FAOA: Admiral Route, first I'd like to thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to talk with me about the new Navy FAO Program.
RADM R: I personally appreciate the chance to get an opportunity to put more information out on this new exciting program to the field. As you know, the Navy FAO program is relatively new, certainly when compared to its Army counterpart. We began to put the program together in 1996 and in July 1997 our first FAO selection board convened.
FAOA: Sir, can you tell me more about the board and what was its intent?
RADM R: I had the honor of being the President of the selection board and found it to be a very interesting. First, we were surprised at the number of applicants -- almost half again what we had expected. Second, I was very impressed with the expertise and background of the applicants, as well as the high quality of their files. About 440 applied for FAO and we, on the board, wound up selecting just over 300 for the program. Officers applied from every specialty within the Navy, even the medical service corps.
FAOA: What size force is the Navy looking to fill?
RADM R: We have identified over 200 Navy FAO billets so far and are screening them with our personnel people to ensure that they are valid positions. The truth is that our major thrust is to fill Naval Attach‚ positions around the world. It has amazed me that the folks we have working in the attach‚ system now are doing so well -- it speaks to their dedication and professionalism -- but our goal is to put officers, who have the regional and language background, into those positions in the future. It seems to me that if an officer and his or her family are part of a program such as this by choice and have a better understanding of career opportunities from the beginning, then the Navy can minimize the hardships and difficulties that these assignments can impose on our senior officers later in their career without broad range preparation.
FAOA: Will the way the Navy manages its program differ greatly from the other Services? Can you describe it for our readers?
RADM R: The Navy program that we implementing now is less structured than that of the Army. Rather than a sub-specialty, Navy FAO will be listed as an additional qualification identifier. I think that this will give our program greater flexibility. However, we intend to manage the program almost like a specialty -- that is we intend to keep the billet list updated and the follow the careers development of our officers very carefully. The challenge for the Navy will be to closely monitor the career progression of the selected officers. We must manage their careers to ensure that they get through the required XO, commanding officer, and other leadership assignments to keep them upwardly mobile and competitive.
FAOA: What do you see as the strength of the Navy officers who opt for this Program?
RADM R: The real strength of these officers is their personal dedication to learning about regional and global issues. Each of the officers who were selected had done their studying and training on their own, using the limited time that they had available to better themselves. This is the real strength of the program right now. These officer want to serve and those of them who have already served need to recognized and validated for their efforts and their past service.
FAOA: Will this change over time?
RADM R: I think that in the next few years the quality of the officers applying to become Navy FAOs will remain relatively high. There appears to be a large pool of qualified officer interested in the program. Over time this will change somewhat. Younger officers, entering the program, will logically look to it as a method of getting one of the Navy's limited graduate school billets or as a method of learning a new language. These young officers will still give us a high quality product, but their motivation for this program will be a little different from their predecessors.
FAOA: Other than having run a selection board, where is the Navy FAO program now?
RADM R: We are actively beginning to man the force. Further, we have eight officers in graduate school as we speak and are working to increase our graduate school quotas even more over the next few years.
FAOA: Sir, any closing remarks?
RADM R: Just a few. The Navy leadership is behind this program. It is growing rapidly, but it will be a continuing challenge to manage it in such a way as to take care of the officers who have been selected into it. I am confident that we are on the right track and will provide the Navy with the best officers for these critical international jobs.
FAOA: Once again, sir, thank you for this opportunity to speak