MARINE CORPS FAO NOTES
Maj Pat Carroll,
International Affairs Officer Program Coordinator
Probably the biggest achievement for the Marine Corps' FAO/RAO Program during the
previous quarter was to sign and implement the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between Headquarters
Marine Corps and the Defense Intelligence Agency. This will greatly improve our FAO in-country training
experience, and the support mechanisms on which our FAOs rely during the year in their target region.
Thanks go out to Mr. Frank McCleskey at DIA for coordinating the entire effort, as well as to LTC Comer
Plummer, USA for providing the initial guidance on how to effect the agreement. The International Affairs
Officer Program Order (MCO 1520.11E) has likewise been signed and published, and is now fully in effect
(revising MCO 1520.11D). The FAO/RAO Program Coordinator will also be releasing the announcement
(MARADMIN) in February 2001 for this coming year's study-track FAO/RAO board that will be held in
Quantico from 10-13 July 2001. This board will select 10 new FAOs and 8 new RAOs to begin the funded
training program in 2002. Specific languages and regions are still being finalized and will be confirmed by
the MARADMIN. The Unified Commands and International Issues Branch (PLU), PP&O, HQMC is also
in the process of completing the First Quarter (FY01) Experience-Track Board (delayed slightly due to the
holiday season!); a total of 11 officers have applied for either FAO or RAO additional MOSs based on
previous experience.
As of January 2001, PLU is sponsoring the following officers for in-country training (ICT). Maj
Barnes is currently at the Diplomatic Academy in Moscow conducting an internship during his year with
the Marshall Center in Garmisch, Germany; while Maj Christopher has completed about half his year at the
Baltic Defense College in Tartu, Estonia. Maj Moseley and Capt Oppenheim continue to study at Capitol
Normal University in Beijing, China while making sojourns throughout the northern provinces of China as
well as along the Yangtze River. Maj Dyson and LtCol Mauro are still in Korea, but Maj Dyson will soon
be rotating back to the United States during January for a follow-on staff tour with Marine Forces Pacific,
Camp Smith, Hawaii. Maj Ken Nelson, our first FAO in Vietnam, has been traveling throughout that
country, studying at a private language institute, and even assisted with the President's visit in December.
Maj Cunningham and Maj Palmer are based out of Oman and Egypt, respectively, and have been making
their way throughout North Africa, the Levant, and the Gulf States. They have recently been joined by
Capt Duke who becomes our first Marine FAO to report to Jerusalem, Israel for a year at the Hebrew
University (proficient in Arabic and Hebrew) and for travel throughout the Arab world. Maj Costantini will
be replacing Maj Palmer during the month of January, with Maj Palmer heading to a follow-on tour with
CENTCOM J-2. Maj Goff has arrived in Japan to start his training at FSI, while Capt Perry who has
already been in Tokyo for 6 months is getting set to start an internship with the premier think-tank in Japan,
the Okazaki Institute. The FAO/RAO Program Coordinator is likewise still working with the Japanese to
allow Maj Goff to follow-on for a stint at the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Forces Command & Staff
College.
Seven Regional Affairs Officers (RAOs) graduated from the various Regional Security Studies
curricula at the Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey this past December and are heading to their follow-on
assignments: Maj Ahern (Marine Attaché, Guatemala), Maj Grogan (CENTCOM J-2), Maj Holmberg
(Marine Forces Pacific), Maj Lyons (Marine Attaché, Israel), Maj Myrick (Joint Contact Team
Program, Croatia), Maj Kelly (NATO, Brunssum, Netherlands), and Maj Walsh
(EUCOM) congratulations to one and all and best of luck in your utilization assignments.
On the promotion front for the FY02 boards, only the Colonels Board has been released.
Congratulations are in order for the 7 LtCols with a FAO/RAO additional MOS selected to Colonel; this is
a 47% selection rate for FAO/RAOs. With regards to other current issues in the FAO/RAO world, PLU is
currently working on an NSDD-38 agreement to have a Russian FAO actually spend their full ICT year
within Russia proper. While this may not be feasible during FY01, we will continue to push for this type of
ICT at either Moscow or St. Petersburg in the future. PLU, PP&O is also advocating assumption of the
program sponsorship and management of the Personnel Exchange Program (PEP), USMC students at
Foreign Intermediate and Top-Level Schools, as well as USMC officers currently on UN Observer duty.
We are now awaiting decisions by the Deputy Commandant, Manpower and Reserve Affairs with regards
to these programs, but PLU feels strongly that they belong with PP&O due to the heavy political-military,
foreign affairs aspects of the duties involved. Finally, the FAO/RAO Program Coordinator intends to
continue to develop the Secretary of the Navy's FAO Mentoring Program initiative. We have thus far
received approximately 56 positive responses from over 120 individuals (professors, former military
officers, regional experts, business and political leaders) who were solicited to participate in this ongoing
effort to improve the quality of our political-military officers.
As always, the Unified Commands and International Issues Branch (PLU), PP&O, HQMC is
always available to take your comments. For further information, please see our website at
http://www.hqmc.usmc.mil\faowebsite.nsf. We welcome any comments on how to improve the program.
Please see the FAO Proponent Page on the inside cover of the FAOA Journal for POC information.
2000, Foreign Area Officer Association
Springfield, Virginia
Maintained by LTC Steve
Gotowicki.
http://www.faoa.org