The requirement for hardship duty will affect diplomats given tenure on and after Jan. 1. "Everybody, eventually, will be doing this," Pearson said.
To make the new rules work, Pearson said, the department will need to improve family support programs, help spouses find jobs overseas and address compensation issues, such as the loss of "locality pay" when officers deploy overseas.
Louise Crane, a vice president of the American Foreign Service Association, said the group supports the department's goals. She agreed that the department will need to more seriously address family considerations -- such as inadequate schools and health risks -- as more officers take hardship assignments.
"There will be more scrutiny on conditions at these posts," she said.
Talk Shows
Jayson Ahern, assistant commissioner for field operations at U.S. Customs and Border Protection, will be the guest on "FEDtalk" at 11 a.m. today on federalnewsradio.com.
W. Ron DeHaven, administrator of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, will be the guest on the "IBM Business of Government Hour" at 9 a.m. tomorrow on WJFK radio (106.7 FM).
"Federal Agencies: Enjoy the Holidays but Don't Forget the Needy" will be the topic of discussion on the Imagene B. Stewart call-in program at 8 a.m. Sunday on WOL radio (1450 AM).
E-mail: barrs@washpost.com
