# Re State Dept personnel refusing duty posts in Iraq - How was it resolved? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 14, 2009, 11:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-state-dept-personnel-refusing-duty-posts-in-iraq-how-was-it-resolved/485805 "2009-02-14T11:11:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2009, 11:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-state-dept-personnel-refusing-duty-posts-in-iraq-how-was-it-resolved/485805/1 "2009-02-14T11:11:16Z")
A bit over a year and half ago [there were several stories](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7072047.stm) about US diplomatic postings and support personnel positions remaining empty due to career State Dept personnel [refusing, or otherwise fighting,](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/26/AR2007102602417.html)being posted to Iraq despite the clear understanding they had in undertaking a State Department career, that hazard duty posts would potentially be part of the deal. I never heard any more about it. What was the resolution to this issue? ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2009, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-state-dept-personnel-refusing-duty-posts-in-iraq-how-was-it-resolved/485805/2 "2009-02-14T14:04:52Z")
I never heard either so I assume they eventually got enough people to agree to go. Or else the people forced to go never talked to the media . In a lot of cases people make big money to go work there but I assume that doesn’t apply to government jobs, only contractor jobs. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2009, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-state-dept-personnel-refusing-duty-posts-in-iraq-how-was-it-resolved/485805/3 "2009-02-14T16:16:30Z")
When I was in the Foreign Service, it was not uncommon for a posting to remain vacant. If nobody bids on a posting, then it usually just stays open and the post muddles by without that particular slot being filled, up to and including ambassador. New officers can just be assigned to a post, and it would be a poor career move for a junior officer to turn down an assignment, but they can turn it down. I turned down both Ulaan Bataar and an African post to take Lisbon when I first joined. But I was support staff, not a diplomat. I knew a lot of FSOs who turned down assignments, and I imagine the DOS had a very hard time filling Iraq positions. I’ve never heard of anybody being fired for refusing a posting. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2009, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-state-dept-personnel-refusing-duty-posts-in-iraq-how-was-it-resolved/485805/4 "2009-02-14T17:16:43Z")
Basically, things got fixed. Enough volunteers were found. [http://www.unc.edu/depts/diplomat/item/2008/1012/ed\_voliraq.html](http://www.unc.edu/depts/diplomat/item/2008/1012/ed_voliraq.html) ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2009, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-state-dept-personnel-refusing-duty-posts-in-iraq-how-was-it-resolved/485805/5 "2009-02-14T17:23:57Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > Basically, things got fixed. Enough volunteers were found. > > [http://www.unc.edu/depts/diplomat/item/2008/1012/ed\_voliraq.html](http://www.unc.edu/depts/diplomat/item/2008/1012/ed_voliraq.html) It’s very possible that they merely did a recruitment for most of the support positions, with the stipulation that the first assignment would be Iraq. I’m wondering what the differential pay is for those folks. Hell, I got 25% locality and 15% medical differential just for serving in Uganda, which was peaceful at the time. 40% of your salary tax-free is a pretty fair incentive, so I would imagine that Iraq is probably up in the 75% bracket.