Update on the Death of FSO Brian Adkins

The GW Hatchet has an update today on the death of Brian Adkins, a Foreign Service Officer who was on his first diplomatic assignment in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

“An Ethiopian man has pleaded guilty to the murder of 2007 alumnus Brian Adkins, a Foreign Service officer found dead in his Ethiopia home this February, according to Adkins’ family.

State Department officials told family members that a man named “Sammy” had admitted to beating Adkins to death with a baseball bat in the Ohio native’s African home. Sammy, a local man whose full name was not available, had met Adkins through mutual friends who frequently played video games at the house.

At a preliminary hearing on March 27, Sammy pleaded guilty to second degree murder and stealing Adkins’ possessions, said Dan Adkins, Brian’s father, in an interview. Dan Adkins added that prosecutors are seeking to convict the man of first degree murder, which could result in the death penalty.”

Read the whole thing here.


Related Post:

One of Ours is Dead in Addis Ababa


Updated 5/2/09 @ 6:55 pm
– For more on Brian Adkins:
See “Appreciation: A Life Dedicated to Service: Brian Adkins: (1983-2009)”
By Charles Hornbostel │ FS Journal May 2009 │ pp. 41-43

Brian Adkins – Legacy.com Guest Book

Update on the Death of FSO Brian Adkins

The GW Hatchet has an update today on the death of Brian Adkins, a Foreign Service Officer who was on his first diplomatic assignment in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

“An Ethiopian man has pleaded guilty to the murder of 2007 alumnus Brian Adkins, a Foreign Service officer found dead in his Ethiopia home this February, according to Adkins’ family.

State Department officials told family members that a man named “Sammy” had admitted to beating Adkins to death with a baseball bat in the Ohio native’s African home. Sammy, a local man whose full name was not available, had met Adkins through mutual friends who frequently played video games at the house.

At a preliminary hearing on March 27, Sammy pleaded guilty to second degree murder and stealing Adkins’ possessions, said Dan Adkins, Brian’s father, in an interview. Dan Adkins added that prosecutors are seeking to convict the man of first degree murder, which could result in the death penalty.”

Read the whole thing here.


Related Post:

One of Ours is Dead in Addis Ababa


Updated 5/2/09 @ 6:55 pm
– For more on Brian Adkins:
See “Appreciation: A Life Dedicated to Service: Brian Adkins: (1983-2009)”
By Charles Hornbostel │ FS Journal May 2009 │ pp. 41-43

Brian Adkins – Legacy.com Guest Book

FY09 Supplemental Request: Expanded Embassies in Af/Pak

(Source: Published OIG Report ISP-I-06-13A, Jan.18.2006 – State Department)

The White House recently sent to the Congress a supplemental appropriations request totaling $83.4 billion that will fund our ongoing military, diplomatic, and intelligence operations. The State details are excerpted below. Read the whole thing here.

Congress will review the request in the coming weeks and the Speaker said it “will engage in a dialogue with the Administration on appropriate benchmarks to measure the success of our investments.” Remains to be seen what makes it through Congress. But it looks like from these numbers that a larger personnel “surge” should be expected not just for Afghanistan but also for all posts in Pakistan. It is hard to imagine that Congress would withhold funds for Afghanistan this time after years of shoveling funds into Iraq. And since Af is tied to Pak in more ways than one, well, you get the picture …

For an additional amount for “Diplomatic and Consular Programs”, $594,315,000, to remain available until September 30, 2010, of which $117,983,000 is for worldwide security protection and shall remain available until expended: Provided, That the Secretary of State may transfer up to $137,600,000 of the total funds made available under this heading to any other appropriation of any department or agency of the United States, upon the concurrence of the head of such department or agency, to support operations in and assistance for Afghanistan and to carry out the provisions of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961.

This proposal would provide $594.3 million for Diplomatic and Consular Programs as follows: $150 million for the U.S. Mission in Iraq to meet the increased costs of security and operations; $363 million for the U.S. Mission in Afghanistan for increased staffing levels, support operations, and security programs throughout the provinces and in Kabul; $52.9 million for operating and security costs for the U.S. mission in Pakistan; and $28.4 million to support additional counterterrorism and diplomatic operating costs for the Department of State.

Funds for SIGAR:

For an additional amount for “Office of Inspector General”, $7,201,000, to remain available until September 30, 2010, which shall be transferred to the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction for reconstruction oversight. This proposal would provide $7.2 million to the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) to support SIGAR’s authorized responsibilities.


Funds for Embassy Security, Construction, and Maintenance

For an additional amount for “Embassy Security, Construction, and Maintenance”, $898,728,000, to remain available until expended, for worldwide security upgrades, acquisition, and construction as authorized.

This proposal would provide a total of $898.7 million for Embassy Security, Construction, and Maintenance. Of this amount, $893.2 million is provided to meet secure diplomatic facility and housing needs for U.S. Mission staff in Afghanistan and Pakistan, including $87.0 million to acquire additional property to support expanded diplomatic facilities in Kabul, Afghanistan; and $806.2 million to construct new secure and safe facilities in Pakistan, including construction of a new U.S. embassy building in Islamabad and other secure diplomatic facility needs in Pakistan.

Of the $806.2 million for Pakistan, $736.5 million would fund a major upgrade of facilities in Islamabad to meet security and building infrastructure needs. This includes: $111 million for the construction in Islamabad of a new annex to accommodate approximately 330 personnel; $405 million for the renovation or replacement of the existing chancery to accommodate approximately 645 personnel; $108 million for permanent New Embassy Compound (NEC) housing (156 units); $112.5 million for construction of U.S. Marine Corps security guard quarters, and general office facilities.

In addition, $29.6 million would support site acquisition for future construction of new consulate facilities in Lahore, and $40.1 million would support diplomatic facilities in Peshawar.

This request would also provide $5.5 million to deploy mobile mail screening units to protect U.S. Government employees at various high risk facilities. Approximately 73 mail screening units will be deployed to posts worldwide based on threat level (as determined by the Department of State’s Bureau of Diplomatic Security). This is an unanticipated need based upon security threats directed at many individual embassies and consulates worldwide.

FY09 Supplemental Request: Expanded Embassies in Af/Pak

(Source: Published OIG Report ISP-I-06-13A, Jan.18.2006 – State Department)

The White House recently sent to the Congress a supplemental appropriations request totaling $83.4 billion that will fund our ongoing military, diplomatic, and intelligence operations. The State details are excerpted below. Read the whole thing here.

Congress will review the request in the coming weeks and the Speaker said it “will engage in a dialogue with the Administration on appropriate benchmarks to measure the success of our investments.” Remains to be seen what makes it through Congress. But it looks like from these numbers that a larger personnel “surge” should be expected not just for Afghanistan but also for all posts in Pakistan. It is hard to imagine that Congress would withhold funds for Afghanistan this time after years of shoveling funds into Iraq. And since Af is tied to Pak in more ways than one, well, you get the picture …

For an additional amount for “Diplomatic and Consular Programs”, $594,315,000, to remain available until September 30, 2010, of which $117,983,000 is for worldwide security protection and shall remain available until expended: Provided, That the Secretary of State may transfer up to $137,600,000 of the total funds made available under this heading to any other appropriation of any department or agency of the United States, upon the concurrence of the head of such department or agency, to support operations in and assistance for Afghanistan and to carry out the provisions of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961.

This proposal would provide $594.3 million for Diplomatic and Consular Programs as follows: $150 million for the U.S. Mission in Iraq to meet the increased costs of security and operations; $363 million for the U.S. Mission in Afghanistan for increased staffing levels, support operations, and security programs throughout the provinces and in Kabul; $52.9 million for operating and security costs for the U.S. mission in Pakistan; and $28.4 million to support additional counterterrorism and diplomatic operating costs for the Department of State.

Funds for SIGAR:

For an additional amount for “Office of Inspector General”, $7,201,000, to remain available until September 30, 2010, which shall be transferred to the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction for reconstruction oversight. This proposal would provide $7.2 million to the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) to support SIGAR’s authorized responsibilities.


Funds for Embassy Security, Construction, and Maintenance

For an additional amount for “Embassy Security, Construction, and Maintenance”, $898,728,000, to remain available until expended, for worldwide security upgrades, acquisition, and construction as authorized.

This proposal would provide a total of $898.7 million for Embassy Security, Construction, and Maintenance. Of this amount, $893.2 million is provided to meet secure diplomatic facility and housing needs for U.S. Mission staff in Afghanistan and Pakistan, including $87.0 million to acquire additional property to support expanded diplomatic facilities in Kabul, Afghanistan; and $806.2 million to construct new secure and safe facilities in Pakistan, including construction of a new U.S. embassy building in Islamabad and other secure diplomatic facility needs in Pakistan.

Of the $806.2 million for Pakistan, $736.5 million would fund a major upgrade of facilities in Islamabad to meet security and building infrastructure needs. This includes: $111 million for the construction in Islamabad of a new annex to accommodate approximately 330 personnel; $405 million for the renovation or replacement of the existing chancery to accommodate approximately 645 personnel; $108 million for permanent New Embassy Compound (NEC) housing (156 units); $112.5 million for construction of U.S. Marine Corps security guard quarters, and general office facilities.

In addition, $29.6 million would support site acquisition for future construction of new consulate facilities in Lahore, and $40.1 million would support diplomatic facilities in Peshawar.

This request would also provide $5.5 million to deploy mobile mail screening units to protect U.S. Government employees at various high risk facilities. Approximately 73 mail screening units will be deployed to posts worldwide based on threat level (as determined by the Department of State’s Bureau of Diplomatic Security). This is an unanticipated need based upon security threats directed at many individual embassies and consulates worldwide.

Quickie: State’s Centrality in Foreign Policy

Dexter Filkins writing in the April 11 issue of NYT writes about the militarization of foreign policy and how this appears to be slowly changing:

“In the nearly eight years since the 9/11 attacks, the foreign policy of the United States has often appeared to be an exclusively military affair, if not always conducted by men with guns then practiced by civilians not shy in reminding their foes that they had force at their disposal. The diplomats, for the most part, watched from afar.
[…]
The reassertion by civilian leaders is being led by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, who has promised to restore the State Department’s centrality in the making of foreign policy. […] She has a long way to go. According to an article in the January-February issue of Foreign Affairs by J. Anthony Holmes, there are more musicians playing in military bands than there are diplomats working around the globe. The Pentagon’s budget is 24 times larger than the State Department’s and USAID combined, Mr. Holmes found. For the recent trip to the subcontinent, Mr. Holbrooke flew on a Pentagon jet.”


Related Items:

Quickie: State’s Centrality in Foreign Policy

Dexter Filkins writing in the April 11 issue of NYT writes about the militarization of foreign policy and how this appears to be slowly changing:

“In the nearly eight years since the 9/11 attacks, the foreign policy of the United States has often appeared to be an exclusively military affair, if not always conducted by men with guns then practiced by civilians not shy in reminding their foes that they had force at their disposal. The diplomats, for the most part, watched from afar.
[…]
The reassertion by civilian leaders is being led by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, who has promised to restore the State Department’s centrality in the making of foreign policy. […] She has a long way to go. According to an article in the January-February issue of Foreign Affairs by J. Anthony Holmes, there are more musicians playing in military bands than there are diplomats working around the globe. The Pentagon’s budget is 24 times larger than the State Department’s and USAID combined, Mr. Holmes found. For the recent trip to the subcontinent, Mr. Holbrooke flew on a Pentagon jet.”


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