NAVY FOREIGN AREA OFFICER (FAO) COMMUNITY CALL FOR APPLICATIONS

[Tony]

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SUBJ/NAVY FOREIGN AREA OFFICER (FAO) COMMUNITY CALL FOR APPLICATIONS//

REF/A/DOC/CNO WASHINGTON DC/30JUN2016//
REF/B/DOC/OPNAV/17JAN19//
REF/C/DOC/COMNAVPERSCOM/21JUN22//

NARR/REF A IS OPNAVINST 1301.10C, NAVY FOREIGN AREA OFFICER COMMUNITY  
REF B IS OPNAVINST 1210.5B, LATERAL TRANSFER AND REDESIGNATION OF ACTIVE 
COMPONENT OFFICERS IN THE NAVY.
REF C IS MILPERSMAN 1212-010, LATERAL TRANSFER AND CHANGE OF DESIGNATOR CODES 
OF REGULAR AND RESERVE OFFICERS.

RMKS/1.  The Navy Foreign Area Officer (FAO) Community is seeking motivated 
waterfront leaders to join the Navy's community of strategic operators, who 
leverage strategic thinking and human connections to deliver outcomes for 
America's Warfighting Navy and Joint Force.

2. Background.
    a. Foreign Area Officers are a community of all-domain strategic 
operators and warfighters who leverage waterfront leadership, strategic 
thinking, operational acumen, and human connections to deliver integrated 
deterrence effects, outpace adversaries in foreign theaters, and deliver 
combined, joint and fleet access to create a geo-strategic posture advantage 
to promote maritime security, ensure sea control and to project power.
    b. Keeping the fight forward in today's increasingly complex global 
security environment requires persistent forward presence, and FAOs provide 
an indispensable human element of the Navy's global posture. AOs work across 
all levels of the integrated fleet, the joint force, and the inter-agency as 
Naval attaches, as the Navy's certified uniformed security cooperation 
professionals, and as the Navy's community of experts in political-military 
affairs, strategy, plans, and policy. FAOs focus on delivering strategic and 
operational outcomes both alongside Allies & Partners and other countries.
    c. FAOs orient to the five geographic regions that correspond to the
Geographic Combatant Command (CENTCOM, INDOPACOM, SOUTHCOM, EUCOM, and 
AFRICOM) Areas of Responsibility (AOR). The community assigns FAOs to an AOR 
after selection for lateral transfer, based on the FAO's preferences, career 
timing, qualifications, and community needs, with approximately 2/3 (or 215) 
of FAO billets overseas. Typical in-region billets include Embassy Security
Cooperation Offices and Defense Attach Offices, and on OCONUS-based Joint and
Navy staffs. When not in region, FAOs serve on staff assignments at  
CONUS-headquartered Geographic Combatant Commands, Navy Component Commands, 
OPNAV, Office of the Secretary of Defense, Joint Staff, Department of State 
and other interagency appointments.
    d. Navy FAOs serve in 82 countries around the world and often conduct
missions from remote but strategically important nodes. At times FAOs live 
and work in non-permissive and oppressive environments where the United 
States needs a footprint on the ground to watch blind spots, to influence 
regional or global decisions, and to deepen American understanding of the 
geo-strategic environment.  Multiple overseas postings in such settings 
require individual and family resilience, high states of readiness, iron-clad 
ethical behavior, and leadership skills well-suited to lead teams of high-
impact interagency and multinational partners. The mission is challenging but 
highly impactful and personally rewarding.

3. Application and Selection Process.
    a. Lateral Transfer Board. The FAO Community selects officers applying 
for lateral transfers semi-annually as part of the regularly scheduled Navy 
Active Duty Officer Lateral Transfer and Re-designation boards, held in 
February and August each year. Officers from all designators may apply for 
lateral transfer into the FAO Community after a minimum of 4 years of 
commissioned service (YCS). Most applicants enter prior to 12 YCS, with a 
smaller number of more senior gains filling targeted requirements. Minimum 
eligibility and application requirements include:
        (1) Minimum 4 years commissioned service.
        (2) Current overseas suitability screening for applicant and all
        dependents, showing world-wide assignability to CENTCOM (NSA Bahrain)
        standards, documented on NAVPERS 1300/16 'Report of Suitability For 
Overseas Assignments.
        (3) Proof of TS/SCI clearance eligibility (letter from SSO).
        (4) Personal Statement including ranked AOR preferences.
        (5) Documentation of DLAB score 110 or higher (scores between 95 to 
109  will be considered on a case by case basis).
        (6) Candidates should be within 18 months of PRD to be accepted as a
        FAO.
        (7) Officers applying for lateral transfer into the FAO community are
        required to complete an interview with a designated panel, led by an 
O6 FAO.
    b. Surface Warfare Officer (SWO) - FAO Tailored Community Transition 
(TCT).
    The SWO-FAO TCT program provides a pathway for SWOs to lateral transfer 
to the FAO community, following successful completion of their SWO Department 
Head (DH) tours. Following the annual SWO Department Head Screening Board, 
PERS-41 will advertise the opportunity to apply for SWO-FAO TCT to all 
successfully screened officers. Upon selection for SWO-FAO TCT, officers will 
be assigned to a region in accordance with reference (a), and detailed to 
complete FAO training requirements in close coordination with the FAO Junior 
Detailer during the officer's post Division Officer shore tour. Training 
requirements include an international security affairs master's degree and 
language training, and will take between 24-36 months depending on the 
officer's assigned region.
    Following FAO training, SWO-FAO TCT officers will complete SWO Department 
Head training requirements and be subsequently detailed to a SWO Department 
Head billet. SWO-FAO TCT officers will be automatically re-designated to 1710 
upon successful completion of their SWO Department Head tours and a favorable 
record review screening by the FAO OCM. They will be assigned by the FAO 
Detailer to their next assignment at their normal PRD.

4. FAO Qualifications. Once accepted for lateral transfer, new FAOs' initial 
orders will typically be to Monterey, CA, Newport, RI, or Washington D.C. to 
commence training requirements leading to full qualification. Full 
qualification is conferred through the Additional Qualification Designation
(AQD) FA1, FA2, FA3, FA4 or FA5, each of which corresponds to one of the five 
AORs. Full qualification is based on the following three milestones:
    a. A Master's degree in International Relations, Strategic Studies, or
    Regional Studies.
    b. Score of 2 in at least two of the three modalities (i.e. listening,
    reading, and speaking) on the Defense Language Proficiency Test (DLPT) or 
Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) in a foreign language of the FAO's assigned 
region.
    c. One-year experience in a FAO billet in the assigned region.

5. Additional information regarding the FAO community is available at the 
MyNavyHR FAO Community website at: https://www.mynavyhr.navy.mil/Career-
Management/Community-Management/Officer/Active-OCM/Restricted-Line/Foreign-
Area-Officer/ and in reference (a).

6. Point of contact is CDR Chris Wallace, FAO Community Manager, (901) 874-
3694 or email christopher.l.wallace30.mil(at)us.navy.mil.

7. Released by VADM E. H. Black, III, Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for 
Operations, Plans and Strategy (N3N5).//

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