Fortress America Abroad: Effective Diplomacy and the Future of U.S. Embassies

On Jaunary 23, 2008, the Subcommittee on National Security and Foreign Affairs held a hearing entitled, “Fortress America Abroad: Effective Diplomacy and the Future of U.S. Embassies.”

Witness List:

Ambassador Thomas R. Pickering, former Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs (1997-2001) – the Department’s third-ranking official and its senior career diplomat. He has also served as U.S. Ambassador to Russia, Israel, India, Jordan, El Salvador, Nigeria, and the United Nations. He is a former senior vice president for international affairs at Boeing, and is currently affiliated with many non-governmental organizations including the International Crisis Group, the International Institute for Strategic Studies, and the Council on Foreign Relations.

Ambassador Marc A. Grossman, former Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs (2001-2005), Director General of the Foreign Service, and Ambassador to Turkey. He is currently the Vice Chairman of the Cohen Group and was Co-Chair of the “Embassy of the Future” commission for the Center for Strategic and International Studies, which released its final report late last year.

Dr. Jane C. Loeffler, Associate Professor, University of Maryland College Park, author of The Architecture of American Diplomacy and Fortress America, and a widely-recognized expert on the history and cultural impact of U.S. embassy design and construction. Dr. Loeffler holds a graduate degree in city planning from Harvard University and a doctorate in American civilization from George Washington University. She has also written and commented widely on the New Embassy Compound program and the U.S. embassy in Baghdad.

Mr. John K. Naland, President of the American Foreign Service Association (AFSA), the professional association and union representing 28,000 serving and retired Foreign Service personnel. Mr. Naland is a career Foreign Service Officer, commissioned in 1986, and has written and commented widely on diplomatic strategy on television and the print press. He is a former Army cavalry officer and has served widely in Latin America, State Department headquarters, and the White House.