USMC PROPONENT NOTES
(September 1997)

Life on the Marine Corps FAO front has been hectic this summer. Here are a few of the highlights.

The International Affairs Officer Program (IAO)

The new FAO order is complete and has entered the staffing stage. It is far more comprehensive than the current order in covering the relationships and qualifications for the three IAO tracks -- the FAO, the Regional Affairs Officer (RAO), and the International Relations Officer (IRO) programs. If it is signed out as written, the order will combine the old FAO, RAO and IRO designations into a single program, named the IAO Program. One of the main benefits of the new IAO designation, from the staff point of view, is that it will allow us to stop typing FAO/RAO/IRO every time we refer to the collective program.

The order will formalize PP&O responsibility for the program and the relationship between the PLU regional IAO coordinators and the monitors' section. Among other things, the monitors will be required to consult with the program officer before assigning IAOs to non-FMF billets, and must attempt to assign FAOs and RAOs to their region of specialization whenever possible. Officers interested in commenting on the draft order may request an electronic copy from the program office.

The FY98 FAO/RAO Selection Board

I am pleased to report that this year's FAO/RAO selection board was the most competitive the program has ever seen. The number of qualified applicants was up 500% over last year. The board selected eight FAOs and seven RAOs who will begin Naval Postgraduate School next July. Strong command support, our campaign to publicize the programs (see the articles in the September issue of Marine Gazette), and of course, the addition of the National Security Affairs degree to the program helped fuel the increase in applications.

New Program and Regional Coordinators

Finally, I report with mixed emotions that as acting branch head for PLU, I have booted myself upstairs out of the day-to-day operation of the IAO program. Lt Col Chuck Owens has taken over as overall Program Coordinator and IRO Coordinator. I will still be involved with the program, but he will do all the real work.

Also, during the transition period we will implement the Regional Coordinator structure at PLU. This means that each desk officer will be responsible for tracking the politico-military billets in his/her region and making sure that IAOs get these assignments whenever possible.

These Coordinators are:

Lt Col Chuck Owens, 9947, FSU and Eastern Europe

Lt Col Joe Koen, 9944, Middle East and SWA

Lt Col Vic Dutil, 9947, Sub-Saharan Africa

Lt Col "JEB" Bull, 9827, EUCOM

Maj John Thomas, 9948, Asia

Maj "JAY" Torres, 9941, Latin America.

Contact these officers at DSN: 224-3706/8/9, or Commercial (703) 614-, for utilization assignments and with questions or comments. Contact Lt Col Owens or myself, at the same numbers, if you have any "big ideas" about the program. Until next time, keep in touch.

1997, Foreign Area Officer Association
Springfield, Virginia
Maintained by LTC Steve Gotowicki.
http://www.faoa.org