Before coming to the Hoffman building, I was under the general impression that when I was in a FAO
position, my file' was maintained in the FAO assignments office. In reality, the Career Management Individual
File (CMIF)--which is the file that holds your latest photo, OERs, updated ORB, language qualification
records, and all other hard copy information--is maintained by your basic branch. In fact, your CMIF
remains with your basic branch unless you are being nominated for a FAO position or you are already a single-track
FAO. This means that to be nominated for a FAO position, your basic branch must first release your file to us for
processing that nomination. In addition, your basic branch gets a vote in whether you should be released for a FAO
assignment. Ideally, a FAO should either be in a key command track-type position, branch-qualifying position, or
serve as a FAO. However, keep in mind that your basic branch has many requisitions to fill and they are under
pressure to assign you to a branch immaterial job to help meet their required positions. This danger gets acute
for non-single track FAOs trying to serve in back-to-back FAO positions. This is just one of the myriad of
obstacles that must be negotiated through before you can get an RFO cut for your FAO position. As you carefully
evaluate the influence of OPMS XXI and the opportunities for FAO single-tracking, keep in mind that we maintain
all FAO single-track CMIFs in the FAO assignments office and don't negotiate for your availability.
You Said I Was Going to Zaire...Where is My
RFO?
After your assignments' officer has told you that you are being nominated for an assignment there is still a
long way to go before you are actually given the assignment. Before coming to PERSCOM, I was under the
impression that my assignments' officer held all the keys to my future assignment. As it turns out, your
assignments' officer identifies you for an assignment and nominates you before he ever assigns
you. The number of voters on your nomination depends on the type of position. For example, a nomination for a
joint position requires the approval of your basic branch, the Chief of the Functional Area Assignments Branch, the
Chief of the Functional Area Management and Development Division and the Director of the Officer Personnel
Management Directorate, before it goes to the Joint Command for approval as well. This is the most streamlined of
nomination procedures. If you need a stability break (you are leaving your current command before completing the
full length of your assignment), an additional procedure must be accomplished to ensure you will be available for
assignment. If you are currently serving in a joint position, your assignment is a MUST FILL position, and we must
have an approved replacement on orders before you can leave. Coordination for nominations requires
not only the approval of multiple agencies here in PERSCOM, it routinely requires approval or cooperation of
agencies worldwide, such as 1st PERSCOM in Germany, DIA, EUCOM, SOCOM, SOUTHCOM, CENTCOM,
PACOM, the State Department, etc. As you can see, any assignment can be a major work of art and science that
ultimately results in you getting an RFO. The key to successfully synchronizing your next FAO assignment is for
you to let us know what your desires are (we need areas as well as specific positions) and to look out about 18-24
months ahead.
The Telephone is the Least Preferable
Means of Communication
When you are in a Tactical Operations Center, planning and
controlling the deep and close fight, the last thing you have time to do is pick up
the phone and start planning a sequel to a completely different operation.
Frequently when you call your assignment officer, he is involved in the delicate
process of synchronizing a nomination for one of the many positions he has to fill
or he may be screening CMIFs for the promotion board, CGSC, etc., as well. We
will try to answer your calls and get you a real-time answer to your questions as
soon as possible. Email is definitely the preferred means for handling your
inquiries. It allows us an actual record of your questions/concerns and affords us
the opportunity to provide a more thoughtful response to your questions.
How Can I Best Posture Myself for Nomination to a FAO
Position?
When you are nominated for a FAO position, your CMIF is the basis of your nomination and
it represents you throughout the nomination process. Your ORB, previous OERs, and official military photograph
are the three pillars on which your nomination will be evaluated. Your key opportunity to make a good
first impression is to have an updated photo in your record. A photo is a requirement
to send your file forward for nomination. In addition, you should pay attention to ensure that your
ORB is up to date.
When is it Best to Come Visit My
Assignments' Officer?
We want to encourage any FAOs to schedule an appointment
to come visit us for a field interview. The key is that we schedule to meet you.
Remember, that if you are not a single-track FAO, we do not maintain your CMIF
in the FAO assignments' office. It is most helpful to you if we can pull your
CMIF from your basic branch and perform an honest appraisal of your CMIF prior
to your arrival. This affords us the opportunity of providing you with the most up-to-date information possible and will serve to make your visit as fruitful as
possible.
How Can I Best Influence My Next Assignment?
Yes! You do get a vote in your next assignment. Remember that at the end of the day, we all
serve at the pleasure of the President and we will, at times, have to perform in positions we did not personally
envision, however, we at the FAO assignments office will do our best to meet your desires. The best thing you can
do to influence your next assignment is to first of all do well in your current assignment, second let us know what
your preferences. The Journal will publish an E-Mail preference statement next
issue.
1997,
Foreign Area Officer Association
Springfield, Virginia
Maintained by LTC Steve
Gotowicki.
http://www.faoa.org
