Daily Archives: April 4, 2016

DOD Talks About Military Families Ordered Out of Turkey, @StateDept Remains Mum Except — Bunnies!

April 4, 2016 By in Americans Abroad, Defense Department, EUR|Europe, Evacuations, Foreign Service, Functional Bureaus, Govt Documents, Huh? News, Media, Org Culture, Realities of the FS, Security, Social Media, Spouses, State Department, Trends, U.S. Missions Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Posted: 3:07 am ET
[twitter-follow screen_name=’Diplopundit’ ]

 

Meanwhile — information on Foreign Service families evacuated from U.S. Consulate Adana is hard to come by.

We don’t know at this point how many Foreign Service family members and pets were evacuated out of southern Turkey under last week’s “ordered departure” announcement (the number is very small in our guesstimate).  Or whether they were evacuated to other posts in Turkey, or returned to the United States (designated safehaven for eligible family members is the United States — anywhere in the 50 United States or the District of Columbia).

The ordered departure was approved initially for 30 days but will remain in effect until terminated by the State and Defense departments (by law, an evacuation cannot last longer than 180 days).  The DOD spoxes have been forthcoming with evacuation information on military families and pets, whereas the State Department spokesperson got tangled about bunnies at the Daily Press Briefing. DOD has also posted the State Department’s ordered departure unclassified cable for Adana here (PDF); the document is not publicly available on state.gov.

 

Related items:

State Department: Ordered Departure from Adana
ORDERED DEPARTURE FROM Adana, Evacuation Authority And Department Policy

Ordered Departure – Adana, Izmir, and Mugla, Turkey
The Department of State (DOS) has approved an ordered departure from Adana, Izmir Province, and Mugla Province, Turkey, and designated the United States as the safe haven for DOS-eligible family members (EFMs).

Parent Letter for Turkey Departure
As you prepare to leave as a result of the Department of State’s Ordered Departure from Incirlik/Adana, Turkey, continuing your child’s education must be a top priority upon arrival at your safe haven.

Allowances to a safe haven (DTMO)
EFMs of DoD military personnel will be processed for safe haven allowances in accordance with Joint Travel Regulations (JTR), Chapter 6, Part Al.

 

#

America’s War Machine: If you think @StateDept runs American foreign policy … (book excerpt)

April 4, 2016 By in Book Notes, Defense Department, Diplomacy, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Assistance, Foreign Policy, Realities of the FS, Staffing the FS, State Department Tags: , , , , 1 Comment

Posted: 3:04 am ET
[twitter-follow screen_name=’Diplopundit’ ]

 

James H. McCartney had covered every president from Dwight D. Eisenhower to Bill Clinton. McCartney covered the White House, the State department, the Pentagon and relevant committees on Capitol Hill. He reported from about 30 countries, including Vietnam, the Soviet Union, the Middle East and Europe. After retirement from daily journalism, he taught courses in foreign policy and politics at Georgetown University. McCartney’s papers, including about 4,000 of his articles, are in the Special Collections Research Center at Georgetown University’s Lauringer Library.

Molly Sinclair McCartney worked as a newspaper reporter more than 25 years, including 14 years at the Washington Post. In 2012 she was appointed a Woodrow Wilson Public Scholar in Washington D.C. to do the research and interviews needed to finish America’s War Machine.

“You knew, if you were a government spokesman, that you’d better have it straight and you’d better have the facts, because he’d keep coming at you…He was not there to enhance the government. He was there to inform the people. I didn’t know anyone I respected more than Jim.” ―Hodding Carter, former Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs and State Department spokesman

Book excerpt from America’s War Machine: Vested Interests, Endless Conflicts, courtesy of Amazon Kindle:

[protected-iframe id=”453cf76e739af6939d1c068410a8be6f-31973045-31356973″ info=”https://read.amazon.com/kp/card?asin=B00VPXAEW0&preview=inline&linkCode=kpe&ref_=cm_sw_r_kb_dp_9Syaxb1SZ207S&tag=diplopundit-20″ width=”536″ height=”750″ frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen=””]

 

Related items:

 

 

#

U.S. Embassies in Armenia and Azerbaijan Restrict USG Travel to #NagornoKarabakh and Surrounding Territories

April 4, 2016 By in Americans Abroad, Consular Work, Diplomatic Security, EUR|Europe, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Service, Functional Bureaus, Realities of the FS, Security, Social Media, U.S. Missions Tags: , , , , , , ,

Posted: 1:04 am ET
[twitter-follow screen_name=’Diplopundit’ ]

 

U.S. Embassy Baku “strongly advises private U.S. citizens to avoid travel to NK and the Embassy continues to prohibit the travel of U.S. government personnel to NK.  Consular services are not available to U.S. citizens in NK or the occupied territories surrounding it.  U.S. citizens are also reminded that travel across the Azerbaijan-Armenia international border is not possible due to ongoing hostilities.  Travelers should remain clear of the border areas and comply with Azerbaijani checkpoints set up to keep travelers from hazardous areas.”

Excerpt below from US Embassy Yerevan’s Security Message:

The Embassy is aware of reports that indicate a serious escalation in violence along the Line of Contact in the Nagorno-Karabakh (NK) region and occupied territories, which include reports of civilian casualties.  The U.S. Embassy continues to prohibit the travel of U.S. government personnel to NK.  The U.S. Embassy also strongly advises private U.S. citizens to avoid travel to NK. U.S. consular services remain unavailable to U.S. citizens in NK and the surrounding territories.

The security situation along the Armenian-Azerbaijani border in the Tavush Province continues to remain tense as well. Travel by U.S. government personnel to this border area is restricted. Villages and their connecting border roads in this area that are affected by these restrictions include, but are not limited to, Vazashen, Varagavan, Paravakar, Aygepar, Azatamut, and Barekamavan. The Embassy notes this area also includes the segment of the frequently traveled route between Yerevan and Tbilisi on M-16/H-26 from Azatamut through Jujevan to the Georgian border.

Review your personal security plans, remain aware of your surroundings, including local events, monitor local news stations for updates. Maintain a high level of vigilance and take appropriate steps to enhance your personal security

.

 #