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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)//
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