AGENCY POLICY ON DURATION OF TOURS OF DUTY ABROAD

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP78-03578A000600010010-5
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 25, 2001
• Sequence Number: 10
• Publication Date: October 21, 1953
• Content Type: MF

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21 October 1953
MEMORANDUM FOR: The Assistant Director for Personnel
SUBJECT: Agency Policy on Duration of Tours of Duty Abroad
REFERENCE: Proposed Regulation
OVERSEAS TOURS OF D1'
1. On 25 June, I recommended to the Acting Deputy Director (Admini-
stration) the development of an Agency policy on the duration of tours of
duty abroad to be formalized and implemented by appropriate Agency regula-
tions. In particular, I called attention to the fact that any such Regula-
tion should contain implementing personnel procedures so that the relaXd1C
responsibilities of the Comptroller could be fulfilled.
3. Your office has now submitted subject Regulation for coordination.
Before undertaking coordination, however, we are returning the draft Regula-
tion with what we believe are valid criticisms for your further consideration.
Our major criticisms are as follows:
a. The policy statements are extremely vague in that no
criteria or rules are provided for their interpretation and appli-
cation. In addition, deviations from policy can be made for un-
defined reasons and by so many different officials as to negate the
stated policies.
b. The policy statements are incomplete since no mention is
made of the penalties for violation by the individual of his tour
of duty obligation to the Agency. Not only is this a legal require-
ment in certain cases, but it is essential in other,,s to the enforce-
ment of Agency policy. In the absence of such provisions, the
Comptroller cannot properly fulfill his responsibilities under this
Regulation, and Agency personnel may be misled into committing
breaches of policy without knowledge of the penalty therefor.
c. The Regulation includes a mass of irrelevant material
ranging from the problems of reassignment, the determination of
overseas personnel requirements, rotation, and the preservation of cover.
These subjects would more appropriately be presented in regulations on
those subjects.
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d. The Regulation does not contain practical working pro-
cedures for establishing the tour of duty agreement with.the
individual, for ensuring that special exceptions are properly
accomplished, that the policies are effectively carried out,
and that the prescribed penalty requirements for willful violation
of policy are carried out.
4. I realize that the above criticismsare very sweeping, but I
have made them so purposefully to overemphasize the weaknesses in the
draft Regulation. To illustrate my point, subsequent paragraphs out-
line the points of policy which I think must be prescribed in detail
in order to have a Regulation adequate to the needs of all Agency com-
ponents and individuals affected.
5. Historically and legally, I believe the Agency has a definitive
policy on overseas tours of duty which can easily be prescribed, imple-
mented, and enforced. I believe this policy is as follows:
a. The normal minimum tour of duty overseas shall consist
of two years' continuous service at the post(s) of overseas assign-
ment. (NOTE: Continuous Service must be defined and should prefer-
ably conform to legal requirements for "home leave" travel at
government expense.)
b. The normal maximum tour of duty overseas shall be from
two to three years at the discretion of the Agency. The determina-
tion as to actual duration of the normal tour of duty within this
period will be based upon the tour of duty policies of cover organi-
zations, the availability of replacements if required, operational
exigencies, and the availability of funds.
c. If an individual resigns or abandons his overseas position
prior to completion of twelve months' service for the government,
all travel expenses incurred by the government in transferring an
individual from the place of appointment to the overseas post of
duty becomes a debt due the government, and return travel to the
United States shall be at the expense of the individual. (Public
Law 600)
d. If the individual resigns or abandons his overseas position
prior to the completion of two years' continuous duty overseas, he
forfeits his right to return travel to the United States at govern-
ment expense*
e. Any initial exceptions to the basic requirement for a
minimum two year tour of duty must be authorized in advance by the
Deputy Director (Administration), or his designee, upon the recom-
mendation of the Deputy Director concerned, the Director of Training,
the Assistant Director for Communications or their designees.
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(1) Advance approval of a tour of duty of less than
two years will only be considered for individuals whose
employment is made conditional by them upon a shorter term,
and where the services of that particular individual for the
particular assignment are considered essential.
f. A tour of duty once established shall only be reduced
to a period of less than two years where:
(1) The individual is to be terminated for the best
interests of the Agency with or without prejudice.
(2) The services of the individual in a PCS assignment
in the United States are determined to be of greater value to
the Agency than in his overseas assignment.
(3) There is no further need for the services of the
individual in his overseas assignment and no other appropri-
ate assignment is available in the broad geographic area
involved.
6. If the preceding policy statements and essential procedural
requirements are correct, it will probably be necessary to add a little
more detail to some of the procedures and probably there will be a need
to develop some new personnel procedures and working relationships with
the Comptroller's Office to implement the Regulation.
7. f
ssed memorandum= you do not
greeatewanithopportunitythe views
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further with you.
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Deputy Director (Admin.)
SA/DDA:EDE:mes (19 October 1953)
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