NURTURING OUR INVESTMENTS:
The Army Attaché and the FAO
In-Country Training (ICT) Program

Most FAOs who have served as Army Attaches would agree that one of he most challenging responsibilities of Army Attaches is stewardship of the FAO In-Country Training (ICT) program and the mentoring of the FAO-ICTs under their charge. This article will provide practical information for Army Attaches to foster a productive FAO ICT program. I will draw on my own practical knowledge of the ICT program in Europe, having just completed a three-year assignment as the Assistant Army Attaché at DAO Brussels. There, it was my privilege to work closely with seven FAO-ICTs assigned to either Belgium or Luxembourg, and to meet dozens of other FAO-ICTs and their families as they conducted their visits to Belgium. This article will also draw on my experience organizing and executing the 1997 European FAO-PEP (Personnel Exchange Program) Conference in Brussels. More than 35 FAOs, PEPs and their spouses attended this conference, which drew together in one five-day period the European FAO-ICT Community, and gave an excellent opportunity to take the pulse of the Program. Healthy it is, but there is room for improvement.

The Professional Component of Mentoring -- "Assist, Guide, Mentor, Train"

Centered on the FAO-ICT's approved Program-of-Instruction (POI), the professional component of mentoring leaves considerable room for imagination and initiative on the part of both the attaché and the FAO-ICT. In this regard, the attaché should provide the FAO-ICT with the maximum opportunity to interact within the Embassy Country Team and with host-nation officials. The attaché can also play an instrumental role in brokering FAO-ICT introductions to others in the Embassy who may play mentoring roles as well.

The attaché should take an active role in suggesting and advising the FAO-ICT on all elements of the POI. The attaché is in the best position to advise the FAO-ICT how to achieve the maximum degree of cultural and linguistic immersion. In the majority of FAO-ICT programs, which include attendance at host-nation military schools, the attaché's close contact with the school personnel can make the difference between a routine program and a truly focused one. For example, at DAO Brussels, our frequent interaction with the FAO-ICT's host-nation school course director was a major benefit to the FAO-ICT's progress at the school. We were fortunate to have FAO-ICTs who excelled outright. However, the attaché's close liaison with the school ensured that he was always well informed about the trainee's progress. The attaché could focus on preventing problems, rather than waiting for them to develop into something significant.

The attaché can also play an invaluable role in assisting the FAO-ICT to gain maximum opportunity to travel and learn within the base country and the entire region. Wherever possible, the attaché should include the FAO-ICT in briefings and visits to host-nation units. The attaché should encourage the FAO-ICT to judiciously schedule available time (e.g., school breaks) to visit neighboring countries. However, the attaché should also ensure that the FAO-ICT does not get professionally burdened "on the margins" with non-productive (i.e., non-FAO related) tasks -- ultimately the FAO-ICT needs undistracted time to plan and execute high quality visits within the region. The attaché cannot afford to allow even the most eager, well-meaning FAO-ICT to become expensive office help or to assume duties which do not advance the program. Even more important, the attaché must guard against FAO-ICT involvement in duties specifically restricted by the program. The attaché must assume an advocacy role within the Country Team, both to ensure that the FAO-ICT has the best access possible, and to ensure that the other members of the Country Team know both the opportunities and the restrictions of the training program.

Certainly, the attaché's other DAO and diplomatic contacts are particularly valuable in arranging unique access to other embassies in the region. For example, at DAO Brussels, we arranged for our Belgium FAO-ICT to conduct a six-week orientation program at the US Mission to NATO. From this unique platform, he discussed issues with numerous senior military and civilian diplomats, and had the opportunity to watch American policy-makers address critical issues of national policy at close-hand. The role of the attaché is important in ensuring access to a program of this kind, as well as the quality of the program.

The personal component of mentoring complements the formal ICT experience, making the difference between a formalistic program and one which has the potential to inspire and change lives. If the attaché is to be successful at the personal component of mentoring, then he or she should encourage frequent social interaction between attaché and the FAO-ICT families. These contacts are rewarding for all involved. Indeed, the attaché's associations with the FAO-ICTs must not only consider the FAOs potential to the Pol-Mil world (the professional environment), but also to the larger world of our associations (the personal or social environment). As an attaché, some of my most rewarding friendships -- and to this day most enduring -- were formed with the FAO-ICTs and their families, through frequent DAO social contacts.

Nothing communicates concern for the soldier or the soldier's family like a good sponsorship program. Simply stated, the FAO-ICT deserves a caring, competent sponsor. The attaché does not have to be the actual sponsor, but the attaché must ensure that one exists and that the job is done well. If this personal component of mentorship is lacking, the attaché's subsequent efforts at mentoring -- personally and professionally -- will be crippled by the FAO-ICTs impression that the attaché does not care. The attaché, whether as direct sponsor or sponsor's overseer, has a golden opportunity to start the FAO-ICT program with the spirit of genuine concern for this important young soldier's welfare. The attaché should welcome the FAO-ICT and family with open arms and sufficient resources to assist in getting on with their all-too-brief year abroad.

The attaché, by creating numerous social opportunities for inclusion of the FAO-ICTs and their families, can greatly enrich the experiences of the FAO-ICT, family members, the DAO, and the Embassy. The inclusion of the FAO-ICT family as members of the DAO Team should begin upon initial assignment and continue throughout. The FAO-ICTs and their families should receive as much opportunity as possible to participate in DAO functions. At DAO Brussels, for example, we conducted several Staff Ride/Family Days at Waterloo, the World War I battlefields at Ypres, and the World War II fortress of Eben Emael. These obviously featured significant professional development components, but more importantly, gathered the DAO personnel -- and in particular, the FAO-ICTs and their families -- for an outing together. We designed the Staff Rides/Family Days specifically with the FAO-ICTs in mind, and although most other DAO personnel attended enthusiastically, the FAO-ICTs and their families (as well as alumni of our FAO-ICT program) were unsurpassed in their eager participation.

Making the Most of an All-to-brief Experience -- the Attaché's Challenge

In conclusion, the FAO-ICT program is too brief to do without a good plan and continuous resourcing -- and judicious mentorship should be one of those resources. The professional and personal capital involved is just too valuable not to stoke the FAO-ICT fires with great care. Attaches should assist FAO-ICTs by:

- Fostering professional development in the core FAO skills -- language, regional expertise, and US Political Military policy.

- Encouraging continued ICT involvement in branch-related skills to ensure that trainees remain technically and tactically competent.

- Fostering interactions between the FAO-ICT and foreign armies to give them practice now for their future responsibilities.

- Emphasizing the personal component of the mentorship process. Transfer excitement and expertise to the FAO-ICTs and their families. Encourage mentoring in turn from those you mentor by showing the example.

Finally, just as we should not be reluctant to pass on our experiences to those who follow us, we should not fall into the trap of thinking that we have all the answers. Our mentorship should include a generous listening component as well, because we can and should learn from our junior colleagues. We will profit, and they will grow in the knowledge that our mentorship expresses genuine concern for their welfare and a belief in the validity of their ideas. We cannot lose the focus on our investment, the FAO Community of 2010 -- we have the chance to shape it today.

1997, Foreign Area Officer Association
Springfield, Virginia
Maintained by LTC Steve Gotowicki.
http://www.faoa.org