three pillars of our nation’s foreign policy.

USGLC: What qualities make up the ideal Foreign Service officer today?

NP: We are looking for innovative, adaptable leaders with superb analytical and interpersonal skills, the ability to work effectively in foreign languages and cultures, communications and outreach skills, and a commitment to service.  Most of our new employees come to us with prior work experience – from the Peace Corps to private industry or the military, and everything between – which is a boon to the Department and our efforts to expand our partnerships within the interagency community and with NGOs and the private sector.

I would also add that many of our most successful employees exhibit a strong sense of curiosity and enjoyment of learning.

USGLC: How are you doing with recruitment right now?

NP: Our recruitment efforts have been extremely successful.  As I mentioned earlier, in 2009, we hired almost 1,400 FS employees—triple the number in previous years—and increased Civil Service hires by 20%.  We expect a similar result in 2010.

We have been very aggressive in our recruitment efforts and as a result have seen applications for the Foreign Service Officer Test increase over 300% from 2007 to 2009.  Our outreach, including through our Diplomats in Residence at universities across the country, social media like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, and targeted advertising, is paying off.  We are pleased to have received accolades in the last year as a best employer from organizations like the Black Collegian.  We will continue to work hard to encourage talented candidates, especially those from communities that are historically underrepresented, to apply for service at State.

USGLC: What are your greatest successes so far in building up the number of Foreign Service officers?

NP: I think it’s the combination of the quantity and quality of our applicants.  Our staffing gaps, as well as gaps in training and foreign language skills, will gradually begin to close as our new hires gain in experience and move up in the ranks.

USGLC: Are there any challenges you are facing in building the Foreign Service?

NP: Certainly.  Even with this large influx, it will be several years before we are able to close the gap at the midlevels that resulted from restricted hiring in the 1990’s.  Like any other large institution, the FS will need time to acculturate employees, build their skills, and mentor and season them to take on the full array of challenges and responsibilities.

And, like our military colleagues, an increasing number of our employees are being asked to serve in places where it is impossible for their families to join.  Separated tours, together with difficult and dangerous assignments, stress employees and families alike.  We are working to ensure that they have the support they need.

Yet another challenge is to bring our HR processes into the 21^st century so that they are capable of meeting the increased demands associated with the expansion of our workforce.

USGLC: What kind of training is needed for today’s Foreign Service officers in meeting the global challenges we face?

NP: Our hiring initiative, Diplomacy 3.0, centers around preparing the State Department to meet the demands of the future, and our training must reflect that.  While language and diplomatic skills will continue to be key, crisis, program and general management skills, communications, and entrepreneurial skills will also be vital.

While we build new skills in specific issue areas in line with the President’s priorities, such as  climate change, nuclear proliferation, women’s rights, and food security, we are also developing broader interagency and leadership skills to contribute to whole-of-government solutions –Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs) being a prime example.  The Congress and OMB are very interested in better training for supervisors and managers and that is another area where we, too, are focusing our attention.

USGLC: How are Foreign Service Officers interacting with military and development professionals in the field?

NP: Coordination between FSOs and other interagency partners is a necessity and a reality at most, if not all, of our posts around the globe.  In Iraq and Afghanistan, in particular, FSOs are working together with military and development personnel on PRTs to help rebuild and stabilize these countries, and promote security and local governance.  FSOs are also working more and more with their Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) counterparts to meet the needs of the countries where they serve.  A growing number of FSOs are serving as POLADs, political advisers to military commanders, both in the field and at headquarters.  With the hiring surge, we hope to broaden the opportunities for our personnel to do details at other agencies to facilitate the kind of partnerships that today’s diplomacy requires.

USGLC: In addition to traditional State-to-State diplomacy, how do Foreign Services Officers engage in public diplomacy to broader populations?

NP: Each FSO acts as an individual ambassador for America.  FSOs are often the face of America, particularly to those who aren’t regularly exposed to American government or culture.  As such, they can have a powerful impact through their work and personal interactions.

Let me share an example.  Not too long ago, I read an account by a young FSO named Rachna Korhonen about her decision to volunteer for duty in Kirkuk, Iraq.  She is an Indian-American woman with a strong mastery of Hindi, Punjabi, and Urdu.  Many Iraqis mistook her for an Indian, Pakistani, or even Iraqi official.  Their surprise at learning she was an American opened the way for her to talk about diversity in the United States and how it can unite rather than divide countrymen.

USGLC: How has the typical Foreign Service career changed since the end of the Cold War?

Our presence around the world has changed – and will continue to change – to meet new challenges and that has had a significant impact on career experiences in the Foreign Service.  While maintaining a strong presence in Europe remains vital to our interests, more of our officers are serving in places like China and India, in Africa and Latin America, and in conflict zones like Iraq and Afghanistan.  Our FSOs continue to build our relationships in capitals, but they also are out in the field working with host nation actors – often with partners from the interagency, private and non-profit sectors – to develop and execute assistance projects.  And they are harnessing new technologies and platforms to communicate with communities beyond our physical reach.

Beyond facilitating relationships and messaging in countries around the world, the availability and speed of communications has had a significant impact on the way we operate.  When I did my first Foreign Service tour in Nepal, we had no phones and no television.  Our Embassy cables were THE source of information for Washington on what was happening overseas.  With real-time news now immediately available via outlets like CNN and the internet, there is less reliance on our Embassies for reporting of events and an increased need for Embassy analysis.  Communications improvements also mean that our officers serving abroad are less isolated than they were thirty years ago – they have so many means available now to keep in touch with family and friends back at home and around the world.

As I look back, another thing that strikes me is how the role of women at the State Department has changed.  Just a few years before I joined the Foreign Service, women were forced to resign when they married.  There were few women in the Service at all, much less serving at senior levels.  Now women are represented throughout the Department at all levels including, of course, the most senior level of Secretary of State.  While we can never become complacent, it’s gratifying to see how far we’ve come.

In fact, there have been a whopping 18 major sign-on letters written in support of bolstering U.S. investments in the “smart power” tools of diplomacy and development by disparate leaders of different political persuasions, ranging from a bipartisan group of all living former Secretaries of State to the more than 50 military leaders to a group of leading American business representatives­­ who said “The International Affairs Budget is a fundamental tool for advancing U.S. economic and strategic interests around the world.” On Capitol Hill, a total of more than 200 members of the House and nearly 60 Senators – Democrats and Republicans – have gone on record in support of increasing the International Affairs Budget.

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American businesses know this tiny 1.5 percent of the federal budget is important not just to our national security and standing in the world, but also to building and shoring up our economy here at home.  “U.S. businesses and entrepreneurs benefit significantly from programs in the International Affairs Budget that provide technical assistance, identify business opportunities, and build stronger legal and economic policy regimes that help developing countries become more reliable trading partners,” the letter says. Read the full letter here.

Achieving the goals and following the approach outlined in the strategy will require greater nonmilitary resources, authorities, and interagency prestige. The forthcoming Presidential Study Directive will be a clue as to how the Administration plans to move forward in operationalizing their security plan. Without a clearly articulated strategy , it will be difficult for the State Department and USAID to play the roles and meet the responsibilities outlined in the Administration’s national security vision.

The document directly addresses key USGLC principles throughout, including:

• Increasing resources: “We are increasing our foreign assistance, expanding our investments in effective multilateral development institutions, and leveraging the engagement of others to share the burden.”

• Improved cooperation between Congress and the Executive: “To effectively craft and implement a sustainable, results-oriented national security strategy, there must be effective cooperation between the branches of government. … This Administration is also committed to active consultation with Congress…”
• Interagency approach to development: “We will ensure a greater and more deliberate focus on a global development agenda across the United States Government, from policy analysis through policy implementation.”
• Better use of resources: “…pursuing a development budget that more deliberately reflects our policies and our strategy, not sector earmarks, and ensuring that our policy instruments are aligned in support of development objectives.”
• Civilian-military coordination and balance: “We have already begun to reorient and strengthen our development agenda; to take stock of and enhance our capabilities; and to forge new and more effective means of applying the skills of our military, diplomats, and development experts. These kinds of measures will help us diminish military risk, act before crises and conflicts erupt, and ensure that governments are better able to serve their people…..“Proactively investing in stronger societies and human welfare is far more effective and efficient than responding after state collapse.”

A few other highlights from the National Security Strategy:

• Emphasis on economic security: “To promote prosperity for all Americans, we will need to lead the international community to expand the inclusive growth of the integrated, global economy.”
• Hint at the MCC model?: “The United States has an interest in working with our allies to help the world’s poorest countries grow into productive and prosperous economies governed by capable, democratic, and accountable state institutions…The United States will initiate long-term investments that recognize and reward governments that demonstrate the capacity and political will to pursue sustainable development strategies and ensure that all policy instruments at our disposal are harnessed to these ends.”

• Millennium Development Goals:  Important for U.S. strategy because “Basic human rights cannot thrive in places where human beings do not have access to enough food, or clean water, or the medicine they need to survive.”
• Global initiatives: Touched on multiple development initiatives, including Feed the Future, calling it an example of U.S. approach to development: “Instead of simply providing aid for developing countries, we are focusing on new methods and technologies for agricultural development. This is consistent with an approach in which aid is not an end in itself—the purpose of our foreign assistance will be to create the conditions where it is no longer needed.”

On Sunday, May 23 Gen. Michael Hagee, USMC (Ret.), and Adm. James Loy, USCG (Ret.), co-chairs of the USGLC’s National Security Advisory Council, sat down with Defense News’ Vago Muradian to make the case for fully funding President Obama’s $58.8 Billion request for the International Affairs Budget and to boost funding for our civilian-led tools of development and diplomacy.

Administrator Rajiv Shah spoke at length yesterday on the need for a generation of development entrepreneurs, before a standing-room only audience at an event hosted by the USGLC.  Over 300 people attended the event at George Washington University, and were joined by another 100 watching online.   Shah spoke candidly about the challenges USAID faces, and of his goal to make it “the world’s premier development agency.”  “[W]e need to change internally,” he admitted. “USAID needs to change its culture, and change the way it does business.” Dr. Shah pointed to the recent criticisms of the agency made by Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) as evidence that USAID needs to change—and will do so.

Watch Video from the Event

Read Dr. Shah’s remarks

One announcement was the creation of a “new policy bureau and budget capacity” within the agency, as well as more commitment to program design and monitoring and evaluation.” “[I]t’s been made pretty clear to me — our time to change is now, and our time to change is short.” Shah also outlined four areas where he plans to focus his reforms in the coming year, including: recommitting to the Millennium Development Goals; investing more in country-led plans for growth; an increased focus on science and technology to assist development; and better implementing development programs in conflict areas. Shah also repeatedly stressed a commitment to and emphasis on transparency, saying that “Ultimately everything we do is about impact, not outputs, and we have an obligation to ensure that taxpayer dollars being well spent, saving lives and developing livelihoods.”

Dr. Shah reflected on his experience with Haiti—just days after he was sworn in as USAID Administrator, Shah was faced with a crisis of epic proportions as a devastating earthquake hit the beleaguered nation. But he rose to the challenge, winning plaudits from every corner for his swift, effective action in coordinating the U.S. response. Because of his—and our country’s actions—USAID made a real, tangible difference in the lives of Haitians. “[B]y providing chlorine tablets to purify drinking water, we were able to provide more people with access to clean water than before the earthquake hit.” As a result, “we’ve seen a 12% reduction in diarrheal illness in Port-au-Prince.” Gains like this underscore the need for continued investments in USAID’s capacity, and indeed in all of America’s development and diplomatic tools.

Dr. Shah commented, “Throughout its existence, the USGLC has been an ardent and passionate advocate for the elevation of diplomacy and development in American foreign policy.”  He pointed to the recently-compiled pro-International Affairs Budget letters from all living former Secretaries of State, military leaders and others, respectively, as evidence of the USGLC’s effectiveness as an organization. When asked by one audience member as to how to get involved in development issues and make a difference, Shah suggested they “support the USGLC.”

All are encouraged to come – please join the USGLC in welcoming Dr. Shah by signing up for the event here.

Dr. Rajiv Shah was sworn in as the 16th Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) on December 31, 2009. USAID, a U.S. Government agency, has provided economic and humanitarian assistance worldwide for almost 50 years. Dr. Shah led the U.S. response to the devastating earthquake in Haiti in January, earning wide plaudits for his swift, effective actions in assisting beleaguered Americans and Haitians affected by the quake.

“Increasing the investment in our civilian international capabilities will keep America safer by, among other things, addressing the root causes of terrorism and extremism, supporting key allies, and demonstrating America’s proud tradition of global leadership,” write former Secretaries of State Madeleine Albright, James Baker, Warren Christopher, Lawrence Eagleburger, Henry Kissinger, Colin Powell, Condoleezza Rice and George Shultz.

Secretary of Defense Gates and current Secretary of State Clinton, both wrote individual letters urging that the President’s International Affairs Budget request be fully funded. These letters follow similar petitions from a bi-partisan coalition of Congressional Leaders.

Read all the Letters of Support:

Nearly 150 Members of Congress – — ranging from Blue Dogs and Progressives in the House to a bipartisan group of 31 Senators – have recently signed one of ten independent letters to Congressional leaders calling for full funding of the President’s $58.5 billion International Affairs Budget request.

From the Blue Dog and New Democrat coalitions, to the Congressional Black and Progressive Caucuses, to senior Members of the Budget Committee and the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and Freshmen Members this ground swell of support within the Democratic Caucus – and the geographic and ideological diversity of this support,  sends a strong message on Capitol Hill  about how important this tiny fraction of the budget is to our security, our economy, and our leadership in the world.

On the Senate side, a bipartisan letter in support of the International Affairs Budget request is being circulated by several Senators, including Sens. John Kerry (D-MA), Richard Lugar (R-IN), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), George Voinovich (R-OH), Richard Durbin (D-IL) and Robert Menendez (D-NJ).  The letter will be sent to Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad (D-ND) and Ranking Member Judd Gregg (R-NH).

All of this support is in addition to the over 50 retired four- and three-star generals and flag officers who last month sent a letter to every Member of Congress describing how critical the non-military tools of development and diplomacy are to our national security and urging support of the President’s FY 2011 funding request.

The USGLC, on behalf of its 400 business and NGO members and community leaders across the country, thanks all the Representatives and Senators who signed these letters.   This show of support speaks volumes about how essential investing in our non-military tools of development and diplomacy is to America’s safety and prosperity and to fostering a healthier, more peaceful world.