"If We Don't Write, Who Will?" A Look Back at 2024 FAO Scholarship
Aaron Delano-Johnson (Co-Director FAO Journal of International Affairs)
LTC Mike Hill recently sat down with the Chairman of the FAOA Board of Governor’s LTG(r) Charles Hooper for Episode 21 of The Foreign Area Officer Podcast where General Hooper shared the following insight on FAO scholarship:
“So, the one thing that I would do differently, I would write more for publication if I were to do this all over again. And to your point, there are a myriad of topics upon which FAOs are best prepared, best educated and best trained to comment on. Within the realm of political military policy, within the realm of security assistance and security cooperation, alliance and network building, all of those, we are best trained and educated to write analytically and at a strategic level…and so, if we don't write, again, if we don't write, who will?”
The FAOA Charter identifies, three pillars: Advocate, Bridge, and Leverage. The FAOA Journal nests under the Leverage pillar charging us to use our knowledge and experience to cultivate our profession through publication.
As our editor-in-chief prepared his Look Ahead to 2025: Amplifying Calls for Submissions to the FAO Journal we took a look at where the broader FAO community is publishing, on what topics, and how we can better serve the FAOA membership in highlighting scholarship by our peers.
Going forward, we will create a home on the FAO Connect membership portal to highlight FAO and FAO-related articles to serve as a repository and resource for FAOA members. Not a member? Become a FAOA member today!
Below we present a sampling of where FAOs, FAO Spouses, and the broader FAO community of interest published books, podcasts, or articles for 2024.
Books (2024):
Advice for a US Security Cooperation Officer Serving In Africa (October 19, 2024) Author: LTC Wes Chaney (FAO, USA)
From Peril to Partnership: U.S. Security Assistance and the Bid to Stabilize Colombia and Mexico (Oxford University Press, March 8, 2024) Author: CDR Paul Angelo (FAO, USNR)
Broadway in Benghazi: Comedy, Tragedy and Diplomatic Drama in Gaddafi's Libya (Linvill Global January 1, 2024) Author: Anna Linvill (FAO Spouse)
Podcasts (2024):
The Foreign Area Officer Podcast (Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Amazon Music) by LTC Mike Hill (FAO, USA)
Below the Threshold: China’s Strategy of Armed Coercion (Irregular Warfare Podcast, ep. 121, December 27, 2024) Featuring Jimmy Wang (FAO, USN(r))
More Than Cocktail Parties and Receptions: Living and Working Abroad as an Army Foreign Area Officer (War on the Rocks, The WarCast Podcast, December 20, 2024)
Foreign Area Officers - the Hidden Gem of Military Officer Careers! (The Academy Insider Podcast, December 15, 2024) With: CAPT Suzanna Brugler (FAO, USN)
Culture, Access, Influence: The FAO Advantage in Irregular Warfare (Irregular Warfare Institute Podcast, December 13, 2024) With: COL(r) Michael Burgoyne (FAOA, USA) & LTC(r) Albert Marckwart (FAO, USA)
Insiders, Outsiders and Enablers: Intelligence Support to Irregular Warfare (Irregular Warfare Podcast, ep 104, May 2 2024) Featuring Dr. David Gioe (FAO, USNR)
Articles (2024):
Operation Noble Eagle-Pacific: Integrated Air and Missile Defense for America's Pacific Homeland (Journal of Indo-Pacific Affairs, 2024, Vol 7, Issue 4, p173) Author: CAPT Josh Taylor (FAO, USN)
The Russo-Ukrainian War’s Effects on Russian-Iranian Relations (MES Insights, vol. 15, no. 6.) LTC(r) James Harvey (FAO, USA)
Book Review: In the Mouth of the Dragon: Memoir of a District Advisor in the Mekong Delta, 1971-1973 By COL(r) John B. Haseman (FAO, USA) (Infantry, WINTER 2024-2025 Volume 113, Number 4) Reviewed by LTC(r) Rick Baillergeon (USA)
Serious About Building Maritime Capacity in the High Latitudes? Look South (Center for International Maritime Security - CIMSEC, December 18, 2024), Authors: CAPT Aaron Delano-Johnson (International Affairs Officer, USCG) & LCDR Myles McCarthy (Olmsted Scholar, USCG)
The Future is Electric (The Simon Center, InterAgency Journal Vol. 14, No. 1, 2024) Author: LTC John P. Ringquist, Ph.D (FAO, USA)
How China is adopting battlefield lessons from Ukraine (Defense One, December 16, 2024) Authors: Tye Graham (FAO, USA(r)) & Peter W. Singer
62 Years After the ’62 War, Where Do China and India Go From Here? (War on the Rocks, December 13, 2024) LTC(r) Dennis Blasko (FAO, USA) & Shanshan Mei
The Future Battlefield is Melting: An Argument for Why the U.S. Must Adopt a More Proactive Arctic Strategy (The Arctic Institute, December 3, 2024) Author: Capt Sydney Murkins (FAO, USMC)
Balancing Risk: Ensuring the Safety of U.S. Peacekeepers in U.N. Missions (War on the Rocks, November 12, 2024) Author: COL Christian Werner (FAO, USA)
The Security Cooperation Toolkit and the Future of Great Power Competition (Orbis Volume 68, Issue 4, 2024, Pages 589-606) COL Michael Wise (FAO, USA)
Five Truths for Foreign Area Officers (Joint Force Quarterly 114 (3rd Quarter 2024), 108-111) Authors: COL(r) Michael Burgoyne (FAO, USA) & LTC(r) Albert Marckwart (FAO, USA)
A Less Lethal Latin America: Smarter U.S. Security Assistance Can Make the Region Safer (Foreign Affairs, September 11, 2024) Author: CDR Paul Angelo (FAO, USNR)
Worlds Collide: Diverging Interests, Provocations, Conflicts, and Challenges in the High North (German Institute for Defence and Strategic Studies (GIDS), September, 2024) Author: CDR Rachael Gosnell (FAO, USN)
Don’t Ever Invade China: Xi Jinping Prioritizes Border, Coastal, and Air Defense (War on the Rocks, July 12, 2024) LTC(r) Dennis Blasko (FAO, USA) & Shanshan Mei
Restoring Priority on Cultural Skill Sets for Modern Military Professionals (Parameters 54, no. 3 August 19, 2024) COL(r) Dennis W. Henk (FAO, USA) and Allison Abbe.
CMSI Note #8: Recent Changes in the PLA Navy's Gulf of Aden Deployment Pattern (China Maritime Studies Institute, U.S Naval War College, August 13, 2024) LTC (r) Dennis Blasko (FAO, USA)
Enhancing Military Diplomacy in the Indo-Pacific: A US Foreign Area Officer’s Perspective (East-West Center, Asia Pacific Bulletin, Number 676 | August 6, 2024) Author: LTC Matthew House (FAO, USA)
Report No.2: Integrated Naval Deterrence in the Arctic Region—Strategic Options for Enhancing Regional Naval Cooperation (Naval War College, Newport Arctic Scholars Initiative) Author: CDR Rachael Gosnell (FAO, USN) & RADM(r) Lars Saunes (Royal Norwegian Navy)
Back to the Basics: How Many People Are in the People’s Liberation Army? (War on the Rocks, July 12, 2024) Author: LTC(r) Dennis Blasko (FAO, USA) & Shanshan Mei
NATO and the Arctic (Center for Strategic and International Studies, July 10, 2024) Author: CDR Rachel Gosnell (FAO, USN)
The Numbered Fleet: The New Main Supported Force (Center for International Maritime Security - CIMSEC, June 25, 2024) Author: Robert Holmes (FAO, USMC)
Arctic Defense: The US Needs Polar Special Operations Forces Aligned with the 5 SOF Truths (Irregular Warfare Initiative, May 2 2024) Authors: LTC(r) Charles Faint (USA) & LTC(r) Richard Liebl (FAO, USA)
Stabilizing Haiti: A Guide for Policymakers (Texas National Security Review, Vol 7, Iss 2 Spring 2024 | 98-113) Authors: COL Ian Murray (FAO, USA) & CDR Chris Bernotavicius (FAO, USN)
Forging the Force: A Joint Task Force in the Indo-Pacific (War on the Rocks, April 26, 2024) Author: Evan Z. Ota (RAO, USMC)
Evaluating the Naval Response to the Red Sea Crisis (Center for International Maritime Security - CIMSEC, April 29, 2024) Author: Colin Barnard (FAO, USNR)
A More Comprehensive Plan to Push Back Against China’s Fishing Practices (War on the Rocks, April 25, 2024) Col Michael E. Clark (FAO, USMC)
Decoy Warfare: Lessons and Implication from the War in Ukraine (US Naval Institute, Proceedings, April 2024, Vol. 150/4/1,454) MSgt Jorge Rivero (FAS, USMC)
Augment the Fleet with Marine Corps UASs (US Naval Institute, Proceedings - March 2024 Vol. 150/3/1,453) Authors: Capt Walker Mills (USMC), LCDR Dylan Phillips-Levine (USN) and CDRs Trevor Phillips-Levine (USN) & Collin Fox (FAO, USN)
Cold War in Africa: Morocco and Algeria (AUSA Landpower Essay 24-3, March 2024) Author: LTC Jay Figurski (FAO, USA)
What Israel Can Learn from the U.S. Global War on Terrorism (AUSA Landpower Essay 24-2, February 2024) Author: LTC Jay Figurski (FAO, USA)
A “Plan Ecuador” is Needed: U.S. Assistance Should Draw Lessons from the Past (War on the Rocks, February 5, 2024) Author: CDR Paul Angelo (FAO, USNR)
Long-range Strike Capabilities in the Asia-Pacific: Implications for Regional Stability (The International Institute for Strategic Studies, January 18, 2024) Authors: Veerle Nouwens, Timothy Wright, Dr Euan Graham, and LCDR Blake Herzinger (FAO, USNR)
Unleashing Fire and Fury: The TOS1A’s Impact in the Russo-Ukrainian War (US Army Infantry Magazine, Winter 2023-2024, p. 30.) MSgt Jorge Rivero (FAS, USMC)
Excellent work. Thank you for this post.