[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 13]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 18977-18978]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                    AMERICA'S FIRST LINE OF DEFENSE

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                          HON. EARL BLUMENAUER

                               of oregon

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, October 5, 2001

  Mr. BLUMENAUER. Mr. Speaker, I was very pleased a week ago to see an 
oped in my hometown newspaper, The Oregonian, written by the president 
of the American Foreign Service Association, John Naland. It highlights 
the work of the Foreign Service that we now know is even more important 
in the wake of the September 11 attack on our country.
  There is a serious problem facing the Foreign Service, and it can be 
rectified in the FY02 Commerce-Justice-State appropriations bill, H.R. 
2500, when it goes to the House/Senate Conference. Personnel shortages 
in the Foreign Service Corps seriously impede our ability to conduct 
our nation's foreign policy. Even before September 11, our Foreign 
Service personnel were stretched too thinly in the face of growing 
demands. Work that should have been done was not getting adequate 
attention because of competing demands of time and energy. Personnel 
shortages also leave us under-trained because in choosing between 
training or filling a position, the system fills the position.
  The Department of State calculates that the shortfall is about 1,100 
people. The 2000 report on `State Department Reform' by the Task Force 
chaired by Frank Carlucci and cosponsored by the Council on Foreign 
Relations and the Center for Strategic and International Studies 
estimated the workforce shortfall to be some 700 Foreign Service 
Officers or nearly 15 percent of Foreign Service requirements.
  As the Foreign Service continues to promote and protect our interests 
abroad in these difficult days, it is vital that we appropriate funding 
for the Diplomatic and Consular Account in the State Department portion 
of the FY02 C-J-S appropriations bill that is at or above the $3,646 
million level provided by the House of Representatives. I encourage 
conferees to adopt this funding level.
  I urge my colleagues to carefully consider the views of the American 
Foreign Service Association as presented here.

                  [From the Oregonian, Sept. 28, 2001]

                Don't Forget the Vital Role of Diplomacy

                          (By John K. Naland)

       President Bush has vowed to use every resource at his 
     command to defeat terrorism. In his address to the nation 
     last week, he included four that are familiar to most 
     Americans: military might, intelligence collection, law 
     enforcement and financial pressure. But many citizens might 
     be hard-pressed to explain the practical value of the anti-
     terrorism tool that Bush put at the very top of his list: 
     Diplomacy.
       Diplomacy is the art of influencing foreign governments and 
     peoples to support our nation's vital interests. Never has 
     skilled U.S. diplomacy been more needed than in the current 
     crisis. The president has made it clear that destroying the 
     network of international terrorists will require the combined 
     efforts of many nations. Thus, the task of forming that 
     international coalition against terrorism now rests on the 
     shoulders of U.S. diplomacy.
       While Bush and Secretary of State Colin Powell are clearly 
     our chief diplomats in this effort, our career diplomats 
     stationed around the globe are implementing the detailed 
     work. As Powell said in a Sept. 13 ``all hands'' message sent 
     to all U.S. diplomatic and consular posts, ``the men and 
     women of American diplomacy will be at the forefront of this 
     unprecedented effort . . . to break the back of international 
     terrorism.''
       U.S. diplomats are now rallying key governments to apply 
     political pressure on those countries that harbor terrorists. 
     They are seeking to enlist foreign police forces and 
     intelligence services in the search for the attackers. U.S. 
     diplomats are negotiating for the military overflight and 
     basing rights that will be needed if we must, as the 
     president put it, ``bring justice to our enemies.''
       Unfortunately, even as Congress does its part to fight 
     terrorism by augmenting the budgets of our military, law 
     enforcement and intelligence agencies, some in Congress do 
     not acknowledge the parallel need to strengthen our 
     diplomatic efforts. This despite the fact that diplomatic 
     readiness is no less important to our national security than 
     is military readiness.
       Lost in the flurry of congressional activity last week was 
     the Senate passage of a State Department appropriations bill 
     that fell far short of what Powell requested last spring. The 
     deleted funding was to have addressed two of the State 
     Department's most pressing deficiencies: inadequate staffing 
     and dilapidated overseas infrastructure. Because the House 
     version of the bill fully funded the administration's 
     request, a House and Senate

[[Page 18978]]

     conference committee will soon meet to decide on the final 
     funding level.
       The events of Sept. 11 underscore the urgent need for 
     adequate resources for diplomacy, which Powell has aptly 
     termed ``America's first line of offense.'' As our diplomats 
     go about forging an international coalition against 
     terrorism, it is vital for the Congress to give them the 
     tools they need to succeed.
       John K. Naland, a career Foreign Service Officer and former 
     U.S. Army officer, is president of the American Foreign 
     Service Association.

     

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