Officials deny claims State Department not doing enough in Iraq

[unhappycamper]

Officials deny claims State Department not doing enough in Iraq
By Leo Shane III, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Thursday, October 18, 2007


WASHINGTON — State Department leaders insist their agency is handling a fair share of reconstruction work in Iraq and Afghanistan, despite criticism from military officials that too few civilian experts have volunteered for posts in combat zones.

Harry Thomas, director general of the State Department, on Tuesday told members of a House Armed Services subcommittee that officials have placed a heavy emphasis on putting foreign service officers in those countries with evolving pay and promotion incentives.

“Every year we have filled our positions in Iraq and Afghanistan with volunteers,” said Thomas. “I don’t know where this urban legend that we’re unable to fill positions is coming from.”

But Thomas and representatives from the departments of Treasury, Agriculture and Justice acknowledged that the pool of available volunteers is shrinking, and could present staffing problems in coming years.

Tuesday’s hearing was designed to look at the numbers of nonmilitary experts deploying overseas, and whether pay and benefits policies are working.

Congressmen on the committee repeated their stance that military involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan will not be enough alone to stabilize the region, and that civilian agencies must take a broader role in reconstruction.


Rest of article at: http://stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=49576

[groovedaddy]

1. Yeah, they're doing a great job on the "Green Zone"

and the new mini-fiefdom of an embassy. An important symbol to the Iraqis of where the power really lies.