How competitive is the Foreign Area Officer program?

[MilitaryMan64]

I really want to go into the Foreign Area Officer or FAO program after I do my time in another MOS. This is kind of the make or break for me about whether I submit my USMA application or not. I just want to know if I have a good chance of getting in. Any information regarding the program is appreciated. Thank you.

 

[UHBlackhawk]

You won’t assess for the program until you have a successful company command, so about the 5-8 year mark.
When you assess there is no guarantee that you will get your first choice. You could study Spanish in college but be sent to an English speaking area.
I’ll let an actual FAO fill in the blanks. I know a few pilots who went this route including some West Point grads.

 

[Heatherg21]

This is an interesting question and not a subject I know anything about, but it made me curious. Here is the link I found for basic info (OP may have already done a deep dive on this).

STAND-TO!

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

www.army.mil

 

[Devil Doc]

Seems like a big risk if this is the only reason to attend West Point.

 

[shiner]

Seems like a big risk if this is the only reason to attend West Point.

And there is zero correlation between having attended USMA and being selected to FAO... Having native speaker capabilities in a language? Yes, but attending USMA as a criteria bullet? No.

 

[cb7893]

Have you typed “Foreign Area Officer“ into the google machine? You can’t believe what that thing will do.

 

[prospective2019]

I can't provide any answers to questions here, but several of my instructors were FAOs and they always have several here during Branch Week to talk every year. I believe it is competitive, but as with everything, if it's something you want and actively pursue you can better your chances.