With over 1/3 of the Foreign Service having served in Iraq and Afghanistan you'll understand if I take a different view.

Blaming State for what the previous administration did is kind of like blaming the military for having abandoned southern Afghanistan to go to Iraq in 2003. We all follow the instructions and priorities of the national command authority.

As for Jack Croddy whining last year, the fact is that even when the DOS positions were increased virtually overnight by 25%, all the billets were filled by volunteers within 3 days.

Yes, I have picked up many skills over 24 years as an FSO. City planning? Agronomy? Electrical grid planning? My experience does cover two wars, one as a more junior officer, one as a senior.

The other point is: before the military arrives, and, then, long after it goes, the FSOs are there. A single case in point: In 1990, when Iraq invaded Kuwait, a small group of FSOs volunteered to stay trapped behind enemy lines. One of these was a woman, who, as consul, was responsible for the well-being and safety of AMCITS. For this she ended up spending five month as an Iraqi human shield. After she was released, she volunteered to go back in and spent the war in Saudi, flying into Kuwait the day the war ended. She spent the next 18 months breathing oil smoke, living tactically and serving her country. She was there before the military arrived and was there long after. She is my wife.

So, having lived it, having seen the facts, knowing the ground truth, all I can say is that I'm confident in my views on the subject.