Doing Their Diplomatic Duty

So the State Department has determined that it has all the volunteers it needs to fill positions in Iraq, and won't have to force diplomats to go to the country against their will. Which begs the question: From a management perspective, wouldn't it have made more sense to make that determination before telling people they'd be forced to go if the department couldn't find sufficient volunteers? Why create all kinds of angst in your workforce when it turns out you didn't need to? The answer isn't that State needed to send a message that forced assignments might be coming. That message already had been sent loud and clear.