CLASSIFICATION: UNCLASSIFIED// ROUTINE R 031322Z AUG 23 MID600053215456U FM CNO WASHINGTON DC TO NAVADMIN INFO SECNAV WASHINGTON DC CNO WASHINGTON DC BT UNCLAS NAVADMIN 177/23 MSDIG/NAVADMIN/CNO WASHINGTON DC/CNO/AUG // 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 O FFICER 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 seeks motivated waterfront leaders to join the Navy's community of strategic operators, who leverage strategic thinking and human connections to deliver outcomes for the Navy and Joint Force. 2. Background a. Foreign Area Officers leverage waterfront leadership, strategic thinking, operational acumen, and human connections to deliver integrated deterrence effects, outpace adversaries, 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. FAOs work across all levels of the integrated fleet, the joint force, and the inter-agency as the Navy’s security cooperation professionals and political-military affairs experts serving as naval diplomats assigned to embassies. FAOs focus on delivering strategic and operational outcomes alongside Allies & Partners around the world. c. FAOs orient to five geographic regions (CENTCOM, INDOPACOM, SOUTHCOM, EUCOM, and AFRICOM). The community assigns FAOs to an Area of Responsibility (AOR) after selection for lateral transfer, based on preferences, career timing, qualifications, and community needs. d. Approximately 2/3 of FAO billets are overseas. Typical in-region billets include Embassy Security Cooperation and Defense Attach Offices, and 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 in other interagency appointments. e. Navy FAOs serve in 82 countries around the world including remote but strategically important locations. Assignments can be in non-permissive and oppressive environments where the United States needs a footprint on the ground to influence regional or global decisions and 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 inter-agency and multinational partners. The mission is challenging, highly impactful, and personally rewarding. 3. Application and Selection Process a. Lateral Transfer Board. Officers may apply for lateral transfers semi- annually (February and August) as part of the regularly scheduled Navy Active Duty Officer Lateral Transfer and Re-designation boards. 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) Within 18 months of PRD. (7) Completed interview with a designated panel, led by an O-6 FAO. b. Surface Warfare Officer (SWO) FAO Tailored Career Transition (TCT). The SWO-FAO TCT program provides a pathway for SWOs to lateral transfer to the FAO community on completion of their SWO Department Head (DH) tours. Following the annual SWO DH Screening Board, PERS-41 will advertise the opportunity to apply for SWO-FAO TCT. Officers selected for SWO-FAO TCT 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 officers post Division Officer shore tour. Training requirements include an international security affairs masters degree and language training, and will take between 24-36 months depending on the officers assigned region. SWO-FAO TCT officers will complete SWO DH training and SWO DH tours as an 1110. SWO-FAO TCT officers will be automatically re- designated to 1710 upon successful completion of their SWO DH tours and a favorable record review screening by the FAO OCM, and then be assigned to their next assignment at their normal PRD. 4. FAO Qualifications. Once accepted for lateral transfer to FAO, the FAO-in- trainings first set of orders is typically a PCS to Monterey, CA, Newport, RI or Washington D.C. to commence the training track which will give the officer the academic, cultural and linguistic tools to build on the strong foundation in leadership, naval strategy and operational principles. All new FAOs should aspire to gain full qualification as soon as possible so that they can put those skills to use and continue to promote through the ranks as a FAO. Full qualification is achieved through the attainment of the following milestones: a. Masters 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 FAOs assigned region. Following initial qualification, FAOs are expected to sustain their language skills and actively pursue an Interagency Language Roundtable proficiency level of 3/3/3 for their assigned language(s) while utilizing OPNAV N13F Language, Regional Expertise and Culture Office (LREC) support via individual training plans. 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 Brandon Oberling, FAO Community Manager, (901) 874-3694 or email brandon.m.oberling.mil@us.navy.mil. 7. Released by VADM E. H. Black, III, Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Operations, Plans and Strategy (N3N5)// BT #0001 NNNN CLASSIFICATION: UNCLASSIFIED//