Embassy New Delhi, India and Constituent Posts - OIG - US ...

SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED
five priorities during the MSRP off-site.) The DCM’s strong interest in entry-level personnel is
well placed, as Mission India has almost 5 percent of the entry-level personnel in the Foreign
Service. The DCM has worked with the entry-level personnel and senior managers to create a
wide-ranging program with opportunities for experience in other sections of the embassy and
consulates general, for outreach and representational events, and for mentoring. The DCM’s
regular meetings with all sections and agencies and hosting of weekly DVCs with, and visits to,
the consulates general underscored his accessibility and responsiveness to concerns of the
mission community.
As noted above, the Ambassador should give the DCM a stronger mandate to work with
the senior staff to provide him with proposals to allocate resources for both the policy and the
management work of the mission. For example, the DCM could host a weekly meeting of senior
staff where he could discuss broad strategies and specific proposals.
Both the Ambassador and DCM place a high priority on security and support the regional
security officer and his programs. The Ambassador makes an effort to thank the security and
guard force around the embassy. They are committed to equal opportunity and reinforce this
concept in their internal policies and public statements. They also actively support and host
embassy community activities.
The MSRP process for FY 2012 was inclusive and competently done. Though the
instructions for FY 2013 had not yet been received during the inspection, the Ambassador and
DCM had begun the process.
The Ambassador and DCM have very carefully reviewed and responded to National
Security Decision Directive-38 requests. While the mission had some success in adding staff to
handle a rapidly expanding relationship, the Indian Government has recently withheld approval
of new mission positions. Sometimes blockages can be relieved only by high-level intervention.
Because of this situation, the Ambassador has been careful to agree to add only the most
essential positions.
As noted above, coordination between the embassy and the consulates general has been
strong, both overall and on a section-by-section basis. The consuls general in Chennai,
Hyderabad, and Kolkata provide strong leadership across the full range of their responsibilities.
The consul general in Mumbai has been effective in public diplomacy, building contacts in the
government and public sectors, and in handling high-level visits, particularly that of the
President, but has been less effective in leading his staff. The OIG team provided guidance to
address this issue.
Rightsizing
Mission India in 2010 made an unscheduled update to its rightsizing study that applied
only to New Delhi, as it supported the embassy’s new office annex project. In December 2011,
the Office of Management Policy, Rightsizing, and Innovation will conduct a more
comprehensive review of the entire mission. The embassy negotiates the National Security
Decision Directive-38 process satisfactorily but often encounters lengthy delays with gaining
official Indian approval for new positions and visas. According to embassy data, 17 positions are
pending Indian Government approval. The agencies to which the positions belong run the gamut
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SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED