Understanding and Maximizing the Role of SDO/DATT
by Colonel Andy Hamann, U.S. Air Force
Disclaimer: The views/statements of fact, opinion, or analysis expressed in this article are strictly my own and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Defense Intelligence Agency, Department of Defense (DoD), or the U.S. Government. Review of the material does not imply DoD or U.S. Government endorsement of factual, accuracy or opinion.
Abstract
An experienced Senior Defense Official / Defense Attaché in our Embassies abroad is critical to achieving the Pentagon’s and Geographic Combatant Commander’s strategic objectives. The SDO/DATT is the senior Defense Department officer in a country, representing the Secretary of Defense and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The Secretary of Defense has charged Service Secretaries with filling these key roles abroad with seasoned Foreign Area Officers who have both security cooperation experience and have served as a military attaché. As noted in the FY22 NDAA, Section 1312, a Foreign Area Officer Independent assessment and comprehensive review is required. This will require services secretaries and leaders to adhere to years-old Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) policy to prioritize the FAO career track and utilize the pool of qualified officers developed in that track to fill senior officer SDO/DATT and service-specific international relations positions. For new flag officers and for young officers aspiring to be a successful FAO, ultimately an SDO/DATT, this paper provides an overview and the importance of the FAO career track. And for senior general officers, it encourages your active endorsement of the SDO/DATT role for a win-win relationship with our partners and allies abroad.
Introduction by Lieutenant General (retired) Charles Hooper, former Director, Defense Security Cooperation Agency
The Senior Defense Official/Defense Attaché, or SDO/DATT is the Defense Department’s senior leader of our U.S. Embassy military teams abroad. This Joint Service position is most often filled by a colonel or general officer who has been trained as a Foreign Area Officer or FAO. Foreign Area Officers possess not only military operational expertise, but also graduate-level education and training in diplomacy, international relations, and security cooperation. The SDO/DATT serves as the principal military advisor to the U.S. Ambassador, principal liaison to the host nation Chief of Defense, as well as the principal in-country representative of the Secretary of Defense and Geographic Combatant Commander. Selecting the right officer for this role is critical to implementing the National and Defense Security Strategies.
Having served as U.S. Defense Attaché to China, SDO/DATT to Egypt, and as a senior strategist on the Indo-Pacific Command and U.S. Africa Command staffs, I understand the importance of the SDO/DATT position. As the former Director of the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, my frontline implementers in executing the National Defense Strategy directive to strengthen alliances and attract new partners were and continue to be SDO/DATTs and the security cooperation offices that they lead. If we are to emerge victorious from the current Great Power Competition, it is essential we have teams of highly skilled military professionals assigned to our embassies worldwide. As the leaders of these teams, the SDO/DATTs must represent our very best. We can accept nothing less.
The Pivotal Role of the SDO/DATT (and FAOs) in Advancing U.S. Policies and FAO Programs
Background
The Senior Defense Official & Defense Attaché position was implemented in the 2010-era to eliminate confusion where multiple Department of Defense (DoD) offices were present and multiple officers of the same rank were diplomatically accredited to a country. Having one designated Senior Defense Official made it clear who was the Pentagon’s primary representative to the host nation, to the Ambassador and Country Team (senior leadership team comprised of representatives from all agencies and sections of the U.S. Mission in country), and to the U.S. Defense establishment in theater – the respective Geographic Combatant Command (COCOM) and its Service components. The primary decision makers that established this new policy were the OSD, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), and the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA). As the principal DoD officer in country, the SDO/DATT is the Coordinating Authority for DoD personnel visiting or engaging in a Host Nation (HN), including exercise participants, flag officer or other senior leader visits, Special Operations Force elements, military, and DoD civilians on official travel or on leave, etc.
Understanding and maximizing the role of the SDO/DATT position is therefore critical in achieving national security goals and advancing foreign policy objectives with America’s defense and security partners, allies, competitors, and with those countries with which we have strained relations as well. The FY22 NDAA calls for an “independent assessment and comprehensive review” of the Service’s FAO programs and to better maximize FAOs in SDO/DATTs roles. This paper was written in the spring of 2020 during the first lock-down wave of the COVID crises, but sat in a different publisher’s queue for most of 2020 and 2021. It supports the FY22 NDAA action and provides a launching point for its assessment. This paper also serves as a primer for new flag officers not overly familiar with the FAO program, and for aspiring young officers interested in the world of geopolitics who desire to make a difference wearing the U.S. uniform abroad in a diplomatic role.
The SDO/DATT in a country serves as the Secretary of Defense’s (SecDef) and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff’s (CJCS), “personal representative and principal representative of the Department of Defense” to the HN Minister and Ministry of Defense and to the Chief of Defense. Letters from the SecDef and CJCS introducing this officer are sent to these HN senior leaders upon the SDO/DATTs arrival in country (see letters attached at end of article). Acting as the personal representative of the SecDef and CJCS, the SDO/DATT is charged with “representing OSD, DSCA, the COCOM and DIA to the Country Team and the HN … responsible for the Defense Attaché Office and Office of Defense Cooperation … and for the coordination of U.S. defense issues and activities in a country.” While the SDO/DATT represents the entire Defense Department establishment and the U.S. Ambassador, the SDO/DATT's actual rating chain is the respective Geographic Combatant Commander and the Director of DIA, though often times the rating chain is delegated to the deputies of each organization. In order to maximize the SDO/DATT’s role, it is important for U.S. officials involved with security or military matters inside the Beltway, on a Country Team, and on the various staffs involved in a particular region, to fully understand this key position.
The SDO/DATT is normally a seasoned FAO from the U.S. Army, Air Force, Navy or Marine Corps, as specified in Department of Defense Directive 5205.75. Each of the services have a specified FAO training program and a career designator indicating a formal FAO qualification and a typical FAO career track. For example, an Army career designator of 48G indicates a Middle East/North Africa region/Arabic speaker; a 48J indicates an Africa FAO who speaks French or Portuguese; for the U.S. Air Force, a career specialty code of 16F indicates a FAO-trained officer; for the Navy, Designator 1710 is used for a FAO-trained officer.
While the training tracks differ slightly in each service, they do have many similarities. Normally, an officer enters the FAO career track after eight to ten years of service and receives formal training consisting of dedicated language training, an international affairs master’s degree, and in-region training. The Army typically sends its In Region Training (IRT) FAO-trainees on a one-year PCS move to a U.S. embassy within the region of specialty. The IRT FAO is provided with a budget for regional travel while assigned to a U.S. Embassy and an SDO/DATT’s team and is expected to become a burgeoning specialist in the region. Similarly, the USAF sends its FAO-trainees in-region for six months, with several six to ten-week language and cultural immersions mixed with strategic engagements in an embassy abroad, usually working in the Office of Defense Cooperation (ODC). USAF FAOs are also required to complete a one-week Joint FAO Course, and Air Command and Staff College via distant learning.
For both the Army and Air Force, training is designed to develop a deepening cultural and political understanding of the region, gained by visiting Embassy Country Teams and engaging in cultural excursions, visiting military training venues and participating in Pol/Mil-related conferences, etc. While in-country, the SDO/DATT or his/her designee is responsible for mentoring and rating the IRT FAO in most cases. When complete with FAO training (proficient in a target language, completion of an international affairs master’s degree program, and completion of in-region training), a new FAO is often assigned to an Embassy ODC or to work on a Combatant Command or Service Component staff in an engagement or security cooperation role, such as a country-specific desk officer. Further, if an officer is selected to become an attaché, DIA’s Joint Military Attaché School (JMAS) is required. FAOs serving in a U.S. Embassy are diplomatically accredited to that country, with diplomatic status and responsibilities.
The Army’s FAO program is the most established and produces credible FAOs, a handful of whom have been promoted to the flag officer rank to fulfill FAO roles. In my first embassy assignment as a USAF O-4 security cooperation officer, I had the opportunity to work for two different U.S. Army
O-5 ODC Chiefs, both of whom later went on to be O-6 SDO/DATTs. These two Army Lieutenant Colonels were both on their fourth FAO assignment, were well versed in navigating the bureaucracy of a HN’s military system, an inter-agency Embassy Country Team, and the different military staffs from the Pentagon and COCOM organizations. They were also knowledgeable of DSCA and all services’ security cooperation apparatuses, in addition to being experienced in balancing the different responsibilities a Joint billet such as the ODC Chief role requires. Both also briefed the National Security Council on their analysis, assessment, and recommendations regarding regional dynamics in their follow-on SDO/DATT roles. Learning from these two seasoned Army FAOs was critical for my development and success as an Air Force FAO and SDO/DATT. Since that first FAO assignment, the Air Force has made several tweaks to the FAO program over the last decade and a half and have hit a homerun with the comprehensive changes made in 2021.
The Secretary of the Air Force Office of International Affairs (SAF/IA) made landmark changes in their FAO program in early 2021, greatly increasing the priority of the FAO program, and deliberately laying out FAO Career Progression to prioritize the SDO/DATT position and grooming Air Force FAOs for service-specific and Joint senior officer FAO positions. Central to the change is making a FAO career the officer’s primary career track, vice secondary under the old Air Force Regional Affairs Strategist system. An important new change is that the Air Force has incorporated FAO Enabled Tours (FET) into the FAO career track, ensuring that at least some FAOs maintain their operational relevance through assignments in the officer’s original specialty, such as flying, maintenance, intelligence, or other specialty. There are also FAO squadron command positions, as well as the opportunity to compete for command or other assignments in an officer’s original career field through the FET process. International PME slots are now prioritized for FAOs, and sustainment training for FAOs was made mandatory, with 40 hours required annually in language-specific training or regional studies programs, if not serving abroad. The Secretary of the Air Force also oversees the new Space Force, and it’s important to address Guardians in the international affairs realm as well. SAF/IA is responsible for both USAF and USSF international programs.
Regarding the Space Force and the FAO program, currently the USSF does not have plans to create dedicated FAOs but may allow and encourage mid-career Guardians to compete for the Space Advisor positions by serving in exchange officer or liaison officers positions abroad. This program may include language training and could deepen the USSF competence when serving in OSD, SAF/IA, SPACECOM and other Joint Space assignments later in a Guardian’s career. As a recommendation for the USSF and the Secretary of the Air Force, consideration should be given to making the Air Attaché at U.S. embassies with partners who have a Space Force, dual-hatted as both an Air Attaché and a Space Attaché. A course at the new Space Training and Readiness Command (STARCOM) could be given to best prepare Attachés for this role.
The Return-on-Investment from FAO Training in Developing and Executing Effective USG Policy and Programs
As the SecDef’s and CJCS’s principal representative to an Ambassador and country team and the Host Nation military apparatus, it is essential that the SDO/DATT have a good understanding of Joint doctrine, the National Security Strategy, the National Defense Strategy, and the COCOM CCDRs Theater Campaign Plan, as well as each component commander’s objectives. It is also critical to be in tune with and an active member of an Ambassador’s Country Team, helping to implement the Department of State’s Integrated Country Strategy. Having a firm understanding of the geopolitical nature of the
bi-lateral relationship, how the country fits into regional dynamics and international organizational chemistry, as well as in-depth knowledge of the HN’s governmental leaders and policies is important. Gaining the HN’s respect and access to senior leaders is essential in becoming effective, as the SDO/DATT serves not only as the senior DoD officer to the HN, but also as the primary interlocutor for the HN back to the Country Team and the U.S. DoD establishment.
While important to be the interlocutor for the HN to the Pentagon, COCOM, and Country Team, it is also critical that the SDO/DATT stay aware of and grounded in prioritizing U.S. policy. When a host nation’s objectives run contrary to U.S. policy, which is often the case, FAO experience, diplomacy and solid communication are important skill sets to have in order to communicate HN messaging to U.S. senior leaders (and vice-versa) regarding policy decisions, internal and external political calculus and implications, real-world operations, security cooperation, geopolitical concerns/perspectives, and interoperability matters, among other topics. The SDO/DATT has a unique perspective to identify where interests overlap, creating opportunities for cooperation activities, as well as where conditions are not ripe for cooperation or where coercion may come in to play or be required.
The SDO/DATT position is typically designated to a specific service for each country, with a designated rank attached to the position. For instance, the SDO/DATT position where I served in Morocco is designated for a USAF colonel, as it is in Sweden, Algeria, and Portugal, to name a few. The SDO/DATT positions in Tunisia, Colombia and France are Army colonels; in Japan, Greece, Italy, and South Africa, Navy captains, for example. In smaller countries or those with a smaller military engagement portfolio, it is not uncommon to have an O-5 as an SDO/DATT, and in larger embassies with large defense portfolios and increased strategic cooperation activities, a general officer is designated, such as in Egypt, Israel, Turkey, China and Russia, for example.
According to DoDD 5205.75, it is Secretary of Defense policy to fill SDO/DATT billets, “… by FAOs with prior security cooperation and attaché experience, consistent with the providing Military Service’s FAO program objectives.” Further, Service Secretaries are charged with, “… filling SDO/DATT billets with FAOs having prior security cooperation and attaché experience.” However, with the exception of LTG Hooper (who wrote the introduction) and a few other SDO/DATTs, at the senior officer level this is not usually the case. Most general officers serving in SDO/DATT positions lack FAO training, lack FAO experience, and are new to a diplomatic role. For these critical billets, attention should be given to adherence to OSD policy, capitalizing on the training and experience of the specialized FAO career track, requiring services to select senior officers for these critical positions from the pool of FAO-trained officers with security cooperation experience and attaché experience. Additionally, there are a handful of other senior officer FAO-type positions in our services that the DoD, inter-agency teams and international partners would benefit from if filled with a FAO-trained senior officer. These include the Air Force Security Assistance Command commander and the two general officer positions in the Secretary of the Air Force for International Affairs office, the Director of the Naval International Programs Office and the N5I jobs in the Navy, and the Commander of the Army’s Security Assistance Command to name just a few key positions. Our government and our partners would benefit from having an experienced FAO senior officer in these positions, as well as in most COCOMs and their service component positions that involve security cooperation and partnering.
As previously noted, the SDO/DATT position in a country is most often specifically linked to a service and a specific rank, except those countries with a flag officer designation where the service is often competed jointly. As directed by the previously referenced Secretary of Defense policy, it is the shared responsibility of USD(P), CJCS, COCOM Commanders, the DSCA Director, and the DIA Director to determine this equation of rank and service for the SDO/DATT position in each country. An updated and holistic (global) review of which service and rank is represented as the SDO/DATT in each country would serve the international, diplomatic, and security cooperation relationships well. As this position has existed now for just over ten years, such a review and a service’s review of the FAO training programs, particularly in reference to training/grooming FAO-qualified officers for senior officer SDO/DATT positions, would benefit and validate the USG/HN relationship and the COCOM CCDR’s priorities.
The FAO Value-Added for General and Flag Officers
Shifting gears slightly, senior general officer visits (three and four star) can be mutually beneficial to general officers and the SDO/DATT. In understanding the importance of the SDO/DATT role, senior general officers visiting countries can reinforce this role to the HN, paving the way for better access, more information exchange, and more robust relationships. Similarly, as the Pentagon’s and COCOM’s senior representative, gaining the SDO/DATT’s and Country Team’s perspectives on essential Pol/Mil and security topics before engaging with the host nation should be routine practice by senior general officers, and most often is. However, this isn’t always the case. On initial coordination for a senior leader visit, either through the country clearance process (APACS) or via e-mail, it is not uncommon to receive the message that “no embassy support requested” or have a staff bypass the SDO/DATT team altogether. Considering that the SDO/DATT has the most up-to-date information and perspective in a country and a clear perspective of the atmospherics of the defense relationship, not engaging with the SDO/DATT or members of DAO team, in most cases is short-sighted (notwithstanding visiting a country for multi-lateral discussions or other similar circumstances). As one of the four Ambassador’s with whom I worked for articulated, “It would be confusing to host nation officials at the least and possibly detrimental to U.S. government policies for any U.S. military officer, particularly a high-ranking one, not to actively seek Embassy and SDO/DATT insights on the context, priorities, and current efforts in country, as well as cause the Ambassador concern.” Senior leader visits should routinely include engagement with the SDO/DATT and his/her team to leverage insight and expertise as a two-way partnership to achieve U.S. policy priorities, as well as reinforce the key role played by an SDO/DATT and FAO.
I remember vividly my first FAO job as a USAF ODC programs officer where a COCOM Commander did just that – in 30 seconds. As the USAF security cooperation officer, I had an active role in selling a sophisticated F-16 aircraft, associated armament, and training support program to the Kingdom of Morocco, a major non-NATO ally. Having briefed the AFRICOM Commander in Stuttgart, and then twice in Morocco, a credible relationship had been established between myself, the COCOM Commander, and the HN. During an extravagant, formal CHOD/COCOM CCDR lunch, the AFRICOM Commander interrupted the flow of a long representational event and authoritatively asked across the room a few questions of myself and the ODC Chief seated at a different table. He finished with a bold announcement that these two field grade officers represented him and had direct access to him and his staff. From a four-star COCOM Commander, this resonated with the CHOD and all his staff present, and ultimately provided subsequent outstanding access and information exchange. Other, more subtle reinforcements from senior GOs to HN senior leaders are as effective in promoting unique access and information exchange, which ultimately serve the COCOM, Pentagon, and other USG consumers of information. Similarly, when a COCOM Commander or Component Commander holds a CHOD conference, a Service Chief conference or conduct bi-lateral meetings that don’t include the attaché in the event/meeting, this seeming disregard for the SDO/DATT as the Pentagon’s point person in-country can have the opposite effect with associated negative consequences: limiting U.S. access to key HN officials and degraded credibility, which leads to reduced critical information exchange.
To conclude, for U.S. government policy objectives to be running on all cylinders in the diplomatic environment abroad, the Pentagon’s chess piece at a U.S. Embassy and in a country is the SDO/DATT. The Secretary of Defense’s Directive calls on Service Secretaries to fill these critical roles with FAOs with both security cooperation and attaché experience. Services should continue to prioritize the FAO career track and groom FAO-qualified SDO/DATTs and general officers filling Security Cooperation positions in the Pentagon, COCOMs and Components, as well as other DoD organizations. Finally, young and motivated officers and new FAOs should continue to seek mentorship and aspire to the SDO/DATT position, no doubt the pinnacle role for a FAO.
Summary of Recommendations:
Service Secretaries fill the SDO/DATT positions with security cooperation and attaché experienced FAO-trained officers, as per existing OSD policy.
Services fill key senior officer security cooperation positions with FAO-qualified officers (SAF/IAR, AFSAC, NIPO, NAV/N5I, USASAC, DSCA, COCOM J5s, etc.).
OSD code the majority of SDO/DATT positions for FAO-trained officers.
OSD lead a global/holistic review of which Service and rank should fill each SDO/DATT position at each U.S. Embassy abroad.
SecAF and CSO consider additional training for AIRAs at STARCOM and create a dual-hatted Air & Space Attaché in countries where we have a mature military Space relationship.
Other Services review and consider the sweeping changes the Air Force has recently made to the FAO program.
High ranking senior officers engage with and leverage the two-way partnership between the SDO/DATT (and his/her team) and COCOM teams.
About the author
Colonel Hamann is the U.S. Air Attaché to France and previous SDO/DATT to Morocco. He is a FAO, former F-15C Instructor, Evaluator and Mission Commander, commanded in Iraq, and has served in FAO and Security Cooperation roles for three different Geographic Combatant Commands. He holds master’s degrees in Civil Engineering and International Affairs.