Despite a number of steps taken in the past several years, the State Department continues to face persistent staffing and experience gaps at hardship posts, as well as notable shortfalls in foreign language capabilities, GAO told the Senate federal workforce subcommittee recently.
According to GAO-09-1046T, a common element of these problems has been a longstanding staffing and experience deficit, which has both contributed to the gaps at hardship posts and fueled the language shortfall by limiting the number of staff available for language training.
State has undertaken several initiatives to address these shortages, including multiple staffing increases intended to fill the gaps, but the department has not undertaken these initiatives in a comprehensive and strategic manner, GAO said.
It said that as a result, it is unclear when the staffing and skill gaps that put diplomatic readiness at risk will close.
