MARINE CORPS FAO NOTES


Maj Pat Carroll, International Affairs Officer Program Coordinator

The USMC FAO/RAO Program held its annual study-track selection board at Training and Education Command, Marine Corps Combat Development Command, Quantico, VA from 10-12 July 2001 and selected 18 superb officers from 65 qualified applications to begin the formal training cycle in 2002. Congratulations to all of those who were selected, and best of luck to you all as you commence your FAO/RAO training in Monterey, CA. The Unified Commands and International Issues Branch (PLU) would also like to thank all of the officers who applied for the program; it was a very competitive board as usual.

As of August 2001, PLU is sponsoring the following officers for in-country training (ICT). In the European theater, Maj Williams is our first FAO who has studied Serbo-Croatian and is now conducting in- country training in Zagreb, Croatia. He will also be heading to the Marshall Center in Garmisch, Germany for some additional regional training over the next year. Maj Christopher recently graduated from the Baltic Defense College in Tartu, Estonia and is heading back to the Fleet Marine Force to put his skills to good use. Maj Barnes has also recently completed his studies at the Marshall Center and his internship in Kiev, Ukraine and is now in the attaché training pipeline with a follow-on tour back in Ukraine as the Marine Attaché (MARA). Finally, Maj Holahan has recently arrived in Riga, Ukraine to become our first FAO to conduct ICT in that Baltic nation. Best of luck to all of these "Slavic" FAOs as they either pursue their training or head to utilization tours. In the Pacific theater, Maj Moseley and Maj Oppenheim have both completed their ICT in Beijing, China and are heading back to the operating forces; and Capt McDonald has recently reported to the USDAO, Beijing for his year in the People's Republic of China. Maj Ken Nelson is heading back to a flying billet after his action-packed year as our first FAO in Hanoi, Vietnam, and Capt Perry is likewise heading back to the appropriate regional operating forces after finishing his year in Tokyo. PLU would like to particularly congratulate Capt Perry; not only did he break ground as the Marine Corps' first FAO in Japan, but he finished his year by scoring 3+/3+/4 on the Foreign Service Institute's Japanese language exam a truly impressive achievement. Maj Goff, our second FAO in Japan, is also breaking new ground by becoming the first Marine officer to attend the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Forces Command and Staff College. He starts there later this month, August 2001. Moving on to the Middle East, LtCol Costantini is enjoying his year in Cairo, and just returned from an exciting trip to Eritrea in the Horn of Africa. Finally, last but by no means least, Maj Duke continues to report from Jerusalem, Israel during a very stressful time in that region. Best of luck to him and all the other FAOs who are either finishing their ICT or have just arrived in-country.

Next, PLU would like to extend a hearty Welcome Aboard to a few new regional desk officers. Maj Steve Duke and Maj Jim Zientek, both East Asian RAOs who also have studied some Japanese, have reported aboard to PLU, PP&O Steve will be taking over for LtCol Ray Griggs as the action officer for Northeast Asia (China, Japan/Okinawa, Taiwan, Korea, Mongolia), and Jim will be assuming the duties as the PACOM action officer responsible for all other areas in the Pacific theater (SE Asia, Australia, and India). Both officers are recent graduates of the Regional Affairs Officer Program at the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS), Monterey, CA. Also joining us is LtCol Osamah "Sam" Jammal, a Middle Eastern FAO, who is taking over as the full-time Central Command action officer. Marhaba Beekum! We also want to congratulate our Latin American Desk Officer, LtCol Jose Cristy, who recently planned and executed the first Latin American Conference of Marine Leaders in Guayaquil, Ecuador from 16-18 July 2001. Sixteen (16) Marine and Naval Infantry leaders representing the Americas met for the first time ever. The Commandant of the Ecuadorian Marine Corps, CAPT Valdemar Sanchez, and the Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps, Gen. James L. Jones, hosted the forum that was intended to promote the professional exchange of information and to develop personal relations among the Marine and Naval Infantry leaders of the Americas. Senior Marine and Naval Infantry Leaders from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Peru, the U.S., Uruguay, and Venezuela were present.

PLU held an experienced-track FAO/RAO selection board in late July and also added an additional five (5) new FAOs and two (2) new RAOs. Congratulations to those officers as well. On 29 August 2001, the Branch Head for PLU and the FAO/RAO Program Coordinator will be heading down the Marsh Center in Quantico, VA in order to brief the occupational field monitors on the importance of the FAO/RAO Program and to improve the utilization of all FAO/RAOs (study-track and experience-track) in appropriate billets throughout the operational forces, Marine Component Command staffs, Unified Command staffs, and the Defense Attaché System. We hope to make this an annual event that will continue to improve how all Marines regard the International Affairs Officer Program (IAOP) and will maximize the use of Marine FAO/RAOs.

The FAO/RAO Program Coordinator is currently serving on a working group that is writing the comprehensive Marine Corps Order on Fellowships. As part of that order, PLU will take over the duties as the billet sponsor for all officers in programs similar to the FAO/RAO Program to include the Personnel Exchange Program (PEP), Foreign Intermediate and Top Level Schools (ILS/TLS), and Foreign Scholarships such as the Olmsted Scholarship. We hope that this effort will add to the utility of all foreign area experts. The Secretary of the Navy's Mentoring Program is underway and FAO/RAOs are beginning to profit from the corporate knowledge and expertise of many skilled civilian and former military professionals. Finally, the FAO/RAO Program is continuing to work their budget request through Training and Education Command in order to fund several new and beneficial projects to improve the International Affairs Officer Program.

As always, the Unified Commands and International Issues Branch (PLU), PP&O, HQMC is available to take your questions. For further information, please see our website at http://www2.hqmc.usmc.mil/fao/faowebsite.nsf We welcome any comments on how to improve the program. Please see the FAO Proponent Page on the inside cover of the FAO Journal for POC information. We are now located in office space 4B337 in the Pentagon.

2001, Foreign Area Officer Association
Springfield, Virginia
Maintained by LTC Steve Gotowicki.
http://www.faoa.org