120 mm:

The easy way to tell what DoS/USAID are doing for AfPak is through the "USAJobs" website. If it didn't get posted their, it ain't happening.

To date, there have been no civilian expert or practitioner positions posted for these assignments, so I wouldn't hold my breathe if I was on the ground waiting for assistance.

Once advertised, DoS's hiring process takes months of paperwork, essays and investigation. Then, the background checks and pre-deployment training.

There is no DoS quick list in existence of prior experts (say from Iraq). They just do it one assignment at a time, and each new assignment requires the same applications, background checks, etc...

The hundred or so DoS practitioner/experts in Iraq (hired as 13 mo. temporary assignees known as 3161's based on the hiring provision), all took six months or so to complete the application/background check/hiring/ pre-deployment process. And, because there is no ready or standby force, all have to do the same thing all over again---from scratch.

Pretty stupid but that's why, when DoS comments about the civilian mission, they always talk in terms of late summer or end of year. Experts were supposed to be a one-time thing for Iraq, so they never established a process for them. Just ad hoc. One at a time.

Go figure?

Steve