Army Notes
COL Peter Brigham
Chief, Strategic Leadership Division
It is a privilege for me to address the members of the FAOA and any current, former, and, perhaps, future
FAOs who have access to this medium. Following a great six-and-a-half month TDY out of the building, I have
returned to the FAO Proponent Office and am looking forward to moving our functional area forward as the Army
continues to transform. This transformation touches FAOs at all levels, and I am confident the changes will benefit
FAOs in many positive ways.
FAOs today are getting more attention and recognition for their contributions world-wide. Just recently, the
National Security Advisor's staff requested assignment of a China FAO. We continue to support increasing demands
for FAOs engaged in the War on Terror. Not surprisingly, the need for 48G and 48D is at an all time high.
CENTCOM FAO requirements are filled at 170% of authorizations, and most joint commands are filled to above
100%. This demonstrates that we continue to support the Army's main effort at whatever level is needed (within
capabilities), while simultaneously underscoring the pressing need to convert or establish more FAO positions across
the force. This requirements determination process remains a key priority for the FAO Proponent.
The CFD board has been a contentious issue for the past few years. We at the Proponent recognize the
turbulence and uncertainty this has caused, and we have been working diligently to ameliorate the effects of the CFD
process. G-1 had previously made a number of changes that have helped us to better forecast the number of officers,
by branch, to access and enter into training. However, it is clear that this new approach offers little recourse to the
year groups approaching their respective 10-year mark. Additionally, it is clear that more fundamental changes are
called for. This issue has garnered the attention of senior officers within the G3 and at HRC. As a result of our
continuous efforts with G-1 and HRC, we are very close to initiating an entirely new process which will ensure that
those who begin FAO training are guaranteed career field designation as a FAO. Officers who are either in training
or are expected to begin training (YG 95-97) will undergo what the G1 officially calls an "Early Career Field
Accessions Board" in November to determine those officers who will continue FAO training and those who will
return to their basic branch. We recognize that many officers will be disappointed; however, doing this now gives
all officers the opportunity to plan their futures much earlier than they would have if we had waited for the
conventional CFD board at the 10-year mark. Those officers who are selected to remain in the program will
automatically CFD into FA 48 when the subsequent Army CFD board meets. Largely because YG 95 and YG96 are
relatively small and the requirements for the branches and other functional areas are relatively high, the overall
numbers for these year groups promises to be even lower than the most recent CFD boards. However, we anticipate
higher numbers in the following year groups.
As you all are aware, the Army is undergoing an unprecedented transformation. The Chief of Staff of the
Army (CSA) has given very specific guidance regarding a myriad of issues that will have far-reaching effects for our
Army for many years to come. Modularization is underway, with a number of proposed structural changes that
directly impact on FAOs.
At the UEy level (formerly corps/echelons above corps) notable increases for FA 48 billets have been
proposed. This new structure within the UEy not only promises to greatly assist the commander and battle staff to
plan and conduct operations, it offers the organic capability to push LNOs down to the UEx level, as required. At
this juncture, these proposals are still under review but look very promising.
I would also like to encourage you to examine the FAO discussion forum on AKO. This medium provides us
an opportunity to informally discuss any issue of interest to FAOs world-wide. If you don't see an issue of interest,
feel free to create a discussion topic. You can access the forum after you login to AKO by clicking on the forum tab.
You can then scroll down the list of forums until you see one entitled "FAO Bulletin Board." If it does not appear
on the first page, simply click on the arrow pointing to the right and review each page until you find it. All forums
appear on the pages in the order of the latest posting.
Lastly, please feel free to contact me or any of the personnel on the POC page regarding these or any other
issues of relevance to the FAO Program.
2005, Foreign Area Officer Association
Herndon, Virginia
Maintained
by LTC
Steve Gotowicki.
http://www.faoa.org