OPINION:
I spent 29 years with the U.S. State Department as a foreign service communication officer, mostly assigned abroad to countries where we had U.S. Agency for International Development workers. From my observations, most USAID employees in leadership positions know the only way they can get promoted is to significantly expand the number of employees working for them.
So they create issues that need to be addressed and require additional personnel. Only then do they stand a good chance of promotion. I’ve also seen USAID personnel in charge of a program at an overseas posting sit in their office every day drawing charts and rarely going out to the field to observe or supervise a project. Both of these issues are a tremendous waste of money. And I have seen them many times at U.S. embassies where USAID is assigned.
Years ago there was a U.S. Information Service attached to most embassies the way USAID is. The government shut down USIS and integrated that agency into the State Department, which saved money. The same should be done with USAID.
JOHN LEMANDRI
Williamsburg, Virginia
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