U.S. Diplomats Warned Of Forced Iraq Duty

Amid Staffing Crisis, State Department Says They May Have To Serve In War Zone Next Year

(CBS/AP)  The State Department is warning U.S. diplomats they may be forced to serve in Iraq next year and says it will soon start identifying prime candidates for jobs at the Baghdad embassy and outlying provinces, according to a cable obtained Tuesday by The Associated Press.

A similar call-up notice last year caused an uproar among foreign service officers, some of whom objected to compulsory work in a war zone, although in the end the State Department found enough volunteers to fill the jobs.

Now, the State Department anticipates another staffing crisis.

"We face a growing challenge of supply and demand in the 2009 staffing cycle," the cable said, noting that more than 20 percent of the nearly 12,000 foreign service officers have already worked in the two major hardship posts - Iraq and Afghanistan - and a growing number have done tours in both countries.

As a result, the unclassified April 8 cable says, "the prime candidate exercise will be repeated" next year, meaning the State Department will begin identifying U.S. diplomats qualified to serve in Iraq and who could be forced to work there if they don't volunteer.

CBS News State Department reporter Charles Wolfson reports that a senior official who has followed the process by which slots are filled at the embassies in Baghdad and Kabul said "it's going to be painful, this next personnel cycle." He explained that he meant that finding people to go to these posts will "stress the system to an even greater degree than last year because of a limited pool of officers" and the fact that many have already served there.

The prime candidate list will be comprised of diplomats who have special abilities that are needed in Iraq, such as Arabic language skills, deep Mideast knowledge or training in specific areas of reconstruction.

"We must assign to Iraq those employees whose skills are most needed, and those employees should know that they personally are needed," Foreign Service Director General Harry Thomas said in the cable sent to all diplomatic missions.

The cable describes how the department will fill upcoming vacancies at hardship posts like those Iraq and Afghanistan - although it doesn't plan to force any Afghanistan assignments. Diplomats will "bid," or apply, for positions in the war zones that will be advertised in May. After that, the department expects to begin identifying prime candidates for about 300 Iraq jobs that come open next summer, Thomas wrote.

The cable said more details will be announced next month, but identification of prime candidates is the first step in implementing so-called "directed assignments." That means ordering diplomats to work in certain locations under threat of dismissal unless they have a compelling reason, such as a health condition, that would prevent them from going.

Last year, after prime candidates were identified for 48 Iraq jobs that come open this summer, enough qualified volunteers came forward to avoid what would have been the largest diplomatic call-up since the Vietnam War - but not before the uproar over the prospect of forced tours made national headlines.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Tuesday that she had been personally offended by the critical comments of some diplomats who questioned the ethics of sending people against their will to a war zone. One diplomat, during an October session held at the State Department to explain the policy to employees, called the forced assignments a "potential death sentence" to loud applause.

"I was deeply offended myself, and deeply sorry that these people who had self-selected into this town hall went out of their way, to my view, cast a very bad light on the foreign service," Rice told a House panel.

Rice said the comments were isolated and prompted a visceral response by the rest of the diplomatic corps, including those serving in dangerous posts outside Iraq and Afghanistan. "I will tell you, the blogs were lit up in the Department of State by people who were offended ... who were absolutely offended by those comments," she said.

She added that she had not needed to "direct assign" diplomats to Iraq last year, but she stressed that she reserved the right to do so in the future.

The State Department is hoping it can fill all of next year's Iraq vacancies with volunteers as it did in 2008.

"We hope to accomplish the same in 2009," the cable says. "A willing, qualified volunteer is always preferable to an employee sent involuntarily."

The union that represents U.S. diplomats shares that view.

"Unless there is some huge upward change in the number of positions, I think it's quite possible to staff the Baghdad embassy with volunteers," said John Naland, president of the American Foreign Service Association. "The foreign service has done it for the past five years and I believe the foreign service will do it again."

Yet, there are serious concerns that the pool of those willing to go is dwindling.

Some diplomats have privately expressed unease about volunteering for Iraq duty amid deep uncertainty over how the administration following President Bush will deal with Iraq, and how that might affect security or change Washington's focus on the country.

While presumptive Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain has vowed to stay the course, both Democratic hopefuls, Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama, have made clear they oppose the war and have pledged to reduce the number of American troops there.

Such a move could have an impact on State Department operations and security, some diplomats fear.

Naland said he was not aware of such concerns. He added that security worries could be allayed by the fact that the State Department on Monday finally took possession of the new, heavily fortified U.S. Embassy in Baghdad after months of delay caused by constructions problems.

Diplomats are expected to begin moving into the facility at the end of next month after enduring several spates of major insurgent rocket attacks in their less-well-protected offices and living quarters in the Green Zone. Four Americans - two soldiers and two civilians - have been killed by such fire in recent weeks.

At least three foreign service personnel - two diplomatic security agents and one political officer - have been killed in Iraq since the war began in March 2003.

[gce65]

Nice pucker in the pic, Condi! Is that the size of Bush''s dork?

[joyous88]

if you voted for the criminal mcbushcain you should

be forced to work in Iraq

[usmcvn2]

But, but, but....the surge is working

[banders6]

joyous88 - well who to vote for??? Muslim born and bred, or Christian born and bred, lets hope Clinton gets the pick!

[quetzal0666]

jejeje.. The Government employees dont even want to be stationed in Iraq....

how fitting...

mission accomplished, everyone is bailing on the sinking ship....

[joyous88]

mission accomplished

four more of the same vote McBushCain

[arlt1627]

Don''''t go and overthrow governments without a replacement plan. This is real life. Not the school yard anymore. Anytime you resort to physical violence you still have to deal with the aftermath. You can''''t just leave the kid bleeding in the school yard. Winston Churchill was in Iraq in the 20''''s and 30''''s as a British statesman and overseer. He created this mess. Think I''''m lying? Read the history of the region and what he said in his memoirs. Learn your opponent before you slap his face and pick a fight.

Posted by maxify55 at 06:29 AM : Apr 16, 2008


Which is exactly why we had NO business going into Iraq in the first place. A fiasco was waiting to happen and look now!! Iraq wasn''t even vital to America''s oil supply and connections in the Middle East. Oh, and we''ve driven the price of oil (double) what pre-invasion costs were. There IS no good end to Iraq. That''s what history tells us. Yes, people will get killed because we have helped instigate a Civil War. However, as a person that studied Middle Eastern history, you should also know that they have always lived in a world on empires & conquerors....it will NEVER change!!

[joyous88]

everyone involved in this dabacle is involved against

their will;

it was only a small group of neo cons and a criminlly

greed driven president that allowed this war to begin;


the rest of us are victims of the Neo Con''s immoral agenda

this war has been lost and this occupation has been lost , whatever that means, these clkowns can not even tell what winning would look like,

fools, everyone who voted for the criminal bush

was a fool

[banders6]

jh6379 - so you''re saying that Bill Clinton could of stopped 9/11, or VA tech should of stopped the killing of 32, now you have a demi Gov Easley of NC passing a law that allow Al Qaeda operatives to legelly go to NC schools.... so are you going to blame NCSU when one of those legal operatives blows up the whole school?

[fornicario]

I have an idea, why not force EVERYONE who voted for this war to do a ''tour of duty'' in Iraq, then see if they are still supporters of it.

[leftyintexas]

Go wait quietly for the Rapture. The Adults will take it from here sister.

Posted by FloydZepp at 08:54 AM : Apr 16, 2008

Hopefully the Rapture will take the other riff-raff along with her as well.

[leftyintexas]

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Tuesday that she had been personally offended by the critical comments of some diplomats who questioned the ethics of sending people against their will to a war zone.

If it personally ''offends'' her, then it must be GOOD!

[bobnjersey]

[This episode was a blow to the American effort to push the Iraqis into the lead in the struggle to wrest control of parts of Sadr City from the Mahdi Army militia and what Americans and Iraqis say are Iranian-backed groups.]
[Posted by taotxzen at 08:34 AM : Apr 16, 2008]

not a problem ... we''re turning the corner ... everything will settle out after the elections ... the surge is working. (this message has been brought to you by the republican automatron network)

[usmcvn2]

"Iraqi Unit Flees Post, Despite American%u2019s Plea"

Posted by taotxzen at 08:34 AM : Apr 16, 2008



Just like the ARVNs in South Vietnam.

[bobnjersey]

[based on what data?]
[Posted by jamesm12341 at 07:52 AM : Apr 16, 2008]

ahh little grasshoppa ... one must open ones eyes in order to see the truth.

[taotxzen]

Iraq Suffers Deadliest Attack In Months: Nearly 60 Killed In Car Bombings

BAGHDAD %u2014 Bombings blamed on al-Qaida in Iraq tore through market areas in Baghdad and outside the capital on Tuesday, killing nearly 60 people and shattering weeks of relative calm in Sunni-dominated areas.

The bloodshed _ in four cities as far north as Mosul and as far west as Ramadi _ struck directly at U.S. claims that the Sunni insurgency is waning and being replaced by Shiite militia violence as a major threat.

The deadliest blasts took place in Baqouba and Ramadi, two cities where the U.S. military has claimed varying degrees of success in getting Sunnis to turn against al-Qaida.

[taotxzen]

Iraqi Unit Flees Post, Despite American%u2019s Plea
By MICHAEL R. GORDON
BAGHDAD %u2014 A company of Iraqi soldiers abandoned their positions on Tuesday night in Sadr City, defying American soldiers who implored them to hold the line against Shiite militias.

The retreat left a crucial stretch of road on the front lines undefended for hours and led to a tense series of exchanges between American soldiers and about 50 Iraqi troops who were fleeing.

Capt. Logan Veath, a company commander in the 25th Infantry Division, pleaded with the Iraqi major who was leading his troops away from the Sadr City fight, urging him to return to the front.

%u201CIf you turn around and go back up the street those soldiers will follow you,%u201D Captain Veath said. %u201CIf you tuck tail and cowardly run away they will follow up that way, too.%u201D

Captain Veath%u2019s pleas failed, and senior American and Iraqi commanders mounted an urgent effort to regain the lost ground. An elite Iraqi unit was rushed in and with the support of the Americans began to fight its way north.

This episode was a blow to the American effort to push the Iraqis into the lead in the struggle to wrest control of parts of Sadr City from the Mahdi Army militia and what Americans and Iraqis say are Iranian-backed groups.

[leftyintexas]

80% of America thought we could impose Christian values on Muslims, but that''''s our idealism. I backed Bush completely, still do, but now after many dollars the Iraq people should wake up Friday morning and find no Americans... and just let the peaceful muslims kill each other until they find another Saddam.

Posted by Banders6 at 08:15 AM : Apr 16, 2008

You don''t back Doofus COMPLETELY if you oppose his Iraq policies. But, as you said, Iraqis need to wake up one day and find all Americans gone. After all, IRAQ is THEIR COUNTRY not ours.

[mcvet]

What ever happened to the "Volunteer Diplomat" corps. Well, looks like their gonna have to have a "draft" or hire the poor and disenfranchised youth, just like they''''ve done to fight this war!


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Posted by excoachken at 07:13 AM : Apr 16, 2008
+ report abuse

It like so many other great and noble things in this nations history have been flushed down the crapper by the WORST in our HISTORY. Sieg Heil Bush

[mcvet]

based on what data? your immaturity?


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by jamesm12341 at 07:52 AM : Apr 16, 2008
+ report abuse

Ummm? No! Now you see, as I''ve told you so many times, if you took off that swastika your brain would expand and you could see and understand things. Things like taking a Balanced Budget and a Surplus and turning it into Record Deficits and a 9.3 TRILLION DOLLAR Debt. You''d be able to read and understand the 935 LIES told to us by the fuhrer so he could invade a country that was NO THREAT to this nation in ANY WAY. You would see the INCOMPETENCE of people who have been put in charge of departments of our government. You''d be able to see the mess cause when he turned the Justice Department into an arm of the Republican Party. I mean I could go on here for another 30 minutes but FIRST you must be willing to put your country ahead of your "party". Give up FASCISM Sparky...it''s not worth it and it does NOT work. Come on now let Darth here ya all the way up at the White House this morning!! Ready?? Sieg Heil Bush!! Did you put your hood and sheet on for that???