Remarks at Tour of the Foreign Service Institute
Remarks
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
Foreign Service Institute
Arlington, VA
September 18, 2009
SECRETARY CLINTON:
Thank you so much, Ruth. Thank you so much, and I want to thank Dr.
Whiteside for that warm introduction. I think it’s only fair since I
have just witnessed an Arabic language lesson and walked down the hall
and heard greetings in a number of different languages that nearly on
the first day that I was Secretary of State I was holding a meeting of
our senior leadership team, and people were going around and introducing
themselves, and Ruth introduced herself and I thought, “She’s from
Arkansas.” (Laughter and applause.) That’s a language I know.
(Laughter.)
It is such a pleasure to be here, finally. Some of you
may remember that the last time I was planning to come, I ended up
breaking my elbow. So I’ve been walking around extra carefully for the
last few days – (laughter) – so I would be sure to arrive in one piece.
And I certainly can say that it was worth the wait. I am so excited to
see all of this in action and to have a chance to look out at all of you
who are part of the great staff of this world-class facility and part
of the future of the Foreign Service and USAID.
I’m delighted that
Under Secretary for Management Pat Kennedy could be here with me. He
is, as Ruth said, a very strong supporter of the work that is done here.
Rose Likins, the Deputy Director, thank you so much. Deans and
directors of FSI’s schools and center, locally engaged staff members
from posts abroad who are here at FSI for additional training – to all
of you, let me begin by expressing my appreciation for what you do every
single day. I was able to see a couple of different classes and
modeling experiences. I was very impressed by the hard work, the
attention to detail, and the creativity that is evident here. I watched a
mock interview at a consular window and told them not to let the person
in. (Laughter.)
Now, I know that FSI aims to give students
realistic training that prepares you for the sometimes challenging and
occasionally difficult situations that you will face overseas. But I did
not expect to come face-to-face with that very lifelike rat in the jail
cell over in the Republic of Z. (Laughter.) I’ve asked to become an
honorary citizen of the Republic of Z and to get a map so that I can
think of all of you when I am looking at the world and thinking, “Who’s
in the Republic of Z today?”
It’s this kind of creativity and very
intense professional training that make FSI so successful. You are at
the cutting edge of our efforts to build a State Department and USAID
workforce for the 21st century. Earlier, I met students who
are twittering in Arabic. I know that FSI provides more than 600 courses
in more than 70 languages to staff from dozens of federal agencies.
You’re teaching the skills that our diplomats and officers need in
today’s world to represent our country effectively and well, to reach
outside embassy walls, engage directly with foreign publics as well as
leaders, and form the partnerships that will allow us to meet today’s
global challenges. And I really applaud FSI’s commitment to offer
training for locally engaged staff and family members as well.
As
Ruth said, today I had the privilege of swearing in Ambassador Nancy
Powell, a Foreign Service officer with 32 years of experience, as the
State Department’s Director General of the Foreign Service and Director
of the Bureau of Human Resources. I know she shares my esteem for the
important work you do here and my conviction that effective training is
absolutely essential for every part of our mission.
Now,
this is my first visit to FSI, but I know that generations of Foreign
and consular service officers have benefited from the training that you
are receiving. And in addition to learning the language or learning the
technology necessary to make those decisions on visas, you are launching
friendships and forging relationships that will stand you in good stead
as you learn the art of statecraft.
The FSI has been
around for more than 60 years, and I think it’s only gotten better over
time. The sophistication that you now bring to what you are doing is
really impressive.
I want to assure you that I will
continue to do everything I can to make sure you have the resources and
support necessary to continue that tradition of excellence. I know that
your new expansion will provide badly needed classroom spaces, a larger
cafeteria, a childcare center. The President and I have requested
funding that will allow us to create the positions we need for training
and career development for all of our employees – Foreign Service, Civil
Service, and locally hired staff overseas. (Applause.)
Both
the President and I recognize that maintaining a diverse, well-trained,
highly skilled workforce is absolutely critical to pursuing our
nation’s foreign policy. I said on the first day that I walked into the
Department that smart power requires smart people, and FSI is training
the smartest people around. And every day, I am reminded what an honor I
have to serve with the dedicated professionals that not only do the
work that is so necessary around the world, but who really represent
America and our values, and who communicate that in a million different
ways every single day.
I want to thank you for all of your
hard work in support of our country. This is a particularly important
time. We have so many challenges, but we also have so many
opportunities. I don’t know that there’s ever been a moment that is as
rich with possibility and as rife with peril as this one. We are working
very hard, as we will again next week at the United Nations General
Assembly, to promote the objectives and goals that we have articulated
on nonproliferation, on climate change, on food security and
development.
We’ll be working on behalf of our common
efforts with friends and allies in the Middle East, with respect to
Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan; deepening and broadening relationships with
key countries like China and Russia; meeting with leaders from the
Americas and Africa and Asia; and in every setting, trying to make sure
that we are keeping faith with what this country really stands for.
It
is an exciting time to be part of this grand enterprise that we
represent. But a lot is expected from each of us. There is no room for
anyone stepping off the hard path forward and expecting that we can get
to where we’re trying to go. It is going to be a very exciting,
difficult time to serve America. But I am absolutely convinced that we
can produce results that will make our world safer and more peaceful;
give people the prosperity and progress they deserve to have; secure and
protect the United States of America, our citizens, our friends and
allies; and at the same time, make clear that we really do have a story
that is rooted in not only the American experience, but the universal
yearning for a better life.
I am motivated every day by my
belief that every single child, boy and girl, should have a chance to
live up to his or her God-given potential. We certainly have work to do
here at home, as our healthcare debate evidences. When I took the
Secretary of State job, some people said, oh my gosh, you won’t be able
to work on healthcare. I said, hmm, the Middle East, Iran – (laughter) –
Afghanistan, Pakistan. I think I’ll stick with those. (Laughter.)
But
it is an honor to serve with you, and I look forward to seeing you out
and around the world. One of the great joys that I’ve had in this job is
meeting people whom I met when they were control officers or political
officers or even ambassadors over the last 17 years. And today, I was
reminded that Nancy Powell and I first met in 1995 in New Delhi. So this
is a family, and it represents the very best of what we can do
together. So thank you for serving, and let’s go out and do everything
we possibly can to deliver on the promise of America.
Thank you all very much. (Applause.)