USAF FAO Notes
1LT Walker N. Moody, USAF
Regional Program Manager
Lots of activity here in the AF FAO Branch to impart this month, and up front I'd
like to address some of the feedback we have received from the field on our FAO
website. First and foremost we have contracted out our website functions and will have a
new and improved site up at the end of the Fiscal Year. The new FAO website will
incorporate a number of user-friendly functions to help both the customer and the
program managers be more efficient in management of the FAO program. The new site
will have easy to use menus, common application forms, and an improved FAO database
function that will help us keep better track of you when you apply for our programs,
attend our training opportunities, disseminate FAO information, and perhaps fill a FAO
assignments one day. However, in order to prevent having our contractor try to get a
vector on a moving target, we have had to suspend use of the old FAO site. While in the
short term we understand this is an inconvenience it is a necessary step in order to move
our program to the next level. We expect the new site to be fully functional in mid Sept,
so please be patient. There will be no need to memorize a new address, we will just be
redirecting from our https://fao.hq.af.mil site.
It might be a good idea to get an AF Portal account prior to the launch of the new
FAO website, since that will be the vehicle in which the new site will be delivered. (To
register go to www.my.af.mil).
We're in the middle of heavy transition period for the AF FAO Branch. Maj Frank
Swekosky has departed the branch after three years and is off to Command and Staff
College with the Army at Fort Leavenworth, KS. Maj Swekosky's replacement is Maj
Paul Tombarge currently finishing up his masters at the Naval Postgraduate School in
Monterey, CA, and will report in Oct. The FAO branch recently welcomed Capt Jim
Graham from DFAS in San Antonio to take over the Language Program Manager duties.
Capt Graham will be your main point of contact for any language program issues such as
the Language and Area Studies Immersion or the Rosetta Stone Online Language
Learning Program. We are also sad to announce the departure of Maj Cara
Aghajanian from the FAO branch this coming Fall. She has been an integral
part of the FAO program since its inception in 1997 and will be truly missed.
Finally there are a number of initiatives in the works with the AF Force
Development Structure that could have a profound impact on the way FAOs are managed
and utilized AF-wide. These initiatives tie in directly with the on-going Defense
Language Transformation Study and the expected OSD directed changes to the Services'
FAO programs. More details on this will be provided in the coming months as we get
senior leader approval on new FAO program initiatives. Keep an eye on the FAO
website for this information and all the latest AF FAO news.
2004, Foreign Area Officer Association
Herndon,
Virginia
Maintained by LTC Steve
Gotowicki.
http://www.faoa.org