For (un)Official Use Only: SECNAV Message Endorsing Value of the USN/USMC Foreign Area Officer Program

SECNAV Message Endorsing Value of the USN/USMC Foreign Area Officer Program

Last week the Secretary of the Navy (the Honorable Ray Mabus) released a message expressing his personal commitment to the USN and USMC FAO Program.  This is a HUGE deal for the FAO community and an important step for our future.

I've pasted the message below with some of my edits (I made some minor edits for readability prior to the message body (any additions are in italics), emboldened some portions, and added the hyperlinks).

My takeaways first:

FAOs value within the Navy/Marine Corps hinges heavily on their LREC expertise. Therefore maintaining not just proficiency but a growing expertise in each of the three categories is paramount.  The challenge then is how to do so and what expertise means (how to quantify) for language, regional expertise and culture.

Language: Able to plan and execute operations with foreign militaries and communicate strategic messaging throughout operations

Regional Expertise: Sophisticated understanding of the international environment

Culture (i.e. people--relationships): Able to facilitate close and continuing diplomatic interaction with foreign governments and defense leaders

FAO's past and continued impact:

Tactical: Planning and executing operations

Attaches: Representatives of service community leadership abroad

Security Cooperation Officers (SCOs): foreign assistance (IMET etc.) and theater security cooperation portfolios

Overseas Staffs: Influence international engagement and employment of U.S. forces

Beltway Staffs: Advise senior leadership

The viability of any community is heavily influenced by its flag officers (numerically and positionally):

"I AM COMMITTED TO ENSURING PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS INCLUDE COMPETITIVE CAREER ADVANCEMENT FOR FAOS AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR SERVICE AT THE GENERAL/FLAG OFFICER RANK."

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DATE: 13 MAR 13 
FROM: SECNAV WASHINGTON DC
TO: ALL THE NAVY
INFO: COMMANDANT USMC AND CNO 
SUBJ: DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY FOREIGN AREA OFFICER PROGRAMS 

REFERENCES:
DEPSECDEF/20050405:
DODD 1315.17 MILITARY DEPARTMENT FOREIGN AREA OFFICER PROGRAMS
UNSECDEF PERS AND READ/20070928:
DODI 1315.20 MANAGEMENT OF DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE FOREIGN AREA OFFICER PROGRAMS
SECNAV/20130123:

SECNAVINST 1301.7 DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY FOREIGN AREA OFFICER PROGRAMS
1. ADMIRALS, GENERALS, SENIOR EXECUTIVES, SAILORS AND MARINES.
ON 23 JANUARY 2013, PURSUANT TO REFS A AND B, I APPROVED SECRETARY OF THE NAVY (SECNAV)
INSTRUCTION 1301.7 (REF C), PROVIDING DIRECTION TO THE DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY (DON) ON THE DEVELOPMENT AND SUSTAINMENT OF NAVY AND MARINE CORPS FOREIGN AREA OFFICER (FAO)
PROGRAMS. THE INSTRUCTION UNDERSCORES MY PERSONAL COMMITMENT TO THE HEALTH AND
FUTURE OF BOTH PROGRAMS AND THE CRITICAL IMPORTANCE OF THIS ELITE CADRE OF LANGUAGE,
REGIONAL EXPERTISE AND CULTURE (LREC) SPECIALISTS TO THE DEPARTMENT. I DESIGNATED THE
DEPUTY UNDER SECRETARY OF THE NAVY MR. BOB MARTINAGE (PLANS, POLICY, OVERSIGHT AND INTEGRATION) AS MY EXECUTIVE AGENT TO IMPLEMENT THIS INSTRUCTION. I WILL CONTINUE TO TAKE A PERSONAL INTEREST IN THESE PROGRAMS.

2. THE LESSONS OF THE PAST DECADE HAVE TAUGHT US THAT TRUST AND COOPERATION CANNOT BE
SURGED, AND NEITHER CAN THE LREC SKILLS REQUIRED TO BUILD THESE LONG TERM RELATIONSHIPS.
BUDGET REDUCTIONS AND THE DECREASED AVAILABILITY OF CONVENTIONAL FORCES GLOBALLY
HIGHLIGHT THE IMPORTANCE OF FOSTERING RELATIONSHIPS WITH OUR INTERNATIONAL PARTNERS.
TO ACHIEVE SUCCESS IN CURRENT AND FUTURE OPERATIONS, THE DON MUST BE PREPARED TO WORK
WITH AN EXPANDING NUMBER OF COALITION PARTNERS IN A DIVERSE SET OF GEOPOLITICAL
CONDITIONS AROUND THE WORLD. SUCCESS IN THESE OPERATIONS, AND ON THE ASYMMETRIC
BATTLEFIELDS OF THE FUTURE, REQUIRES SPECIALIZED OFFICERS WITH A SOPHISTICATED
UNDERSTANDING OF THE INTERNATIONAL SECURITY ENVIRONMENT, CAPABLE OF FACILITATING CLOSE
AND CONTINUOUS MILITARY DIPLOMATIC INTERACTION WITH FOREIGN GOVERNMENTS AND THEIR
DEFENSE ESTABLISHMENTS. ONLY THE BEST AND MOST HIGHLY QUALIFIED OFFICERS IN THE NAVY AND
MARINE CORPS WILL BE SELECTED, EDUCATED, AND TRAINED FOR THIS MISSION.

3. DURING MY TENURE AS SECNAV, I HAVE OBSERVED FIRSTHAND THE CRITICAL WORK THAT NAVY
AND MARINE FAOS DO EACH DAY AT SEA, ON THE FRONT LINES, AND AT OUR EMBASSIES AROUND THE
WORLD. THE IMPACT OF THESE OFFICERS UPON U.S. FOREIGN POLICY, REAL-WORLD OPERATIONS, AND
THE NATIONAL SECURITY OF THE U.S. CANNOT BE OVERSTATED. ON THE TACTICAL LEVEL, FAOS ARE
INDISPENSABLE TO THE PLANNING AND EXECUTION OF OPERATIONS, INCLUDING FACILITATING
EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION WITH LOCAL POPULATIONS, AND LEVERAGING THEIR LREC SKILLS TO
SHAPE STRATEGIC MESSAGING IN SUPPORT OF THESE OPERATIONS. AS ATTACHES, FAOS REPRESENT
MYSELF, THE CHIEF OF NAVAL OPERATIONS, AND THE COMMANDANT OF THE MARINE CORPS TO THE
FOREIGN SERVICE AND TO FOREIGN MILITARIES. AS SECURITY COOPERATION OFFICERS, FAOS MANAGE
CRITICAL FOREIGN ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS WITH OUR ALLIES, INCLUDING FOREIGN MILITARY SALES;
INTERNATIONAL MILITARY EDUCATION AND TRAINING PROGRAMS; AND THEATER SECURITY
COOPERATION PORTFOLIOS, WHICH BUILD THE CAPACITY OF OUR INTERNATIONAL PARTNERS. ON THE
STAFFS OF THE GEOGRAPHIC COMBATANT COMMANDS AND COMPONENT COMMANDS, FAOS
DIRECTLY INFLUENCE INTERNATIONAL ENGAGEMENT AND THE STRATEGIC EMPLOYMENT OF OUR
EXPEDITIONARY FORCES, TO INCLUDE PORT VISITS, JOINT EXERCISES, AND MILITARY-TO-MILITARY
EXCHANGES. WITHIN THE OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE, JOINT STAFF, SERVICE STAFFS, AND THE INTERAGENCY, FAOS PROVIDE UNIQUE POLITICAL-MILITARY EXPERTISE TO SENIOR LEADERS,
DIRECTLY SHAPING U.S. FOREIGN POLICY. BOTH SERVICES CAN BE JUSTIFIABLY PROUD OF THE
TREMENDOUS ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF THESE WARRIOR-DIPLOMATS.

4. THE FUTURE OF THE NAVY AND MARINE CORPS FAO PROGRAMS IS STRONG. OVER THE PAST YEAR, THE NAVY INCREASED ITS INVENTORY OF FAOS TO 256 OFFICERS AND CONTINUES TO MATURE TOWARDS FULL OPERATIONAL CAPACITY. THE NAVY'S IMPLEMENTATION OF MILESTONE SCREENING CONTINUES TO STRENGTHEN AN ALREADY ROBUST AND PROVEN FAO CAREER PATH TO FLAG LEVEL. THE MARINE CORPS HAS ALSO MADE GREAT STRIDES. COMMAND SELECTION RATES FOR MARINE CORPS FAOS ARE ON PAR WITH THE SERVICE AVERAGE AND PROMOTION RATES ARE HIGHER THAN THE SERVICE AVERAGE.
THESE STATISTICS REFLECT THE COMPETITIVENESS AND RIGOR OF THE FAO SELECTION PROCESS. I AM COMMITTED TO ENSURING PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS INCLUDE COMPETITIVE CAREER
ADVANCEMENT FOR FAOS AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR SERVICE AT THE GENERAL/FLAG OFFICER RANK.
OUR WORK AS SENIOR LEADERS, HOWEVER, IS NOT FINISHED. I WILL CONTINUE TO RELY UPON THE
LEADERSHIP OF BOTH SERVICES TO FULLY RESOURCE THESE PROGRAMS, ACTIVELY ENCOURAGE OUR
BEST OFFICERS TO APPLY, AND ENSURE THAT FAOS ARE BEING UTILIZED IN THE MOST APPROPRIATE
BILLETS FOR THEIR SKILL SET. IT IS A TASK THAT I AM CONFIDENT WE WILL ACCOMPLISH TOGETHER.

5. RELEASED BY RAY MABUS, SECRETARY OF THE NAVY.