“State Department personnel invariably rave about the one-week course and it’s considered one of the best classes offered by the Department. Yet, with only one week to acquaint FSOs with emergency medical training, threat awareness, surveillance detection, and firearms instruction, FSOs headed to high-threat posts are often left wanting more training. I firmly believe that one week is not nearly enough time to prepare diplomats -- most of whom have spent their entire lives in the civilian world -- for the rigors of service in a war zone or high-threat environment. The Department could and should invest more time (and by “time” I mean money) into this type of training.”
Aaron Snipe
American diplomat serving at a Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) in Iraq
From blog entry, Beyond the FACT - Friday, May 1, 2009
