USMC Submission for Fao Association Journal (Dec 2003)

LtCol John F. May, USMC

The USMC International Affairs Officer Program (IAOP) continues to gain momentum. In addition to coordinating the selection, training, and utilization of FAOs and RAOs , the International Issues Branch (PLU) of HQMC responsibility for the Marine Corps Personnel Exchange Program (MCPEP) in the summer of 2003. The transfer of this program is intended to more closely align these two populations of officers serving in unique overseas billets--thereby better managing this critical manpower resource and more fully exploiting their regional expertise. This was the same objective that was hoped to be achieved when PLU took control of both the Olmsted Scholar Program and Foreign Professional Military Education Programs; results from all of these initiatives have been favorable.

The annual IAOP selection board identified 18 qualified applicants--10 FAOs and 8 RAOs--for entry into the study-track training pipeline. In accordance with the IAOP training timeline, twelve of these International Affairs Officers (IAOs) in-training will begin their education at the Naval Postgraduate School in Jan 03; the remaining six officers are scheduled to start school in June of 2004. Congratulations to this group of officers who will meet our Corps requirements for regional expertise in FY05 and beyond.

A recent trip to Monterey found all the officers selected on the FY04 IAOP study track board decisively engaged in their regional studies at NPS. The arranged deferments for officers committed to OIF proved unnecessary as all candidates had returned home with sufficient time to pack their families and report to the registrar. Reports from NPS students and faculty remain positive. The efforts to identify utilization tours for the RAOs as soon as possible in their program--in order to provide greater focus to their research--have yielded notable great progress. To further support their thesis work, a more efficient use of the limited IAOP budget has increased opportunities for RAO research trips abroad. Majors Deets and Wilkes, attending conferences in Ethiopia and Belgium respectively, were the first to take advantage of the budgetary shift. The RAO assignments had been narrowed down by Aug will be finalized by Dec; this is the result of an increasingly close working relationship with MMOA and steps toward a more requirements- driven assignment process.

The majority of the FAO in-training population that had been on ICT completed their POIs in the fall of 03. The FAOs training at the 5 new ICT sites--Major Coady in Greece, Major Winn in India, Capt Pappas in the Philippines, Capt Lasica in Russia, and Capt Bates in Turkey--have all returned to primary MOS billets in the operational forces. Most other sites experienced turnovers as well: Major Sbragia replaced Capt Martin in China; Capt Ercolano replaced Major Kendall in Japan; Major Rosser replaced Capts Benitez, Cho, and Dominguez in Korea; Major Thurman replaced Capt Lasica in Moscow.

Four other ICT sites, three of them new, were manned in the latter part of 2003: Major Finney stood up a new post in Brazil, Major Lucius became the Corps' first FAO in Indonesia, and Capt Avila manned a site in Senegal for the first time. Though not a new site, Capt Rizner brought the Marine FAO program back to Vietnam after a 4-year absence. Two FAOs currently on ICT--Major Mollohan in Thailand and Capt Sullivan in Egypt--have requested and been granted ICT extensions to more fully complete their education/training and to facilitate follow-on assignments.

The HQMC International Issues Branch (PLU) is fully engaged in the OSD ordered Defense Language Transformation Study being conducted by SAIC. The study will help achieve the objectives of OSD vision for the way language and regional expertise is valued, developed, and employed throughout the DoD. An internal Marine Corps study, the results of which were published in the summer of 2003, indicate that the IAOP is ahead of the bow wave this transformational initiative. Many of the stated objectives of the effort--to include integrating regional expertise into operational units, improving the career paths of FAOs, and increasing the size of the population--have been met or are gaining traction. We welcome the support and increased emphasis from OSD and their recognition of the value of the International Affairs Officer unique capability.

As always, the International Issues Branch (PLU), PP&O, HQMC welcomes comments and suggestions regarding the administration of the IAOP. Please see the FAO Proponent Page in this Journal for POC information.

2004, Foreign Area Officer Association
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