Foreign Area Officer (Army)

[FØB Zero]

How competitive is this slot after USMA? AROTC? And what kind of posts are available for it?

 

[cb7893]

STAND-TO!

STAND-TO! provides the official focus of the U.S. Army.

www.army.mil

From the description:

This competitive program which effectively aligns officer attributes with Army requirements, targets officers between 7 – 9 years of service.

That will give you plenty of time to groove your foreign language chops.

I have been told FAO is popular destination for SF officers, since they come prepared with much of the required skill set.

 

[UHBlackhawk]

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.

 

[FØB Zero]

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.

Really?! You can’t commission as a FAO immediately after USMA/Rotc?

 

[Capt MJ]

Really?! You can’t commission as a FAO immediately after USMA/Rotc?

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.

One of our USNA sponsor mids was a Systems Engineer major and Chinese dual major. She did a semester in Taiwan as a mid and other approved trips to China. After commissioning, she went on to Marine helo pilot and flew medevac missions in combat zones in Afghanistan. She worked on her Chinese fluency on her own, and while stationed in Okinawa on another operational squadron tour (flew humanitarian support missions after the tsunami/nuclear power plant disaster), she started studying Japanese. Meanwhile, she delivered outstanding performance as a Marine officer. She applied for FAO as a major (O-4), tested at the top of the charts for language affinity, had a head-of-pack performance record and was approved for FAO transition. The Marine Corps sent her to the Naval Postgraduate School for an MA in International Relations, then rolled her into a course of intensive Chinese studies at the Defense Language Institute, also in Monterey, then to a year of cultural immersion in China under the auspices of DOS. Then it was on to the Pentagon to work with experienced senior FAOs riding the “China desk” at a major staff to learn policy issues. She just returned from a tour in Southeast Asia as a military attaché at an Embassy, which required yet another language and a stint at DLI, and is now working with a group that develops policy for the region, cultivates peer relationships with foreign services, coordinates with JCS and DOS, and also supports the staff handling sales of US-made aircraft to foreign services, which her professional background prepared her for. She plans to retire in a few years and work for DOS. FAO right out of USNA? No, FAOs need Fleet or Corps seasoning to develop them as warriors, then they turn their skills to advantage with FAO training. I suspect the Army has a similar philosophy.

 

[cb7893]

As usual, @Capt MJ nails it.

 

[MidCakePa]

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.”

 

[Capt MJ]

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.”

Exactly. It’s not a job for an O-1.

 

[cb7893]

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.

I like every book written by Robert Kaplan. More important I gave it to DS when he was a Freshman in HS. It is exactly what motivated him to apply for an AROTC scholarship. The book described his goal, 1000 meters in the distance, which he has been pursuing for almost 15 years--(only 6 of which are as an AD Officer), all while keeping his focus on the next 10 meters in front of him.

 

[emwvmi01]

A few more FAO Notes from the guidance sent to officers considering transitioning to Functional Areas

) Flexible. Applicants must be willing to accept designation into any FA48 Area of
Concentration (AOC). Any officer unwilling to accept designation into any FA48
AOC should not apply. All applicants will rank all AOCs and must enter one of the
following high demand AOCs in their top three: 48D (Central and South Asia), 48G
(Middle East/North Africa), and/or 48J (Sub-Saharan Africa) in their AOC preference
feedback on Part IV of the FAO questionnaire.

So you have to complete your key development (Company Command for most branches or captain level staff) time and be deployable and fit and then understand FAO means probably looking at a lot of time in the places listed above. I know several folks who have done it and they seem to enjoy it but it is very different path from the "muddy boots" of the infantry/armor/artillery world. Also, why there is an attaché at all embassies, you will probably be in one of the areas above initially before you are in Paris/London/Tokyo doing anything.

Other guidance states they are looking for graduate degrees focused in International Relations/Economics/Sociology/Language.

 

[OldRetSWO]

Really?! You can’t commission as a FAO immediately after USMA/Rotc?

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.

My cousin was a post - Commander Command aviator (O5) when he went to the FAO world. A friend is currently an FAO in one of the Scandinavian nations - he is a Nuke SWO O5.

As both a Naval Officer and from my industry experience, I consider this a feature, not a bug.

 

[dfksdklfsd]

He shows that it’s a challenging, exhilarating, rewarding and lonely endeavor. It’s also high stakes and low supervision.