Capacity

Thanks to my colleague at National Journal, I got to spend some time yesterday with some of the leaders of the Center for the Study of the Presidency to discuss their new report "Saving America's Future: A Challenge to the American People" (not yet available online). One thing that struck me about the report was that its requirements, including major revitalization of the diplomatic, public health, education, and economic systems was its frank acknowledgment of a need for greater capacity, and a greater focus on performance: it's one of the first reports I've seen to include recommendations for the Chief Performance Officer. So I asked a couple of the speakers, including Ambassador Thomas Pickering and Rear Admiral Susan Blumenthal what they thought needed to be done to meet that need for greater capacity.

"We have a fantastic young generation coming on," Pickering said, noting that federal pay may not be terrific, but the other rewards can be substantial. He said it's important that the education system be improved, both to produce a bench of qualified candidates for federal jobs, and to encourage students to enter federal service.

Admiral Blumenthal praised President Obama's call to service, but she said as a practical matter, the budget and the Recovery Act would be a major help to agencies have the will to hire, but just need the money.