Editor's Note: This thesis won the FAO Association writing award at the Joint and Combined Warfighting School, Joint Forces Staff College. The Journal is pleased to bring you this outstanding scholarship.
By Commander Sean Hays, U.S. Navy;
Lieutenant Colonel Adam Sylvan, U.S. Air Force;
Lieutenant Commander Steven Socha, U.S. Navy;
Senior Master Sergeant Ronald McLaughlin, U.S. Air Force
Introduction
Foreign Area Officers (FAOs) provide uniformed representatives in U.S. embassies overseas, and they serve on joint, service, combatant and component command staffs. FAOs coordinate between Departments, build international relationships, and provide both information and context to joint force commanders around the world.
To help FAOs prepare for these careers, initial training offers foreign language development, an international relations master’s degree, and regional exposure. Follow-on training, however, is varied and leaves gaps in FAOs' understanding of their roles as U.S. military officers in international environments. Training is bifurcated and functionally focused, leading to imbalances in the FAO’s perspective as a whole. Security Cooperation Officers (SCOs) and military attachés, two FAO job-types, each attend job-specific schools where they are introduced to the specific programs and skills they will use on assignment. This bifurcation leads to a lack of teamwork and coordination within the Department of Defense (DoD) elements of the country team as SCOs and attachés are unfamiliar with each other’s role and are often circumspect to work together toward a common DoD and USG goal. Even Congress is concerned about the disparate training paths, asking if all U.S. military personnel in U.S. embassies should receive the same training as military attachés.[1] Many skills are covered in both places to varying degrees, however this does not provide a whole picture; and there are few places to practically exercise the skills military officers use in the international environment. In other words, the training is merely adequate.
FAO training needs to solidify understanding of core FAO competencies across all job fields and incorporate additional skill sets that are not taught and are usually acquired after many years of experience. This article provides an in-depth analysis of the needed skills and offers recommendations for their introduction and development, in order to maximize the benefit FAOs provide to the DoD.
FAO Careers
In general, U.S. military officers become foreign area officers through a service specific transfer process between six and ten years of service. Army and Navy FAOs will redesignate into the FAO branch or community (functional area 48X in the Army and designator 1710 in the Navy) and will continue their careers working solely as FAOs.[2], [3] U.S. Air Force and U.S. Marine Corps FAOs will gain designation (16Fxx in the Air Force and 994x for the Marines) and training and will alternate between their primary career field and their new FAO career specialty for the remainder of their career.[4], [5] For qualification, a FAO requires a master’s degree in international relations, applicable language proficiency, and time in their designated region.[6] A FAO’s introductory training runs from 12 to 36 months depending on language, advanced education program, and in-region training opportunities.
FAOs work in three main roles. Security Cooperation Officers (SCOs) work in Offices of Security or Defense Cooperation in U.S. embassies planning and executing security cooperation programs. Military attachés will work in Defense Attaché Offices in U.S. embassies representing U.S. military senior leadership and reporting back observations. Finally, FAOs serving as staff officers will work in various joint and service headquarters, or other interagency organizations, performing action officer tasks, developing security cooperation programs, or managing military engagements. SCOs and attachés both attend job specific schools where they are introduced and trained on the specific programs and skills they will use when on assignment. Many of these competencies are covered as training topics in both places to varying degrees. FAOs who are going to joint force staffs for their first utilization tours are inconsistently exposed to these courses and often will only learn core skills through on-the-job-training and trial and error. FAOs can expect to advance through all three of these job areas, building experience, knowledge, and skills along the way. However, they will be expected to use these skills and perform common core tasks early on, prior to receiving all of the available community training.
Core FAO Competencies
As SCOs, attachés, or staff officers, all FAOs must be used to working with partners from throughout the U.S. government, the host country, and international partners. FAOs must be prepared to work effectively in a U.S. embassy and in a foreign country. They must be able to secure meetings and shepherd military engagements by key leaders to further joint commander efforts. Finally, they must be able to maintain personal safety and force protection in often-times challenging environments. FAOs must do all of these things while executing security cooperation programs, representing senior leaders, observing, and reporting to senior military leadership.
Interorganizational Cooperation. Experience working with the whole of the U.S. Government (USG) is the hallmark of the FAO career field. FAOs are adept at working with the Departments of State, Treasury, Justice, Energy, Commerce, Agriculture, and Homeland Security, through close cooperation with Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Customs and Border Patrol (CBP), Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and Transportation Security Administration (TSA). FAOs coordinate bilateral and multilateral projects with foreign military and civilian leaders, as well as international and non-governmental organizations, to build consensus and gain unity of effort for U.S. objectives. Future SCOs receive approximately four days of introduction to interorganizational cooperation through classroom instruction and visits in Washington, D.C. Attachés receive about three to four weeks of total instruction, practical exercises, and visits that teach working throughout the USG and with foreign partners and competitors during their school. Staff FAOs will have to learn this on-the-job.
Working in a U.S. Embassy. The U.S. Embassy is a unique working environment. To accomplish DoD goals, such as hosting engagement teams, gaining access, expanding basing options, and facilitating interactions with the host country, FAOs must navigate the non-military processes of the U.S. Embassy Country Team. This can involve all offices in the embassy and occasionally leveraging the ambassador to gain momentum with the host nation. Dissimilarities in FAO training become apparent in the embassy since attachés receive two days of instruction, SCOs only receive five hours of briefs, and staff FAOs learn through on-the-job training.[7], [8]
Working in a foreign country. FAOs use cross-cultural communication to manage expectations in partner and host countries by understanding political, cultural, linguistic, religious, and socioeconomic norms and incorporating that context into a given project for the rest of the DoD.
Key Leader Engagements (KLE). FAOs often facilitate these high-level meetings between their American and host-nation senior military leaders. During KLEs, leaders build strategic relationships, build trust, and discuss ways to increase military cooperation. A successful FAO will choose the correct foreign leader with whom the American leader should meet, and then influence and guide their own leadership towards messaging that resonates with the host country. Attachés receive five hours of modules and an exercise and SCOs receive an hour lesson, while staff FAOs often learn on their own during their first visit.
Threat awareness. American military officers working overseas are targets for terrorist and criminal activity as well as surveillance by host or third country agencies. Awareness of force protection (FP), counterintelligence (CI), and operational security (OPSEC) procedures is crucial to safety overseas. Only attachés receive adequate training and practice in this area.
Security Cooperation Administration. Security cooperation and security assistance programs are often administered by FAOs acting as Security Cooperation Officers who have in-depth knowledge of a myriad of available security cooperation programs. To compliment them, attachés need to know where they can assist and how they can engage. Other FAOs will require less in-depth knowledge on Security Assistance.
Observing. FAOs represent senior DoD leaders at events abroad, acting as their eyes and ears. They also inform the U.S. Ambassador, and help military attachés report on political-military activities in the country and in the region.
Training tracks
As FAOs enter this specialized career field in the joint community, they receive initial language training and a Master’s degree. During this initial training period, they also participate in the Joint Foreign Area Officers Course (JFAOC) phase I, a one-week introduction to being a FAO held biannually at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California. This orientation provides a chance to answer many important first questions. However, it does not provide the opportunity for in-depth study or practical exercise of the skills these officers will use.[9]
Security Cooperation Officers receive approximately five weeks of training at the Defense Institute for Security Cooperation Studies (DISCS) at Wright-Patterson AFB, Dayton, Ohio. The Security Cooperation Manager-Overseas course is heavily focused on Security Assistance programs theory and implementation with a brief introduction to wider FAO skills. Students will be parsed by regions and receive theater-specific information as well. FAOs spend a few days learning about working in an embassy and working with international partners, while the rest of the program focuses on managing and navigating the various security assistance programs the SCO will use overseas.[10]
Military attachés receive 15 weeks of training at the Joint Military Attaché School (JMAS) at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, Washington, D.C. Their training is focused on representing senior U.S. military leadership and providing observations to them. While at JMAS, military attachés will be exposed to all of the FAO skills and will have opportunities to exercise them. Attachés learn how to work and live in the international setting, observe their surroundings, manage conversations, maintain personal security, work in the embassy organization, and work in threatening environments, such as insurgents or the media. Attachés maintain the traditional military diplomatic role.[11]
Officers bound for DoD staffs may receive security cooperation introductions through DISCS ahead of their arrival or early in their tour. Their preparation is crucial as they will plan, coordinate, and execute events with U.S. embassies overseas and also improve partner countries’ capabilities. Further, they will travel to these partner countries and conduct the same high-level engagement tasks as those FAOs already assigned in country.[12]
FAOs will receive episodic, follow-on training through Joint FAO Phase II focusing on regional academic studies. These week-long, interactive seminars are taught at the graduate level and designed to assist current FAOs in sustaining regional expertise.[13] They provide context, but not skills development, though this follow-on training does answer the need for senior FAO refreshment.[14]
These core FAO competencies allow FAOs to establish, maintain, and continue the networks and relationships with our international partners, expanding U.S. influence and enhancing partner networks. These individual actions lead to support from foreign partners, and thus, wider unity of effort, but there is a disconnect. FAOs receive introductory training early, and then specialized job-based training, leaving a gap in understanding of the variety of assignments that FAOs perform. Cumulatively, this can result in “FAO fratricide” as FAOs duplicate efforts between offices, or miss opportunities to support each other due to an incomplete understanding of FAO roles and DoD efforts. This can negatively impact the effectiveness of our combined DoD efforts overseas and creates inefficiencies for the DoD over the long term. The joint FAO training continuum, as it is, needs a way to integrate these skills and provide a place to exercise them before the first-tour FAO is working in front of a partner country.
Advanced Skills
When FAOs arrive in country, they lack the integration of many of these core skills. The joint FAO community needs to practice these common FAO skills described above. Beyond these competencies, FAOs need to think critically and communicate to others effectively and rapidly. They need to be able to decipher and communicate U.S. strategic guidance, negotiate with partners, message others, work with the media, and provide help to the country team when the embassy is in crisis. FAOs are not able to reliably learn these advanced skills and practice them prior to utilizing them in front of a partner nation. Many FAOs will arrive at post straight from initial training and will have to figure these elements out while on the job, often this is not fast enough.
Strategic Guidance. FAOs must interpret U.S. Strategic Guidance such as the National Security Strategy, the National Defense Strategy, and the National Military Strategy in order to apply it in an interagency environment. Understanding DoD objectives and strategy helps FAOs with consistent messaging and ensures unity of effort. A FAO may not receive his or her first exposure to the width and breadth of U.S. Strategic Guidance until they are in the middle of Joint Professional Military Education Phase II. Being able to interpret and integrate strategic guidance requires exposure to the sources well before a FAO is working in front of an embassy Country Team or a disappointed partner. Even a new O-4 may find themselves as the senior DoD voice on an interagency Country Team that is trying to advance U.S. government efforts.
Negotiations. FAOs operate in foreign countries on foreign military bases with no leverage over foreign counterparts who may not agree with the American perspective or who may prefer the perspective of our adversaries. Learning and practicing how to negotiate will help FAOs find common ground, understand our partner’s needs, our competitor’s offers, and our own strengths. The principles and application of negotiating must be clearly understood prior to applying them through a cross-cultural lens.
Embassy in Crisis. The DoD brings a set of specific skills to support the Country Team. The FAO, whether an Attaché or SCO, will be the conduit between the Ambassador and the Joint Force Commander and must be ready to interpret and facilitate the use of DoD forces to support or protect the wider U.S. government mission. No matter dealing with political unrest, pandemic infection, civil disturbance or open warfare, the FAO must be able to support the Country Team by bringing the Joint Force when requested. FAOs must learn the procedures and capabilities prior to arriving at post.
Messaging and Media. A FAO must be able to message the DoD's missions and intents with the host nation, both formally and informally. Just as important is the ability to reply with calm and controlled talking points when faced with planned or surprise media interviews. Performing and messaging in front of the media is essential and needs practice.
Counter Intelligence (CI). Awareness of counter-intelligence is vital to an American officer overseas, yet the opportunity to learn, develop and practice these skills is limited only to the Attaché training tract despite the need for these skills by SCOs and staff FAOs. Understanding and using these skills is vital to U.S. officers, especially as they maintain a more open profile compared to their international counterparts and competitors.
Recommendations
To teach these additional skills, a new course can be created. This course should build on the existing introductory and follow-on training that a FAO has received, while providing a common framework for FAOs in any environment. This course will provide a common touch point for military officers working in embassies, or other internationally-focused assignments.
This bridge to advance practice needs to occur early in a FAO's career, following the completion of basic requirements and in-region training, ideally prior to a FAO's first utilization tour, but certainly no later than after their first tour. This allows training to guide and form the new FAO prior to personal experience to influence practices and habits. Between academics and practical exercises, this syllabus would likely require approximately three weeks to complete. This learning solution could be provided through several possible options:
- Expand the JFAOC course in Monterey, though this may be too early in FAO's career.
- Send all new FAOs through DISCS with an expanded course content that encompasses the additional skills.
- Develop the first four weeks of the JMAS syllabus as a FAO finishing course and send all new FAOs, as well as military attachés from other communities, through it. SCOs would then depart and attend the DISCS SCM-O course while staff bound FAOs would depart for their respective command. Future attachés would remain and complete the balance of the JMAS syllabus. Non-FAOs selected to be military attachés should still complete this initial portion as an introduction the military international environment.
- Consolidate the above training requirements and deliver the same common elements between JMAS and DISCS while ensuring regular coordination between school staffs.
- Develop a new course with close cooperation between DSCA, DIA, the National Defense University and the Department of State's Foreign Service Institute coordinated by the Defense Language and National Security Education Office. This new course should describe and discuss all FAO job sets, review the core competencies and then present the advanced skills described above and provide opportunities for practical exercise. Consideration for this new course given to locations already in the FAO training continuum at Wright Patterson, Monterey, or Washington, D.C.
Beyond the scope of this analysis is the incorporation of continuation training for senior FAOs, where these core and advanced skills can be refreshed. Potential solutions include incorporation into the Joint FAO Phase II sessions in short practical exercises or recertification syllabi for SCOs and attachés. This topic requires further study by the joint FAO community.
Establishing a standardized follow-on training event across the joint force will enable FAOs to successfully function throughout the international realm. Many FAOs arrive at post or on staff directly from initial training and will use advanced skills as they arrive. When working in this environment, FAOs all need to have specific skills that extend beyond knowing a language and the rudiments of international relations theory, they must be able to translate their prior military experience into messages that their partners and their country teammates can understand. In many ways, FAOs will be the ones to build the interagency unity of effort. FAOs need to learn these more advanced skills and practice them prior to assignment overseas because they must be ready on arrival.
About the Authors
Commander Hays is an Africa FAO who has served in an OSC and a DAO in Africa and on staff at U.S. Africa Command headquarters. He is en route to his next post as DATT Djibouti. He earned a BA in History from Miami University and a Master’s degree in Diplomacy from Norwich University.
Lieutenant Colonel Sylvan is assigned to Office of Defense Partnership, U.S. Embassy Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. He earned a BA in International Relations from the University of North Carolina and a Master’s degree in Diplomacy from Norwich University.
Lieutenant Commander Socha, is assigned to the Joint Staff, J6 Directorate. He earned a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the Naval Force Academy and is currently on track earn a Master’s Degree in National Security and Strategy from the Naval War College.
Senior Master Sergeant McLaughlin is assigned to the Defense Threat Reduction Agency as the Superintendent of the New START/Nuclear Division. He earned his BS in Information Technology and his MBA from University of Phoenix.
References
[1] U.S. Congress. Committee on Armed Services. The John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019: Report (to Accompany S. 2987) on to Authorize Appropriations for Fiscal Year 2019 for Military Activities of the Department of Defense and for Military Construction, to Prescribe Military Personnel Strengths for Such Fiscal Year, and for Other Purposes. Cong. Bill. 125.
[2] Department of Army G3/5/7, “Foreign Area Officer Functional Area Information Sheet.” June 1, 2017.
[3] NAVPERS 15839I. “Manual of Navy Officer Manpower and Personnel Classifications Volume I,” July 2018. A-10.
[4] Air Force Instruction 16-109. “International Affairs Specialist (IAS) Program.” July 11, 2017.
[5] Marine Corps Order 1520.11F, “International Affairs Program.” March 27, 2013.
[6] DoD Directive 1315.20, “Management of Department of Defense (DoD) Foreign Area Officer (FAO) Programs,” September 28, 2007. Section 3.1.
[7] “JMAS Course Syllabus.” E-mail to Sean P. Hays. July 30, 2018.
[8] Defense Institute for Security Cooperation Studies. "SCM-O Syllabus." Accessed July 31, 2018. http://www.discs.dsca.mil/_pages/courses/onsite/scm-o.aspx?section=des
[9] “JFAOC 18-02 Service Member Schedule.” E-mail to Sean P. Hays. July 30, 2018.
[10] Defense Institute for Security Cooperation Studies. "SCM-O Syllabus." Accessed July 31, 2018. http://www.discs.dsca.mil/_pages/courses/onsite/scm-o.aspx?section=des
[11] “JMAS Course Syllabus.” E-mail to Sean P. Hays. July 30, 2018.
[12] "SCM-P3 Syllabus." Defense Institute of Security Cooperation Studies. Accessed August 08, 2018. http://www.discs.dsca.mil/_pages/courses/onsite/scm-p3.aspx?section=des.
[13] “FY18 FAO Sustainment.” JFAO Course Phase II Overview. Mil Suite.mil. Accessed August 7, 2018. https://www.milsuite.mil/book/docs/DOC-322561#jive_content_id_JFAO_Course_Phase_II_
[14] Chakwin, Mark B. "Completing the Model for Foreign Area Officer Regional Affairs Strategist Training and Education." FAO Journal.