Trump administration refuses to grant State Dept Ambassadors any tenure extensions.

Splendid. More Winning – This is a brilliant level of strategic example-setting on many levels. Not only does this send an expectation message normally only found in the private sector; but it also is delivered upon the most horribly entrenched of all Federal Departments, the Department of State.

These Department of State entities see themselves as a complete and separate structure of government. They also function as a complete and separate ideological structure of government. Remember, Congressional Democrats already poked the LION when they set up a portal for disgruntled State Department employees to directly contact them.

WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald J. Trump’s transition staff has issued a blanket edict requiring politically appointed ambassadors to leave their overseas posts by Inauguration Day, according to several American diplomats familiar with the plan, breaking with decades of precedent by declining to provide even the briefest of grace periods.

[Trump] has taken a hard line against leaving any of President Obama’s political appointees in place as he prepares to take office on Jan. 20 with a mission of dismantling many of his predecessor’s signature foreign and domestic policy achievements. “Political” ambassadors, many of them major donors who are nominated by virtue of close ties with the president, almost always leave at the end of his term; ambassadors who are career diplomats often remain in their posts.

A senior Trump transition official said there was no ill will in the move, describing it as a simple matter of ensuring that Mr. Obama’s overseas appointees leave the government on schedule, just as thousands of political aides at the White House and in federal agencies must do. The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity about internal deliberations, said the ambassadors should not be surprised about being held to a hard end date. (read more)

Last Year we pondered – […] “Cut the rotting vehicle down to the frame and cut out all the rust is going to be an epic battle with ZERO Washington DC supporters as you endeavor the restoration. Actually, the leadership within both wings of the UniParty can predictably be guaranteed to impede any such effort.

So, is it better to go with the bondo, paint and polish approach, thereby avoiding the necessary, and predictably explosive, confrontation while you tackle the more important domestic economic and security issues?” (link)

When President-elect Trump appointed T-Rex we realized he was serious about taking this project, the modern State Department, down to the rivets.

There are multiple ways to affect the behavior of the foreign service officers/specialists that make up the Department of State. Some background will help:

♦ Not all foreign service are part of the globalists. Some, including a direct contact official, are Trump supporters, and there are other white hats. So there is help available within the State Department for change.

Many of the senior positions with the Department, to include all Ambassadors, are appointed by the President. The Ambassador (Chief of Mission) is the senior Executive Branch official in any country. All Executive Branch employees (minus those reporting to the resident DoD Combatant Commander [COCOM]) report to the Chief of Mission (COM). At their leisure, the COM can remove anyone from their country. The Department of State is the only major Department that does not require a polygraph and/or a psychological exam for its employees that hold a Top Secret security clearance. A few liaison positions with other government agencies require a polygraph exam or psychological exam, but most positions do not. Most foreign service generalists/specialists are recruited from the East Coast or West Coast. Few from the Heartland. Most foreign service generalists/specialists spend the majority of their careers overseas, with any domestic assignments in the DC area. Most foreign service members live VERY well overseas. There are several very dangerous posts, but many posts have very nice housing, free school, local tax breaks, etc… This is above the generous salary, benefits, and retirement.

♦ With these few things in mind, below are ideas to ensure, or at least affect/influence how the foreign service acts.

The political appointed senior officials control how the Department enacts the President’s policy. If the foreign service doesn’t follow instructions/orders, then there are administrative means to remove non-compliant staff from posts or even their jobs. Require all employees with Top Secret security clearance to undergo a polygraph exam and psychological exam. You would be surprised how many would retire/resign. Start recruiting/hiring Americans from the Heartland to fill vacant positions. Limit the Coastal elites. Control the hiring process. Force foreign service generalists/specialists to serve domestically one of every three assignments. Force them into positions outside the Beltway. Once again, you would be surprised how many would retire/resign if they were forced to actually LIVE in the U.S. on a regular basis. Cut the benefits to living overseas. Lower the housing benefits. Ensure people are living in secure housing, but it doesn’t have to be luxurious. Cut the school subsidy. Review the other benefits afforded to Department employees.

There will be accountability. That’s why President Elect Donald Trump has picked the exact right guy for the job, Rex Tillerson.

…”And he even kept their coats”!