Is more of Iraqi reconstruction being funded off the books?
A bit more on the State Department’s scouring the federal employees roster for folks willing to go to Iraq. I’m told, and it’s not surprising, that the well of State Department employees willing to go for service in Iraq is pretty much dry. Apart from the inherent risks, apparently there have been other management/asignmnet issues that have led to difficulties in recruitment.
However, I’ve heard that at least in one agency, the agencies are expected to pick up the tab not only for the salaries of their employees that go to Iraq but also for the various hazard and bonus pay that goes along with the gig.
At least as it’s been described to me the process is different from the normal ‘detailee’ process in which an employee can be temporarily loaned to the White House, the Hill, or other part of the government.
Can anyone tell me more about this or share more details they might know about how this is working in their agency or department?
And as a semi-unrelated question: why does the biggest demand appear to be for public affairs specialists?
