EDITORIAL -- SEPTEMBER 1998
DECISIONS! DECISIONS! DECISIONS!

With apologies to the Air Force, Marine, and Navy members of the Association, I want to devote this quarter's editorial to a personnel issue that critically affects Army FAOs. A major change (OPMS XXI) in how the Army does its personnel business is underway and goes fully operational on 1 October 1998. Key to this change is a one-time career decision that every army officer must make in the next four years.

Army FAOs need to come to grips with that decision -- Will you go FAO or will you go back to your basic branch? The "rumor-mill" has been operating overtime since OPMS XXI was first broached. A lot of the "grapevine" information is confusing and some of it is just plain wrong. One thing that is for sure is that your Career Field Designation (CFD) is a MAJOR decision that will significantly change your life as an army officer.

SO FIRST POINT OF ADVICE: Take any opinion expressed by a buddy (peer or mentor) with "a grain of salt" -- he or she may not know what they are talking about.

TO MAJORS AND CAPTAINS

Considerable time and effort has been expended by the army leadership in trying to "get the word out" to you, on what your decisions mean to your career and to the Army. What do we know about CFD? We know that if a Major or a Captain goes FAO (OP SPT CF) he or she will serve as a FAO from then on -- this does not mean no more service in the TO&E Army, because FAO slots are being opened on every Corps and Division staff. Further, if a Major or Captain chooses the alternative -- the Operations Career Field (OPS CF -- read basic branch), he/she will serve and compete against other single-tracked basic branch officers for S3/XO and Battalion/Brigade Commands. These latter officers might serve in FAO-like jobs when it is their turn to do a branch immaterial job (every basic branch will get a slice of these jobs that gets larger and larger at the senior field grades). Upon promotion to O-5, the OP CF officers have an opportunity to get back to FAO -- BUT ONLY IF THERE ARE FAO SHORTAGES IN THEIR REGIONAL AREAS OF CONCENTRATION (read army needs). Otherwise, they continue serving in non-command and branch immaterial jobs in their basic branch.

SECOND POINT OF ADVICE: If you want to serve as a FAO, make your decision at Career Field Designation.

TO LIEUTENANT COLONELS AND COLONELS

Conversely, very little time has been spent on discussing the impact of the career field decisions by older year groups. At O-5 and O-6, you essentially have the option of declaring "single-tracking" seemingly at your leisure. However, you should realize that under OPMS XXI the basic branches have HUGE numbers of branch immaterial jobs assigned to them at your grades. This could mean that if you are not on a successful command track when a basic branch gets hold of your file, you could get the "dregs" assignments-wise. Further, once they have your file for assignment it will probably be too late to declare "single-track FAO" -- branch won't release you and your choices will be to accept the RFO or retire gracefully.

THIRD POINT OF ADVICE: If doing FAO work is interesting to you, declare "single-track FAO" early. Those who wait may not get in (smaller numbers of senior FAOs will be needed under a "single-track" system.

The Army has spent a lot of money and time to train and educate most of you as FAOs. It needs your FAO expertise badly and it would be a real waste to the Army and the nation for you to play careerist and "straddle the fence" on this issue. For all FAOs, NOW is the time to step forward and be counted!

Joseph D. Tullbane, III., Ph.D., President, FAOA

1998, Foreign Area Officer Association
Springfield, Virginia
Maintained by LTC Steve Gotowicki.
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