Keeping Apace with Change: Foreign Area Officers and the Future Security Cooperation Environment
Colonel Jeffrey T. Wyatt, Sr. U.S. Army (Retired) and Colonel John E. Chere Jr., U.S. Army (Retired)
Editor's Note: The authors provided this update to an article we published in the Journal in March 2021 and re-published in March 2024 entitled "Assignment Security Cooperation: Joint FAOs at the Tip of The Spear." In view of changes in the security cooperation environment, we felt it important to provide this update!
Disclaimer: The authors contributed this article in their personal and professional capacities. The views expressed are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, the Defense Security Cooperation University, or the United States Government. Any opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors themselves and do not necessarily reflect official policy of the Department of Defense.
Introduction
Joint foreign area officers (FAOs) remain on point in U.S. embassies and major military commands as, among other tasks, security cooperation (SC) practitioners fully engaged in implementing U.S. national and defense strategies. The environment you are entering is a complex and rapidly evolving paradigm that is fundamentally challenging many earlier practices and thoughts about how the United States conducts foreign policy. At the forefront of these emerging strategies and policies, however, is the continued requirement to advance U.S. national security and foreign policy interests by ensuring we have the access, relationships, and capacity in place to execute our shared goals and objectives with our partners and allies.
Resources to execute Department of Defense (DoD) objectives will be further scrutinized to ensure they meet vital national interests and show a positive return on our investments. As security cooperation officers (SCO) and FAOs you will develop and manage many of the activities and events that shape U.S. international military-to-military relationships. Your ability to assess, engage, communicate, plan, develop, execute, monitor, and evaluate SC programs in a highly competitive space is more important than ever. To achieve this desired end state the U.S. Congress and the DoD initiated a variety of workforce and educational reforms to improve significantly how DoD trains, educates, and manages SC practitioners to ensure you are equipped with the skills necessary to meet today’s operational challenges.
Today’s Realities in Security Cooperation
As a FAO, regardless of your assignment, it is important to first revisit the definition of security cooperation as it applies to your profession. The DoD Security Assistance Management Manual (SAMM) C1.1.1., C1.1.2.2. defines SC as
. . . all activities undertaken by the DoD to encourage and enable international partners to work with the U.S. to achieve strategic objectives. It includes all DoD interactions with foreign defense and security establishments, including all DoD-administered security assistance (SA) programs, that build defense and security relationships; promote specific U.S. security interests, including all international armaments cooperation activities and SA activities; develop allied and friendly military capabilities for self-defense and multinational operations; and provide U.S. forces with peacetime and contingency access to host nations.
Following the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) of 2017, there were sweeping changes to the SC profession. Of note, Congress directed the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) to create a professional SC workforce development (SCWD) program and career paths for thousands of DoD civilian and military employees supporting SC programs and activities. As a result, DSCA established the Defense Security Cooperation University (DSCU) in September 2019. The new university was accredited on 1 January 2020 as a teaching institution and the SCWD office was officially launched to begin the tracking and certification of the estimated 20,000 plus personnel working in SC positions. This included identifying the requisite education and training for the associated billets in nine functional areas and was further sub-categorized into specific training requirements at the journeyman through executive levels. DSCA did this to better align the diverse functional areas and billets across the SC workforce. However, five years later, DSCU has been challenged to build on launching a certification program with the accompanying requisite courses and it paused implementation for the remainder of fiscal year 2025. With the ongoing policy changes and thinking in the new administration it is estimated this may cause further delays. More detailed information can be found on the DSCU home page (DSCU.EDU) under “Certification 2.0”
SCO Education and Training
The primary course for SC officers is the resident Security Cooperation Operations Course (SCOC) taught in the National Capitol Region (NCR) since October 2024. Previously, the primary course resided at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. The course is currently 40- plus days in duration and includes regional studies and external mentors/adjunct faculty who assist in the application phase of lesson materials throughout the course. The course also incorporates a requirement to attend Foreign Affairs Counter Threat (FACT) training at a location in the NCR. Classroom space is currently limited to a shared space in a DSCA building in Crystal City, with overflow space in a nearby local hotel. While faculty and staff have done their best to use the existing resources, there is room for improvement to include increasing the throughput of students back to “pre-move” Ohio levels. Further challenges remain, such as an outstanding plan to resource and obtain a suitable replacement schoolhouse with more efficient classroom spaces and updated information technologies (IT).
Significant and transformational changes to SC officer education reflect the importance and scrutiny SC officers have at the highest national and DoD echelons. This is especially relevant in today’s environment where SC officers are required to articulate requirements better, and secure the necessary resources and activities to achieve the country team and combatant command (CCMD) objectives.
As a cautionary note, SC officer education, like other DoD educational institutions, has not been exempt from competing educational theories and academic policy debates. Recognize up front there are unique, specialized skills a SC-focused officer must bring to the SC operating environment and demand from the education system that it deliver what you need.
Pay close attention to what is being taught at the schoolhouse and distinguish between theoretical knowledge and practical application. SC-focused FAOs must grasp the theories behind strategic SC engagement, and must also master the associated tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) at the tactical, ground-level. Unlike the services that have field manuals or publications to capture basic successful TTPs, the FAO profession unfortunately does not. The SAMM, for example, covers policy guidance for SC, but does not always address the practical execution requirements to the various functions within SC. For example, a theoretical lesson or discussion on end-use monitoring (EUM) that does not also include the training, the shared knowledge, and best practices from experienced instructors needed to conduct an actual EUM inspection falls short of expectations.
Once down-range in your SCO office, the expectation from the partner state, the CCMD, and the embassy country team is that you arrive with sleeves rolled up, ready to operate. There is little time for remedial training. You will be standing in front of your partner-state counterpart and the ambassador. Sound off and demand that the schoolhouse fulfill its obligation to set you up for success in your SCO assignment and make the course better for those who will follow you.
Even if this is your first assignment to SC, many FAOs are already familiar with the embassy environment and the other resident DoD organizations, having done In-Region Training (IRT) in their geographical region and understand the nuances of working in an interagency embassy environment. Additionally, while a personal choice for a variety of reasons, bringing families when authorized is still an important part of the FAO profession. The family will help you integrate into both the U.S. and local communities and fully immerse yourself in your local environment. Relationship-building and operating in the culture is a total package effort and is the essence of being a FAO. The SC curriculum now includes a spouse course conducted in conjunction with the SCOC. Other specialized FAO training will depend on the country of assignment and may include counterintelligence, advanced combating-terrorism and self-defense training, or pilot qualification if assigned to a C-12 aircraft as part of the defense attaché office (DAO) or SC office. Depending on the position in the SC office, training requirements may also include a visit to the CCMD to receive specific mission guidance.
Ms. Heidi Grant, a former director of DSCA, in August 2020 highlighted the important contributions of FAOs when she stated:
“FAOs serve as our regionally focused experts in political-military operations and work with our foreign partners to forge the critical relationships required to successfully execute our national security policies and objectives. Whether serving as a defense attaché or security cooperation officers, we are all working towards the same goal of strengthening alliances and attracting new partners. In today’s global operating environment, FAOs are critical to mission success.”
FAO Assignments in SC
The end state to the current reform initiatives at DSCA is to create an SC profession where there are managed career paths with career fields to ensure that billets are staffed with the right trained personnel in the right organizations. To manage this for SC officers, DSCA created the Defense Security Cooperation Service (DSCS), similar in function to the Defense Attaché Service (DAS), with the intent to consolidate the support infrastructure and management of SC personnel at U.S. embassies into a single organization. DSCS is responsible for the management of SC personnel performing SC work overseas to ensure the appropriate allocation of DoD resources and personnel. This also includes the implementation of a civilian SC officer program to augment and reduce staffing shortfalls for the military services.
FAOs will continue to be assessed and managed by their respective services, which are also responsible for FAO training and formation of personnel that can serve in the myriad of FAO assignments, to include serving as SC officers. However, once serving in a SC billet, they will remain under the operational control of the CCMD for the planning and execution of SC programs and activities. What has changed is that many of the SC global lines of support for management, training, administrative assistance and resources (traditionally executed under each of the CCMDs) will move to the DSCS once it is fully operational in FY25.
The Practice of SC as a FAO
There is no change to the fact that the world of SC is increasingly complex with numerous stakeholders in government and industry all competing for your time and space. Many organizations think SC officer work directly for them, and it is not misleading to allow them that belief to accomplish what you need. In fact, SC officers and FAOs in-country work for the senior defense official/defense attaché (SDO/DATT), the CCMD SC Directorate, and the ambassador/chief of mission. However, even with a defined chain of command the SC officer must skillfully and diplomatically negotiate and communicate with all the many players that make up the SC enterprise to achieve mission success. Face-to-face communication is still critically important and cannot fully be replaced with technology or virtual-only venues in education and training. This is particularly the case with our many SC partners who have not fully migrated to the virtual world.
The SDO/DATT is the designated single defense representative to the U.S. ambassador/chief of mission (COM), the country team, and the partner state. He or she is directly responsible for both SC and attaché functions and all DoD elements that operate under COM authority except for the Marine Security Guard Detachment any assigned force-protections detachments or other specified entities. Further, the SDO/DATT also has coordination authority over all other DoD elements in country not under COM authority, in accordance with DoD Directive 5205.75. As part of directed training, SDO/DATTs attend the Joint Military Attaché School (JMAS), in addition to the DSCU SCOC. Depending on the size of the embassy and the associated relationship with the partner state, the structure and composition of DoD elements in country may vary, to include having two distinct deputies under the SDO/DATT, one for SC and one for attaché operations. SDO/DATTs are usually experienced FAOs with multiple tours in an embassy/interagency environment and supporting DoD headquarters.
Mentor Tips for the FAO SC Practitioner
If time and the situation permit during training in the NCR, SC-focused officers should schedule an office call with the military office at the partner state embassy in Washington D.C. to introduce themselves to the partner state's embassy team. Normally, you will (should) interact with these personnel when they return home to visit their headquarters and when you are back in Washington D.C., possibly for bi-lateral or multilateral (BILAT/MULTILAT) engagements or case management reviews (CMR) with DSCA and the service implementing agencies (IAs).
Some long-standing U.S. partners do business directly with our service IAs. They are highly encouraged to inform you about their SC business activities, but it does not always happen unprompted. An effective business practice is to also inform them what is happening regarding SC in their own country, and do not assume they always know what is occurring as it relates to SC programs. Often they are unaware of developments within their own military departments because of different protocol and flow of information, plus the scope of work they may perform with the United States. Be attuned to how your country operates and the role of their office(s) in Washington. Your partner will also expect you to inform them about events going on in Washington and to help translate what that means for the relationship. However, be careful in how you articulate your responses. Seek guidance before speaking for the U.S. Government and the DoD. Personal opinions and speculation can be a FAO's biggest enemies!
Duties of the SC office are varied and mostly tied to the scale, size, and quality of the U.S. relationship with the partner nation. These factors weigh heavily on the type and frequency of SC activities in country, and you are the focal point for all military-to-military engagement. Your primary duties are codified in U.S. law in Section 515 of the Foreign Assistance Act (FAA). It states that all SCOs are to perform seven legislative functions: 1) Case Management; 2) Training Management; 3) Program Monitoring; 4) Evaluation and Planning; 5) Administrative Support; 6) Promote rationalization, standardization, and interoperability; and 7) Liaison functions exclusive of advising and training.
There are also a multitude of additional duties that will be required or offered to SC-focused officers as key members of the embassy country team. For example, many mid-career officers and non-commissioned officers are asked to serve on the embassy housing board, the embassy awards board, or perhaps as the embassy representative to the local international school board. It is not by accident that embassies want their DoD personnel as their prime candidates, given their backgrounds, maturity, and unique leadership experiences. These are all great opportunities to engage and build relationships within the country team. But be careful not to accept too many responsibilities or bask in your newly found popularity. Always keep your many SC priorities in focus. You will not have time to do everything.
Additionally, do not forget military professionalism and the ethical values that are part of the profession of arms. That professionalism may not be as obvious an obligation among some members of the embassy team who do not share our unique military culture. Do not let the fact that you are thousands of miles away from the flagpole be an excuse not to follow what you know is right. Allow your military bearing to be your compass. Your SCO education should include a discussion on the unique aspects and ethical challenges that will occur in your SCO environment. “If you think something is wrong, you are probably right” is not a bad guide to adopt. Ask the CCMD ethics lawyer if in doubt!
SCO offices are inherently different from traditional military organizations. You will find yourself leading or serving in an organization that comprises joint, interagency, civilian, and local employed staff (LES). You will be unplugged from all the traditional support structure you enjoyed back at your service base or DoD activity. This unique personnel structure is further compounded with a requirement to manage multiple money streams, each with its own authorities and rules for utilization and resource management.
As a SCO you are a practitioner of many things and in many instances a master of none given the multitude of diverse tasks. Hence, a requirement exists to seek out all available pre-deployment SC training and never hesitate to ask for assistance from the myriads of desk officers at all the SC stakeholder commands. A good rule of thumb is to ask for and read the last Inspector General (IG) report on the SC office. It is always a good azimuth check. Yes, the CCMD IG team may visit you!
Additionally, always keep everyone in the SC enterprise who has a need-to-know informed of your activities. Do not be surprised if the senior military leadership from the CCMD or the Joint Staff and Office of the Secretary of Defense reach out directly. You are expected to be the subject matter expert on your country and many leaders want to hear ground truth from the source. However, ensure those conversations are also shared with others in the chain of command. Remember the leadership “leads,” but the staff “executes.” Lastly, your military experience and career success are bona fides and credentials to provide relevant, unique insights to the partner nation and the country team. You serve as the anchor to provide relevant information and at the same time balance dilemmas in ethics and professional judgment. The SCO must also be prepared to be frank and deliver the good and bad news to their partners. For example, in the current environment it is expected SC will have fewer resources. Telling your partner they will receive less assistance and attention from the United States while maintaining the same level of partner assistance is a reality to prepare for prior to arrival.
The practice of SC today requires a solid foundation of understanding the methodologies used in the art and science of assessing, creating, designing, developing, implementing, and monitoring SC programs. Accompanying the science is an extensive list of SC-specific acronyms. This is the unique language you will use to communicate and be understood. However, it is not sufficient to just understand the science and the language without being able to apply the requisite art. The inherent FAO skills of language, culture, and military expertise, combined with SC science and a dose of creativity are what allow the SC practitioner to become a true artist able to balance and synchronize a multitude of simultaneous SC activities. Possessing these traits is even more important today given heightened Congressional and DoD scrutiny on resources and increased justification to realize SC activities. Integrating a capability into a country almost always involves achieving SC objective(s) through a combination of multiple activities, events, and funding sources spanning multiple years.
The SC officer is in a critical position. The SC officer is the only person/organization that can truly touch and see the full depth and breadth of SC activities in a particular country. The other SC stakeholders may see the same SC common operating picture, but usually only from the confines of the individual programs they are responsible for managing. For example, if a joint exercise is to occur in country X, it may be only one of the multiple events that the SC office monitors in a Building Partner Capacity (BPC) Line of Effort (LOE). Moreover, joint exercise usually requires further synchronization with other corresponding activities such as: providing trained host-nation personnel; the timely arrival of equipment to the partner nation; and executing several BILAT/MULTILAT exercise coordination meetings sometimes two to three years in advance. The joint exercise planner is typically focused on his/her event and usually does not “see” the other integrated events. Only the SC office typically has full situational awareness surrounding all the other associated events in the LOE to ensure the right results at the right time are synchronized and resources and time are not squandered. For anyone that tells you the SC officer is not an SC planner and is only responsible for the execution portion of an LOE, has clearly never been a SC officer.
Lastly, the country team will lean on you to provide your expertise on crisis action planning and contribute to country team actions during crisis situations. The embassy leads this effort with assistance from all members of the interagency country team. Understanding the Emergency Action Plan (EAP) and duties of the Emergency Action Committee (EAC) are topics that need to be part of your SC education. These topics also have important applications to prepare you and your family for your SC assignment prior to deployment. This includes understanding what are the unique differences to entitlements and support provided to DoD versus other USG personnel in a crisis that may lead to an evacuation of you and/or your family.
The SC office remains that critical node in the planning through execution and monitoring/assessing phases of any SC LOE. This is no easy task, and it is further compounded because many SC organizations are neither adequately staffed nor trained to address many of the evolving requirements. Furthermore, every two or three years, a new SC officer rotates into country and must hit the ground running and able to rapidly digest and keep existing programs on track. This aspect of engagement is what makes the job both challenging and rewarding and is why the increased emphasis at DoD ensures the right folks with the right education and credentials are managed and resourced to do this critical work. Ensure you set yourself and your family up for success. Take the reins and accept the challenge when you are offered that SC practitioner assignment. You will not regret it, and our nation will be better for it. Strategic Scouts Out!
About the Authors:
Colonel (R) Jeffrey T. Wyatt, Sr. is recently retired as a Senior Faculty of Security Cooperation Operations at the Defense Security Cooperation University and is a former U.S. Army FAO specializing in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). He has held positions across the spectrum of the security cooperation workforce, to include U.S. Army Central Security Cooperation Division Chief; Defense and Army Attaché, Iraq; Chief, Office of Security Cooperation, Morocco; Chief, Arabian Peninsula Branch, U.S. Army Central; Training and Programs Officer, United States Liaison Office, UAE; and Branch Chief and Career Manager for U.S Army FAOs assigned to the MENA and Asia-Pacific Theaters. He holds a Master of Arts Degree in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in International Studies and History from the University of South Carolina.
Colonel (R) John E. Chere Jr. is currently an Adjunct Assistant Professor at DSCU and an Adjunct Instructor at the Joint Special Operations University, Security Cooperation Course, U.S Special Operations Command, Tampa, Florida. Colonel Chere retired in 2015 after 32 years active duty as an infantry officer and Middle East/North Africa FAO, which included attaché and security cooperation tours in Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Israel, Iraq, and on the U.S. Central Command staff in Tampa. He holds a Master of Arts Degree in International Affairs from Columbia University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Middle East Studies from the University of California.