Part XX ORGANIZATION AND SPECIAL RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE AND THE FOREIGN SERVICE Organization [FOREIGN SERVICE ACT OF 1946: Public Law 724 (79th Congress, 2d Session), August 13, 1946] 1 1 1. IMPLEMENTATION OF THE ROWE-RAMSPECK-DeCOURCY COMMITTEE'S RECOMMENDATIONS: Directive of the Department of State for the Improvement of Personnel Systems and Personnel Management of the Departmental and Foreign Services, April 16, 1951 2 A. GENERAL EXPLANATION This is a directive to improve the personnel systems and personnel management of the Departmental and Foreign Services. The course of action outlined below stems from the findings and recommendations of the Secretary's Advisory Committee on Personnel. This course of action is designed to improve personnel management primarily by administrative adjustments. It is consistent with the objectives advocated by the Advisory Committee but does not at this time go as far as the program recommended by the Committee. B. PRINCIPAL OBJECTIVES AND BASIC APPROACH The principal objectives of this directive are to 1. Obtain, develop, and maintain an experienced and versatile career service capable of meeting the present and future needs of the Depart 160 Stat. 999. 2 An Analysis of the Personnel Improvement Plan of the Department of State, (House Foreign Affairs Committee Print, 82d Cong., 1st sess.), pp. 1–6. For the text of the report to the Secretary of State by the Secretary's Advisory Committee on Personnel, see ibid., pp. 19-67. The members of this committee were James H. Rowe, Jr., Robert Ramspeck, and William E. DeCourcy. ment and the Foreign Service of the United States in the conduct of foreign affairs and to provide means for quickly supplementing this staff whenever conditions require temporary or permanent expansion of personnel. 2. Make maximum use of the skills and abilities of Departmental and Foreign Service personnel and broaden the range of their usefulness through training and developmental programs. 3. Eliminate inequities in the treatment of certain categories of Foreign Service employees. 4. Increase through voluntary means the flexible use of domestic and Foreign Service personnel interchangeably between overseas and domestic assignments, including a greater interchange with other Government agencies concerned with foreign affairs and increased utilization in the Foreign Service of qualified persons not now in the Government by means of lateral appointment to the Foreign Service Reserve. 5. Establish and maintain uniformly high standards in all phases of personnel management. These objectives should be accomplished basically by administrative adjustments under the present Foreign Service Act of 1946 and in the Departmental personnel system, supplemented by legislative measures. The administration of the Foreign Service Act of 1946 should be adjusted so as to supply a substantially increased number of trained and experienced officers for present and future needs of the Government in the conduct of foreign affairs. Concurrently, the administration of the Departmental personnel system should give particular emphasis to developing a larger staff of persons willing and qualified to serve at home and abroad. Achievement of these objectives will provide an informed basis for possible further integration in the future of the Departmental and Foreign Services under an improved personnel career system and for utilizing this system for staffing additional civilian overseas activities of the United States Government. C. ASSIGNMENT OF RESPONSIBILITY The Director of Personnel is hereby authorized and directed to develop and recommend to the Deputy Under Secretary for Administration implementing instructions and drafts of legislation and to take such other action within established delegations of authority as is necessary to accomplish the action steps outlined below. Policy and procedural changes affecting the Foreign Service will be submitted to the Board of the Foreign Service. D. SPECIFIC IMPROVEMENT STEPS The steps set forth below should be taken without delay to improve and strengthen the personnel management of the Departmental and Foreign Services. IPL 724 (79th Cong., 2d sess.), Aug. 13, 1946; 60 Stat. 999. 1. Estimate of personnel requirements Subject to the limitations imposed by a state of national emergency of indefinite duration, the types, levels, and numbers of personnel that will be required by the Department of State and the unified Foreign Service of the United States for the conduct of foreign affairs of the Government should be estimated for each of the next five years and for a longer period if practicable. This estimate should be used as a general guide in developing both short- and long-range programs for recruitment, training, promotion, and assignment of Departmental and Foreign Service personnel. 2. Exchange program The scope of the present exchange program should be stepped up for an indefinite period with particular reference to: (1) the inclusion on a voluntary basis of Departmental employees occupying positions in which overseas experience is essential or desirable and, (2) the inclusion on a voluntary basis of employees of other agencies in numbers adequate to meet the needs of such agencies. As a consequence, there should be an increase in the number of assignments of Foreign Service personnel to the Department and to other agencies. The performance records of participants in this program should adequately recognize the added experience acquired by all such officers. 3. Recruitment More vigorous and far-reaching recruitment efforts should be undertaken both for the Departmental and Foreign Services, using as a basis the projection of personnel needs referred to in item A. In recruiting persons for positions in the Department for which dual service at home and abroad is desirable, efforts should be made to employ persons who are qualified and willing to serve abroad. Departmental and Foreign Service recruitment activities should be closely coordinated and to the extent possible recruitment standards should be devised for types of work common to the two services. 4. Separation of unfit employees Departmental and Foreign Service employees whose records clearly indicate that, after an adequate opportunity, they are incapable of meeting performance requirements should be separated. Full use should be made of the probationary period in this connection. 5. Additional improvements in Foreign Service personnel management (a) Complexion and use of personnel categories.-Appointments to the Foreign Service and subsequent assignments and use of personnel should be made in accordance with the following: The Foreign Service Staff category should be sharply reorganized in line with the intent of the Foreign Service Act of 1946 and in accordance with the recommendations of the Advisory Committee concerning the functions of a clerical and technical branch. As a consequence the Staff category should be used primarily to perform technical, technical-administrative, clerical, and other closely related functions. Both permanent and temporary appointments may be made to the Staff category as the needs of the Service require. The Foreign Service Reserve category should be sharply redefined so that it is in fact the temporary-appointment vehicle for supplementing the Foreign Service officer category. In this connection the Foreign Service Act of 1946 should be amended to extend the period of service of a Reserve officer from four to five years. The Reserve category should be used to perform work which the Foreign Service officer category is insufficiently staffed to handle; to carry out special projects or programs of a temporary or emergency nature; to help in the initial staffing of new or expanded programs of a continuing nature; for the present exchange program; and as a means of enabling other agencies to temporarily assign personnel to the Service under a positive interagency exchange program to be worked out with those agencies. Concurrently, the Reserve category should not be used to staff activities normally performed by the Foreign Service Staff category. In keeping with the Foreign Service Act of 1946, the Foreign Service officer category should be built to the strength necessary and used as the vehicle for staffing those executive and professional functions of a continuing nature which the Advisory Committee recommended be staffed by a Foreign Affairs officer branch. (b) Expansion of the Foreign Service officer category.-The appointment of class 6 Foreign Service officers should be substantially increased to support the larger corps of Foreign Service officers. Lateral entry into the Foreign Service officer category should be substantially increased in accord with the provisions of section 517 of the Foreign Service Act of 1946 but by the following liberalized measures: (1) The present percentage limitations on the number of vacancies that can be filled by lateral entry should be removed for the next three years. (The number of vacancies to be established should take into account such additional needs for Foreign Service officers as may be required by the Government generally and for which the requisite funds can be secured.) (2) Positive efforts should be made to induce qualified Departmental and Foreign Service Reserve and Staff personnel to compete for appointment under section 517. (3) For each person appointed as a Foreign Service officer under section 517, a corresponding increase should be made in the authorized strength of the FSO category so as to assure maintenance of adequate promotional opportunities for Foreign Service officers presently employed. (4) Candidates appointed as Foreign Service officers under these provisions should meet a standard with respect to experi ence, performance, and other evidences of qualifications which, in the aggregate, is comparable to the average of the Foreign Service officer class to which appointment is made. (5) Section 413 (b) of the Foreign Service Act of 1946 should be amended to permit persons appointed as a Foreign Service officer to receive salary at any one of the rates provided for class to which they are appointed. the (c) Curtailment of Staff officer appointments.-There should gradual curtailment in the appointment of permanent Foreign Service Staff officers for work which should be performed by Foreign Service officers or Foreign Service Reserve officers. This should be accomplished as rapidly as the other categories can be expanded to meet normal replacement needs; but without prejudicing compelling or emergency requirements for staffing expanded program activities of a continuing nature. (d) Examination and selection.-Assure that the methods of examination and selection of personnel for all levels and all categories are consistent with the needs of the Department and the unified Foreign Service. In filling positions in labor, agriculture, and commercial categories, the qualifications standards to be applied will be developed in consultation with the member agencies of competence. (e) Assignment.-Improved methods should be devised for the assignment, development, and utilization of personnel, including provisions for more realistic post complements and, to the extent practicable, elimination of excessively short tours of duty at any post. As soon as additional qualified staff are available, increased use should be made of Foreign Service personnel in staffing special missions and programs in the foreign-affairs field and delegations to international organizations. (f) Training.-Present training programs and efforts should be maintained and expanded if possible, with particular reference to such fields as international security, psychological warfare, executive development. civil Increased emphasis should be placed on a positive program of (g) Promotion.-The present promotion system, based on regular and systematic evaluation of employee qualifications, should be conmeritorious promotions. Foreign Service officers who develop oc Adequate provision should be made for cupational or area specialization should have promotional oppor tunities equal to those of "general officers". Executive ability should be given full recognition in selecting officers for promotion to positions of leadership and command. hardship posts should be extended on an equal basis to all American (h) Pay and related benefits.-Salary differentials for service at personnel. |