301504Z AUG 11
UNCLASSIFIED//
MARADMIN 496/11
MSGID/GENADMIN,USMTF,2007/CMC WASHINGTON DC PPO PL(UC)/F002//
SUBJ/BETA TEST ANNOUNCEMENT AND SOLICITATION FOR VOLUNTEERS FOR USMC FOREIGN AREA STAFF NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICER (FAS) AND REGIONAL AFFAIRS STAFF NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICERS (RAS) PROGRAM//
REF/A/MSGID:DOC/CMC WASHINGTON DC/YMD:20060606//
REF/B/MSGID:MARADMIN/195.11/YMD:20110428//
NARR/REF A IS THE MARINE CORPS ORDER ON THE FOREIGN LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY PAY (FLPP) PROGRAM, MCO 7220.53E.  REF B IS THE MARADMIN ANNOUNCING FY 2011 MARINE CORPS FOREIGN LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY PAY ENTITLEMENTS AND ELIGIBLE LANGUAGES//
POC/BROWN, JONATHAN F./MAJOR/UNIT:CMC WASHINGTON DC PPO PLU /NAME:JONATHAN.F.BROWN@USMC.MIL/TEL:(703)692-4365//
POC/BOLDEN, ANTHONY/LTCOL/UNIT:CMC WASHINGTON DC PPO PLU /NAME:ANTHONY.BOLDEN@USMC.MIL/TEL:(703)614-0322//
POC/VERMA, NIMISH/CTR/UNIT:CMC WASHINGTON DC PPO PLU /NAME:NIMISH.VERMA.CTR@USMC.MIL/TEL:(703)692-4366//
POC/DAWSON, BEN/GYSGT/UNIT:MMEA 85/NAME:BEN.DAWSON@USMC.MIL /TEL:(703)784-9264//
GENTEXT/REMARKS/1.  PURPOSE.  THIS MARADMIN ANNOUNCES THE INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS PROGRAM (IAP) FAS-RAS BETA TEST AND SOLICITATION FOR VOLUNTEERS.
2.  ORIENTATION.
2.A.  THE COMMANDANT'S PLANNING GUIDANCE 2010 DESCRIBES THE FUTURE SECURITY ENVIRONMENT WHERE MARINES WILL OPERATE.  THIS ENVIRONMENT IS CHARACTERIZED BY INCREASING INSTABILITY, CONFLICT, POVERTY, COMPETITION FOR RESOURCES, URBANIZATION, OVERPOPULATION AND EXTREMISM.  RISING NEW POWERS AND SHIFTING GEO-POLITICAL RELATIONSHIPS WILL CREATE GREATER POTENTIAL FOR COMPETITION AND FRICTION. 
2.B.  THE MARINE CORPS NEEDS A CADRE OF LANGUAGE, REGIONAL AND CULTURE (LREC) SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS (SME(S)) AT THE TACTICAL LEVEL TO UNDERSTAND AND EFFECTIVELY NAVIGATE THIS SECURITY ENVIRONMENT. 
2.C.  THE FAS-RAS PROGRAM AIMS TO CREATE LREC SME(S) AT THE SNCO LEVEL WITH THE FOLLOWING THREE SKILL SETS:
2.C(1)  REGIONALLY FOCUSED UNDERGRADUATE OR GRADUATE COURSEWORK INCLUDING A FOCUS IN FOREIGN HISTORY, POLITICS, ECONOMICS, CULTURE, AND MILITARY.
2.C(2)  FOREIGN LANGUAGE ABILITY MEASURED TO THE 1-1 LEVEL ON THE DEFENSE LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY TEST (DLPT).
2.C(3)  REGIONAL EXPERIENCE EQUIVALENT TO THREE MONTHS IMMERSION IN COUNTRY.
3.  SITUATION.
3.A.  THE COMMANDANT'S PLANNING GUIDANCE 2010 TASKED DEPUTY COMMANDANT FOR PLANS, POLICIES AND OPERATIONS (DC PPO) TO INSTITUTIONALIZE THE FOREIGN AREA OFFICER-REGIONAL AFFAIRS OFFICER (FAO-RAO) PROGRAMS. 
3.B.  THE COMMANDANT SUPPORTS THE INITIATIVE TO INCREASE THE CAPACITY OF THE FAO-RAO POPULATION BY OPENING THE CADRE OF LREC SME(S) TO OUR ENLISTED STAFF NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICER (SNCO) CORPS.
3.C.  TO PROVE THE CONCEPT, VALIDATE TRAINING OPTIONS, PROVIDE EFFECTIVE CAREER MANAGEMENT AND ASSIGNMENTS WITH FEEDBACK FROM DESIGNATED UNITS, THIS BETA TEST WILL BE INITIATED IN FISCAL YEAR (FY) 2012 AND RUN THROUGH FY13.
4.  MISSION.  IDENTIFY, SELECT, AND EDUCATE A CORPS OF INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS MARINES AS A PROOF OF CONCEPT FOR FUTURE ASSIGNMENTS ON TACTICAL, OPERATIONAL, AND STRATEGIC-LEVEL MARINE CORPS STAFFS, JOINT AND COMBINED STAFFS, AND FOR DUTY WITH INTERAGENCY ORGANIZATIONS IN ORDER TO IMPROVE MAGTF PLANS, OPERATIONS, SECURITY ASSISTANCE, AND INTELLIGENCE EFFORTS WITH LANGUAGE, REGIONAL, AND CULTURAL EXPERTISE.
5.  EXECUTION.
5.A.  BETA TEST CANDIDATE SELECTION
5.A(1) TEN ACTIVE DUTY MARINES WILL BE SELECTED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE FAS-RAS BETA TEST. 
5.A(1)(A) TWO BASELINE STUDY TRACK CANDIDATES, WITH LIMITED TO NO PRIOR REGIONAL EXPERIENCE OR LANGUAGE SKILLS, REQUIRING 12-MONTHS OF TRAINING IN ALL THREE SKILL SETS WILL BE SELECTED.
5.A(1)(B) SIX PARTIAL STUDY TRACK CANDIDATES, ALREADY HAVING ONE OR TWO REQUIRED SKILL SETS, WILL BE SELECTED, AND GIVEN THREE TO SIX MONTHS OF TRAINING TO COMPLEMENT AND COMPLETE REQUIRED FAS SKILLS.
5.A(1)(C) TWO EXPERIENCE TRACK CANDIDATES WHO MEET ALL THREE REQUIRED FAS SKILLS WILL BE SELECTED.
5.A(2) FIVE MARINE RESERVISTS WILL BE SELECTED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE FAS-RAS BETA TEST. 
5.A(2)(A) RESERVISTS MUST MEET THE THREE REQUIRED FAS SKILLS, AND CAN APPLY VIA EXPERIENCE TRACK ONLY.
5.A(2)(B) RESERVISTS MAY BE GIVEN ADDITIONAL TRAINING AT NO COST ON A SPACE-AVAILABLE BASIS.  TRAINING TO COMPLEMENT FAS/RAS SKILLS INCLUDES, BUT IS NOT LIMITED TO, SECURITY COOPERATION PLANNERS COURSE, AND CIVIL-MILITARY OPERATIONS COURSE.
5.A(2)(C) RESERVISTS ARE ENCOURAGED TO DEVELOP LREC SKILLS WITH GI BILL BENEFITS, STUDY ABROAD, OR BY ENGAGING SKILLS FROM THEIR CIVILIAN JOBS.  RESERVISTS ARE ENCOURAGED TO APPLY FOR FAS-RAS DESIGNATION SO THE SKILLS CAN BE IDENTIFIED AND ALIGNED WITH MOBILIZATION OPPORTUNITIES.
5.B.  BETA TEST REGION-LANGUAGE SELECTION.
5.B(1) THE NINE REGION-LANGUAGE SELECTIONS INCLUDE: 
5.B(1)(A) LATIN AMERICA (SPANISH, PORTUGUESE, FRENCH)   
5.B(1)(B) EURASIA (RUSSIAN, GEORGIAN, UKRAINIAN)
5.B(1)(C) NORTHEAST ASIA (CHINESE-MANDARIN, JAPANESE, KOREAN)
5.B(1)(D) MIDDLE EAST-NORTH AFRICA (ARABIC)
5.B(1)(E) SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA (FRENCH, SWAHILI)
5.B(1)(F) SOUTH ASIA (HINDI, URDU, PASHTO, DARI)
5.B(1)(G) WESTERN EUROPE (FRENCH, GERMAN, GREEK, ITALIAN, SPANISH, NORWEGIAN, AND DUTCH)
5.B(1)(H) SOUTHEAST ASIA (INDONESIAN, KHMER, MALAY, TAGALOG, THAI, VIETNAMESE-HANOI)
5.B(1)(I) EASTERN EUROPE (TURKISH, ROMANIAN, SERBO-CRAOATIAN).
5.C.  BETA TEST ASSIGNMENT.
5.C(1) SELECTED BETA TEST CANDIDATES WILL BE PROVIDED NECESSARY TRAINING TO MEET FAS REQUIREMENTS (1-12 MONTHS), THEN IMMEDIATELY ASSIGNED TO SELECTED UNITS FOR ONE YEAR, OR SUFFICIENT TIME TO COMPLETE A WORK-UP AND DEPLOYMENT CYCLE.  TOTAL BETA TEST TIME WILL BE BETWEEN 14 AND 24 MONTHS, DEPENDING ON BASELINE, PARTIAL STUDY, OR EXPERIENCE TRACK.
5.C(2) SELECTED BETA TEST UNITS INCLUDE: 15TH MEU, 24TH MEU, 31ST MEU, MCTAG-MCSCG, CMC RED TEAM, AND MARSOC.
6.  ADMINISTRATION.
6.A.  BETA TEST ELIGIBILITY
6.A(1)  TIME ON STATION (TOS):  APPLICANTS SHALL MEET MINIMUM TOS REQUIREMENTS AND BE ELIGIBLE FOR PCS ORDERS BY DEC 2011.  COMMUNICATE WITH PMOS MONITORS TO DETERMINE ELIGIBILITY. 
6.A(2)  EDUCATION REQUIREMENT:  APPLICANTS MUST HAVE AN ASSOCIATES DEGREE OR EQUIVALENT TO QUALIFY FOR STUDY AT THE NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL (NPS) FOR REGIONALLY-FOCUSED UNDERGRADUATE STUDY. 
6.A(2)(A) APPLICANTS WHO HAVE A BACHELORS DEGREE QUALIFY FOR POSTGRADUATE STUDY IN THE NATIONAL SECURITIES STUDIES PROGRAM AT NPS.
6.A(2)(B) APPLICANTS WHO HAVE REGIONALLY-FOCUSED BACHELORS DEGREES MEET THE EDUCATION REQUIREMENT, AND WILL BE CONSIDERED FOR PARTIAL STUDY TRACK OR EXPERIENCE TRACK.
6.A(3)  LANGUAGE REQUIREMENT:  APPLICANTS MUST HAVE A MINIMUM DEFENSE LANGUAGE APTITUDE BATTERY (DLAB) SCORE OR CURRENT DEFENSE LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY TEST (DLPT) SCORE OF 1-1 TO QUALIFY. 
6.A(3)(A) 95 DLAB FOR CATEGORY I LANGUAGES:  DUTCH, FRENCH, ITALIAN, NORWEGIAN, PORTUGUESE, AND SPANISH.
6.A(3)(B) 100 DLAB FOR CATEGORY II LANGUAGES:  GERMAN, MALAY, INDONESIAN, AND ROMANIAN.
6.A(3)(C) 105 DLAB FOR CATEGORY III LANGUAGES: CZECH, FARSI, POLISH, RUSSIAN, SERBO-CROATIAN, TAGALOG, THAI, TURKISH, UZBEK, AND VIETNAMESE.
6.A(3)(D) 110 DLAB FOR CATEGORY IV LANGUAGES:  ARABIC, CHINESE, JAPANESE, KOREAN, AND PASHTO.
6.A(3)(E) DLAB SCORES MUST HAVE BEEN TAKEN WITHIN FIVE YEARS TO BE CONSIDERED CURRENT.
6.A(3)(F) FAS MARINES QUALIFY FOR FLPP UPON SUCCESSFUL ACHIEVEMENT OF 1-1 OR 2-2 IN ANY TWO DLPT MODALITIES, ACCORDING TO REF B.
6.A(3)(G) FAS MARINES QUALIFY FOR FLPP IN "PREVALENT IN THE FORCE LANGUAGES", AS PER REF B.
6.A(4)  REGIONAL EXPERIENCE:  APPLICANTS WITH RELEVANT REGIONAL EXPERIENCE OVERSEAS SHOULD HIGHLIGHT THIS IN THEIR APPLICATION.  FOR EXPERIENCE TRACK APPLICANTS, THREE MONTHS IMMERSION MEETS THE REQUIREMENT.  IMMERSION IMPLIES EXPERIENCE WITH DAILY INTERACTION WITH FOREIGN POPULATIONS.
6.B.  BETA TEST APPLICATION.
6.B(1)  FAS-RAS REQUIREMENTS AND APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS CAN BE FOUND ON THE INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS PROGRAMS WEBSITE AT: WWW.MARINES.MIL SLASH UNIT SLASH HQMC SLASH PLANSPOLICIES SLASH PL SLASH PLU SLASH PAGES SLASH PLU8.ASPX. 
6.B(2)  APPLICANTS MAY APPLY FOR AS MANY CATEGORIES AS THEY QUALIFY FOR; SPECIFY YOUR PRIORITIES. 
6.B(3)  APPLICATION PACKAGES MUST BE SUBMITTED VIA THE ENDORSING CHAIN OF COMMAND TO HQMC (MMEA-85) NLT 15 OCT 2011. 
6.B(3)(A) NOMINATIONS ENDORSED BY THE DIVISION-WING DO NOT REQUIRE FURTHER ENDORSEMENTS BEFORE ROUTING TO HQMC (MMEA-85). 
6.B(3)(B) LATE OR INCOMPLETE NOMINATIONS WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED.
6.B(3)(C) DIGITAL (PDF) COPIES OF THE ENTIRE PACKAGE ARE THE STANDARD SUBMISSION.  ANY DOCUMENTS REQUIRING SIGNATURE (ENDORSEMENTS, LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION, ETC) MUST BE SIGNED PRIOR TO CONVERSION TO PDF.  THESE PDF FILE(S) SHALL BE E-MAILED TO THE HQMC(MMEA-85) POC LISTED IN THIS MESSAGE (BEN.DAWSON@USMC.MIL).  NOTE:  ADOBE ACROBAT (PDF) IS THE ONLY ACCEPTED MEANS OF DIGITAL SUBMISSION FOR THE APPLICATIONS.
6.B(3)(D) LABEL ALL PDF FILES WITH "LAST.FIRST.REGION.LANGUAGE"
(E.G.BROWN.JONATHAN.SOUTHEASTASIA.INDONESIAN)
6.B(3)(E) IF COMMANDS ARE UNABLE TO CONVERT THE APPLICATION PACKAGE TO PDF AND E-MAIL TO MMEA-85, HARD COPIES OF THE APPLICATION PACKAGE SHALL BE SENT TO:  COMMANDANT OF THE MARINE CORPS (MMEA-85), ATTN: FAS-RAS BETA TEST BOARD, 3280 RUSSELL ROAD, QUANTICO VA 22134. PACKAGES MUST BE POSTMARKED NLT 15 OCT 2011.
6.B(3)(F) HQMC(MMEA-85) WILL EVALUATE ASSIGNABILITY CONSIDERATIONS OF EACH PACKAGE BEFORE SUBMITTING THEM TO (PPO-PLU) FOR FINAL DECISION.
6.C.  BETA TEST EXECUTION.
6.C(1) MARINES SELECTED FOR BASELINE STUDY TRACK (REGIONALLY-FOCUSED EDUCATION AT NPS) WILL EXECUTE PCS ORDERS TO MONTEREY CALIFORNIA FOR THE DURATION OF FAS TRAINING. 
6.C(1)(A) IMMERSION LANGUAGE AND-OR REGIONAL TRAVEL WILL BE ACCOMPLISHED BY TAD AS NECESSARY.  IMMERSION LANGUAGE TRAINING WILL BE APPROXIMATELY TWO TO THREE MONTHS.  REGIONAL IMMERSION TRAVEL WILL BE APPROXIMATELY THREE MONTHS.
6.C(1)(B) 12-MONTH PCS TO BETA TEST UNIT WILL OCCUR UPON COMPLETION OF FAS TRAINING.
6.C(1)(C) FAS MARINES WILL RETURN TO PMOS-OPERATING FORCES ASSIGNMENT AT THE COMPLETION OF THE BETA TEST.
6.C(2) MARINES SELECTED FOR PARTIAL STUDY TRACK (THOSE NOT REQUIRING REGIONALLY-FOCUSED EDUCATION AT NPS) WILL EXECUTE PCS ORDERS TO THEIR BETA TEST UNIT.  MARINES WILL EXECUTE TAD TRAINING FROM THE FOLLOW-ON BETA TEST UNIT FOR IMMERSION LANGUAGE TRAINING (2-3 MONTHS) AND/OR IMMERSION TRAVEL (3 MONTHS).
6.C(2)(A) FAS TRAINING WILL BE EXECUTED BY PPO FUNDED TAD FOR THE REQUIRED 1-6 MONTHS. 
6.C(2)(B) 12-MONTH ASSIGNMENT WITH BETA TEST UNIT WILL OCCUR UPON COMPLETION OF FAS TRAINING.
6.C(2)(C) FAS MARINES WILL RETURN TO PMOS-OPERATING FORCES ASSIGNMENT AT THE COMPLETION OF THE BETA TEST.
6.C(3)  MARINES SELECTED FOR EXPERIENCE TRACK WILL EXECUTE PCS ORDERS TO THEIR BETA TEST UNIT. 
6.C(3)(A) MARINES MAY EXECUTE TAD TO WASHINGTON, DC AND FORT STORY, VA FOR SECURITY COOPERATION PLANNERS COURSE, PLU BRIEFS, PERSONAL DEFENSIVE MEASURES, AND OTHER TRAINING AS AVAILABLE.
6.C(3)(B) MARINES WILL HELP DEFINE THE DUTIES, RESPONSIBILITIES AND BILLET DESCRIPTION OF THE UNIT FAS-RAS.
7.  COMMAND AND SIGNAL.
7.A.  BETA TEST SELECTION.
7.A(1) NOTIFICATION OF SELECTEES WILL BE VIA MARADMIN. 
7.A(2) APPLICANTS WILL BE CHOSEN BASED ON THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE BETA TEST, ASSIGNABILITY CONSIDERATIONS, SNCO CAREER DEVELOPMENT, AND ABILITY TO SUCCEED IN ACADEMIC AND INDEPENDENT DUTY ENVIRONMENTS. 
7.A(3) PENDING POSITIVE ASSESSMENT OF BETA TEST, EXPECT A SUBSEQUENT MARADMIN ANNOUNCING FOLLOW-ON OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE FAS-RAS PROGRAM IN THE FALL OF 2012.  NON-SELECTED MARINES WILL BE ENCOURAGED TO APPLY AGAIN AT THEIR NEXT OPPORTUNITY.
7.B.  FAS-RAS SKILLS SUSTAINMENT.  UPON COMPLETION OF INITIAL TRAINING OR UTILIZATION, FOLLOW-ON SKILLS SUSTAINMENT WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE.
7.B(1) FAS-RAS MARINES WILL BE ELIGIBLE FOR FAO WEB ACCOUNTS. 
7.B(2) FAS MARINES WILL BE ELIGIBLE FOR LANGUAGE SUSTAINMENT FUNDING FROM INTELLIGENCE DEPARTMENT-FOREIGN LANGUAGE PROGRAM OFFICE (FLPO) ON THE BASIS OF FUNDING AVAILABILITY.
8.  QUESTIONS REGARDING FAS-RAS MAY BE ADDRESSED VIA EMAIL TO IAPMARINE@USMC.MIL OR TO MAJ JONATHAN BROWN AT JONATHAN.F.BROWN@USMC.MIL OR (703) 692-4365.
9.  RELEASE AUTHORIZED BY BGEN M. A. ROCCO, DIRECTOR, STRATEGY AND PLANS DIVISION, PLANS, POLICIES AND OPERATIONS.//