State Department Status: Underfunded, Unqualified, and Unprincipled
As Secretary Rex Tillerson continues to turn the
State Department into a new version of ExxonMobil, it is time to perform a net
assessment of our own government. We see gaping holes in the Trump cabinet as
positions remain unfilled and long-time employees either find themselves cut
from the budget or running from Washington. Diplomacy is more effective and far
less expensive than defense. Like any successful business, essential State
Department jobs must be filled with experienced, qualified people. Like many
businesses however, the Department is being run with reduced funding and
cronyism. Net assessment uses data that are widely available: my data comes
from the political appointee tracker.[1] It
is necessary to make strategic insights to identify the suitability of new
members of the cabinet and appointees with regard to their possible threat to
our national security.
Tillerson has been able to cut costs by cancelling up to 100 Foreign
Service jobs, failing to nominate people to fill empty department positions and
even combining jobs. For example, the Deputy Secretary of State
and Deputy Secretary for Management and Resources positions are now filled. To
ensure the audience has some understanding of these positions, Wikipedia says it simply. The Deputy Secretary serves as the department’s principal deputy
whereas the Deputy Secretary for Management and Resources is the “third in
charge” of the Department of State.[2]
We can now rest assured that Deputy Secretary John J. Sullivan will serve as
acting secretary in Tillerson’s absence and serve as his principal adviser.
Using this effective business move, Tillerson cut salary costs and made
Sullivan, who is second in charge, also act as “third in charge.”
Now that we are beginning to understand how to fix the State Department
by reorganizing it like a business, it should come as no surprise that there is
still no nominee for the Chief Financial Officer. Tillerson has taken
the role of this job as he advises himself on all aspects of budget, grants, financial
management and acquisition. Dual job security is better kept with a legal
adviser. Thankfully, this gap was recognized and Jennifer Gillian Newstead was
appointed on September 2nd although she is still just waiting to be
confirmed. On September 15th, Irwin Steven Goldstein was nominated
to be Undersecretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs. Fitting in well
with the State department’s new Exxon model, Mr. Goldstein has been a Senior
Vice President at BP Global Solutions, a consulting firm, for over five years.
The Undersecretary for public diplomacy serves as the principal foreign
policy adviser to the secretaries in the formulation, conduct and coordination
of a comprehensive outreach and public affairs strategy that supports key
diplomatic policies, priorities and initiatives worldwide.[3]
Mr. Goldstein is a communications and marketing executive with “a passion for
building compelling brands and developing and executing communications
strategies that connect with diverse audiences.”[4]
According to Mr. Goldstein’s bio, he has held many senior vice president and
chief communication officer positions in the areas of communications, branding,
and social media at several large private sector companies.[5] Can we all be confident that these business skills will surely transfer to a
diplomatic world stage?
Equally concerning is the appointee Stephen Akard for Director General of
the Foreign Service and Director of Human Resources at the State Department. The
Director General advises the Secretary on the Department’s most senior
appointments and the management of the 75,000 Foreign Service, Civil Service,
and Locally Engaged Staff employed by the State Department. Akard was appointed
on October 10th however the American Academy of Diplomacy (AAD) has
requested the Senate to oppose the nomination. Senate Foreign Relations
Committee (SFRC) Chairman Bob Corker and Ranking Member Ben Cardin released a
statement from the AAD citing the concerns regarding unsuccessful attempts to
meet Akard and his lack of necessary professional background to hold the
position. Akard has less than 10 years in the Foreign Service.[6]
The letter was authored by Tom Pickering and Ronald Newmann, former senior diplomats,
and states “we
believe that, as good and decent a person as Mr. Akard may be, his confirmation
as the Director General would be another step to further weaken the State
Department, whose Foreign Service and Civil Service employees loyally serve the
President, the Secretary of State, and the United States of America.” The
authors compare his nomination as that of an army captain being appointed to a
position with the ranking of a four star general.[7]
Akard
is noted to be “one of the latest in a string of Indiana representatives
appointed to federal positions by Trump.”[8]
Others include former Indiana Senator Dan Coats as director of intelligence, former
Indiana State Health Commissioner Jerome Adams to serve as U.S. Surgeon General,
Seema Verma, the author of Healthy Indiana Plan, as administrator of the
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and former Indiana Department of
Agriculture Director Ted McKinney as Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign
Agricultural Affairs in the U.S. Department of Agriculture. As more scandal
erupts in Washington, more essential jobs are cut that could have furthered diplomatic
efforts. As in big businesses, cronyism continues in the government. One can argue that our own administration
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