Really?! You can’t commission as a FAO immediately after USMA/Rotc?FAO option does not pop up until you’ve had a successful company command, so about the six year mark after graduation give or take.
It is somewhat competitive but based more on your performance as an officer.
Have you read through the link above? I just did, because I wanted to educate myself on the Army FAO path, to compare it to what I know of the Navy and Marine Corps FAO path. It’s very similar - prove yourself in your branch, meet the criteria, apply. FAOs routinely meet with military officers and officials from other nations, and are expected to be high-performing, experienced officers who can be trusted as representatives of the U.S.Really?! You can’t commission as a FAO immediately after USMA/Rotc?
Exactly. It’s not a job for an O-1.Excellent book about this line of work: “Imperial Grunts,” by Robert Kaplan. The author, who is an outstanding storyteller of foreign lands, trails numerous FAO in various parts of the world. He shows that it’s a challenging, exhilarating, rewarding and lonely endeavor. It’s also high stakes and low supervision. Which makes great sense that only very experienced and highly vetted officers get the call to be “warrior diplomats.”
There isn't a book I refer to more than Imperial Grunts. It is less a book about FAO's and more a book about the well from which they are drawn. It is particularly focused on the important role of the NCO's, hence the word "Grunts" in the title.Excellent book about this line of work: “Imperial Grunts,” by Robert Kaplan. The author, who is an outstanding storyteller of foreign lands, trails numerous FAO in various parts of the world. He shows that it’s a challenging, exhilarating, rewarding and lonely endeavor. It’s also high stakes and low supervision. Which makes great sense that only very experienced and highly vetted officers get the call to be “warrior diplomats.”
The Navy actually does this in a lot of areas as the Navy culture seems to prefer having warfare or to be more general, officers who have seen a bit of the Navy and the world in the various specialty areas. A good example is in the acquisition arena at the Systems Commands. Many of the actual experts are civilian employees for stuff done in house and then there is a lot of efforts that are done by industry. The Navy goes out of its way to have seasoned officers dealing with the civil servants and industry so you will very rarely if ever encounter an Ensign or LTJG fresh from the University or Grad School in those roles.Really?! You can’t commission as a FAO immediately after USMA/Rotc?
In a word, noReally?! You can’t commission as a FAO immediately after USMA/Rotc?
How competitive is this slot after USMA? AROTC? And what kind of posts are available for it?