Notes from the President

Those of us fortunate enough to enjoy the FAO Dining-Out on 7 May will remember an evening of friendship and mutual commitment. The event brought together over sixty National Capital Area FAOs, from all the services, active and retired, many with their spouses. Credit -- HUGE KUDOS -- belongs to a dedicated group of FAOs led by Major Don Baker, USA, from Human Resources Command (HRC). Others instrumental in the success of the Dining-Out were: Mrs. Diane Baker, LTC(P) Ray Hodgkins, LTC Steve Ayers, LTC Barry Blackmon, LTC Brey Sloan, LTC Kelly Zicarello, MAJ Paul Dececco, MAJ Clayton Holt, MAJ Andrew Jenkins, and MAJ Anthony Sebo.

To take advantage of that FAO enthusiasm, on 21 May, the HRC FAOs, led by LTC Kelly Zicarello, sponsored the latest in a series of FAO Runs, on the Mall. Another outstanding team-building event!

Of note, the Army G-35, MG Keith Dayton, is in the planning stages for an Army FAO Conference, to be held in the Spring 2005 period, along models successful in Europe, Asia, and Latin America. Although Army G-35 will be the host for the Conference, other FAO Service Proponents and FAOs will be invited. Among the events considered for the conference are FAO Proponent presentations, presentations by Combatant Command J-5s, DSCA, and DHS, and perhaps most important, working groups to discuss and develop recommendations on issues of importance to FAO professional development.

This issue of the FAO Journal offers outstanding articles. One of the articles is a reprint (by permission) from the May-June 2004 Military Review, entitled "Redefining the Foreign Area Officer's Role." Let's hope the article generates lively debate among our membership.

In the spirit of addressing FAO attributes, I'd like to provide a summary of the lessons learned from the Army Foreign Area Officer perspective, based on my experience as a Board Member of the 2003 Army Colonels' Promotion Board. While there are some differences in our services' FAO programs, I think it is useful for all our services' FAOs to have a perspective on what constitutes professional "success." I do not offer my thoughts as the Solution; rather as observations and material for further dialog. I also offer my thoughts (privileged as I am to be serving in the Pentagon) in all humility -- with all respect to my fellow FAOs who are OUT FRONT at this moment protecting our Nation.

GO TO THE GUNS. The most important element of success for Army Foreign Area Officers is their readiness to deploy to -- and record of success in serving in -- challenging overseas assignments as Foreign Area Officers. Assignments in FAO- coded positions in hardship areas, at the cutting edge of US political-military efforts, are the reason we have FAOs in the first place.

POLITICAL-MILITARY COMPETENCE. The second element of success is demonstrated political-military competence. Without question, FAOs' thorough grounding in Army operations is essential to successful application of political- military skills. But the political-military skills are unique to FAOs; these skills are what set FAOs apart from their fellow basic branch Soldiers, and from the other Career Fields. FAOs must work well within a Joint-Interagency-Multinational context. FAOs need to be able to advise senior military leaders, senior Defense Department officials, and representatives from State, other agencies, and Coalition partners. And a successful FAO should be able to do so not only in his or her Area of Concentration, but be able to apply graduate-level political-military skills in other regional areas as required.

REGIONAL EXPERTISE. Third (recognizing the danger of prioritizing among three ALL-important components of FAO success) is the FAO's regional expertise in one or more areas, in one or more languages. FAOs need to demonstrate competence in working with a specific region, culture, and language -- if nothing else, as a base from which to expand as Army needs might require.

I'd welcome your thoughts on the subject of what constitutes "FAO success," either in email direct to me, or if you'd care to share them in the form of an article for the Journal!

Finally, please contribute your prayers and thoughts, in support of our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines who cannot be with their loved ones as they serve our nation in far-flung locales.

V/R, John Adams COL(P), USA President, Foreign Area Officer Association John.C.Adams@hqda.army.mil

2004, Foreign Area Officer Association
Herndon, Virginia
Maintained by LTC Steve Gotowicki.
http://www.faoa.org