Coordinating Office for Global Health
Overseas Rightsizing
Rightsizing is the U.S. government’s effort to ensure that the mix of U.S. agencies and their personnel overseas is appropriately aligned with U.S. foreign policy priorities, security concerns, and overall resource constraints. Rightsizing may result in adding or reducing staff, or in a change of the types of staff assigned to a given embassy or consulate. The goal is for the United States to have the minimum number of personnel overseas with the right skills to carry out U.S. foreign policy goals.
As part of its adherence to the President's Management Initiative, CDC strives to meet Rightsizing objectives, which are coordinated Government-wide by the Department of State and the Office of Management and Budget.
CDC, therefore, places employees overseas only when overseas assignment is required by the mission and after consideration of the security risks involved. When Temporary Duty (TDY) is sufficient to carry out program mandates, TDY is preferred, both for safety and budgetary reasons, over stationing employees and their families abroad.
In May 2002, CDC’s approach to overseas presence was highlighted in a statement by Nancy Dorn, Deputy Director, Office of Management and Budget before the Committee on Government Reform, Subcommittee on National Security, Veterans Affairs and International Relations:
“CDC does not establish permanent positions abroad. Rather, CDC assigns employees overseas on limited term appointments. As a result, all positions have a built-in “sunset date.” Extension of a position and/or a position incumbent requires management review and a positive determination on both the effectiveness of the program and the individual. Reviews are conducted initially in the individual program office responsible for the overseas position. A determination to renew a position or extend its incumbent must also receive approval from the Director of CDC and the Office of Secretary of Health and Human Services before taking effect.”
As part of the Department of Health and Human Services, CDC is not
a “traditional” foreign affairs agency. Rather, CDC’s
presence abroad exists to protect the health of the American public
and to promote global health.
CDC currently has employees stationed in other countries to support
the President’s Emergency Fund for AIDS Relief, the President’s
Malaria Initiative, to eliminate polio worldwide, to reduce measles-related
mortality, and to promote child health.
In light of emerging health threats such as SARS, avian influenza, and other emerging diseases, our overseas presence is likely to expand to improve our worldwide capability to detect and respond to new strains of disease that pose a threat or a potential threat to U.S. interests and world populations. CDC will be most effective by working closely with partners abroad, which are most likely to be first to identify outbreaks and new threats.
Recently, CDC has embarked on a number of initiatives to support overseas rightsizing:
- The establishment of the Coordinating Office for Global Health (COGH) in October 2005 created a single responsible office for coordination of all CDC overseas programs and liaison between CDC and the HHS Office of Global Health Affairs, the Department of State, and U.S. embassies abroad.
- To reduce duplicative business services, CDC is overhauling country management structures, eliminating management, program, and administrative silos that existed in some locations.
- To obtain generic administrative support functions, rather than set up a separate support apparatus, wherever possible and practical, CDC continues to rely heavily upon ICASS service abroad
- Through the Strategic Country Plan process, CDC will coordinate requirements to meet public heath program goals by directing available resources and providing input to State Department Mission Performance Plans.
- Through annual updates to its strategic staffing plan, CDC strives to reduce the American footprint abroad by ensuring that Americans are assigned to duty stations overseas only when the overseas assignment is mandatory to carry out program functions. As part of this process.
- To the degree possible, CDC contracts for services or collaborates with non-US Government partners to carry out programs. CDC makes extensive use of cooperative agreements to fund programs in host countries, thus reducing reliance on overseas assignees. In recent months, CDC responded to two ambassadorial requests for assistance in carrying out AIDS programs in country by providing a commercial contractor to perform the needed functions in the countries involved.
- Approximately one quarter of CDC’s personnel assigned abroad are temporarily assigned to the staff of the World Health Organization or other international organizations. As a result, employee costs are shared, and CDC carries out its public health mission while reducing the number of U.S. Government support services and Locally Employed Staff that would be otherwise be required.
Page last modified: September 6, 2006
