R 031029Z MAR 10
UNCLASSIFIED//
MARADMIN 131/10
MSGID/GENADMIN,USMTF,2007/CMC WASHINGTON DC MRA MM//
SUBJ/FY11 FOREIGN AREA OFFICER (FAO) AND REGIONAL AFFAIRS OFFICER (RAO) SELECTION BOARD//
REF/A/MSGID:DOC/PLU/YMD:20011221//
REF/B/MSGID:DOC/I IOP/YMD:20000818//
NARR/REF A IS MCO 1520.11E AND REF B IS MCO 7220.52E.//
POC/B. WARD/MAJ/UNIT:MMOA-5/-/TEL:703-784-9286/TEL:DSN-278-9286/EMAIL:BRADLEY.WARD@USMC.MIL//
POC/D. RODGERS/CIV/UNIT:MMOA-5/-/TEL:703-784-9286/TEL:DSN-278-9286/EMAIL:DIANE.RODGERS@USMC.MIL//
GENTEXT/REMARKS/1.  PURPOSE.  TO SOLICIT APPLICATIONS FOR THE FY11 INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS OFFICER PROGRAM (IAOP) VIA THE FAO AND RAO STUDY TRACK PROGRAM.
    A.  THE FY11 FAO/RAO SELECTION BOARD WILL CONVENE 17 AUGUST 2010; APPLICATIONS ARE DUE NLT 4 JUNE 2010.
    B.  WHERE REF A AND THIS MARADMIN DIFFER, THIS MARADMIN TAKES PRECEDENCE.
    C.  EACH APPLICANT'S CAREER PROGRESSION WILL BE CAREFULLY CONSIDERED IN THE SELECTION PROCESS WITH REGARD TO TIMING AND POTENTIAL FOR FUTURE SERVICE.  OFFICERS COMPLETING TOURS WITH THE OPERATING FORCES ARE PARTICULARLY ENCOURAGED TO APPLY.
2.  FAO PROGRAM
    A.  THROUGH A COMBINATION OF GRADUATE EDUCATION, LANGUAGE TRAINING, AND IN-COUNTRY TRAINING (ICT), THE FAO PROGRAM PRODUCES OFFICERS WITH REGIONAL, LINGUISTIC, AND CULTURAL EXPERTISE IN SPECIFIC GEOGRAPHICAL REGIONS.  FAO TRAINING PREPARES OFFICERS FOR DUTY WITH THE MARINE EXPEDITIONARY FORCES, SERVICE, JOINT, OR COMBINED STAFFS, AND DUTY WITH THE DEFENSE ATTACHE SYSTEM.
    B.  FAO TRAINING/EDUCATION INCLUDES: 
        (1) GRADUATE STUDIES AT THE NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL (NPS), MONTEREY, CA, LEADING TO A MASTER OF ARTS DEGREE IN NATIONAL SECURITY AFFAIRS (12 MONTHS).
        (2) LANGUAGE TRAINING AT THE DEFENSE LANGUAGE INSTITUTE FOREIGN LANGUAGE CENTER, MONTEREY, CA (6-15 MONTHS)
        (3) IN-COUNTRY TRAINING (ICT) (APPROXIMATELY 12 MONTHS)
    C.  FAOS WILL RETURN TO A PRIMARY MILITARY OCCUPATIONAL SPECIALTY (PMOS) BILLET IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING TRAINING AND SERVE A FAO UTILIZATION TOUR IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THAT PMOS ASSIGNMENT.
    D.  IN-COUNTRY TRAINING (ICT)
        (1) FY11 FAO SELECTEES WILL NOT BEGIN THE ICT PHASE UNTIL 2013.  ICT SITE LISTINGS SHOULD BE TAKEN AS A GUIDE ONLY.  IN MOST CASES ICT LOCATIONS ARE ACCOMPANIED TOURS.  HOWEVER, DUE TO OPERATIONAL REQUIREMENTS AND REGIONAL SECURITY ISSUES, SOME ICT LOCATIONS MAY CHANGE OR BE UNACCOMPANIED.
        (2) FY11 FAO REGIONS, LANGUAGES, AND PLANNED ICT SITES (READ IN THREE COLUMNS):
REGION                       LANGUAGE         ICT SITE
RUSSIA/EURASIA               RUSSIAN          UKRAINE
CHINA                        CHINESE          CHINA
MIDDLE EAST/N. AFRICA        ARABIC           EGYPT OR TUNISIA
MIDDLE EAST/N. AFRICA        FARSI            AFGHANISTAN (NOTE 1)
SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA           FRENCH           SENEGAL
SOUTH ASIA                   HINDI            INDIA
SOUTH ASIA                   URDU             PAKISTAN (NOTE 1)  
SOUTH ASIA                   PASHTO           AFGHANISTAN (NOTE 1)
SOUTH ASIA                   DARI             AFGHANISTAN (NOTE 1)
EAST ASIA                    JAPANESE         JAPAN
EAST ASIA                    KOREAN           SOUTH KOREA
EAST ASIA                    INDONESIAN       INDONESIA
EAST ASIA                    TAGALOG          PHILIPPINES
EAST ASIA                    THAI             THAILAND
EASTERN EUROPE               TURKISH          TURKEY
NOTE 1: INDICATES UNACCOMPANIED ICT SITE
    E.  STUDENTS ENTERING THE ARABIC, CHINESE, KOREAN, JAPANESE, AND PASHTO PROGRAMS WILL BEGIN STUDIES AT NPS IN JAN 2011.  ALL OTHER PROGRAMS START AT NPS IN JUL 2011.
    F.  OFFICERS ELIGIBLE FOR THE FAO PROGRAM ARE THOSE WHO:
        (1) ARE UNRESTRICTED OFFICERS WITH 3-11 YEARS COMMISSIONED SERVICE AS OF 1 JUN 2011.  OFFICERS TO BE SCREENED BY THE FY11 CAREER DESIGNATION BOARD ARE ELIGIBLE TO APPLY.  FAO SELECTION WILL BE CONTINGENT UPON SELECTION/ACCEPTANCE OF CAREER DESIGNATION.
        (2) HAVE MET THE 24 MONTH TIME ON STATION (TOS) REQUIREMENTS BEFORE GOING TO SCHOOL.  APPLICANTS' PRESCRIBED TOURS OF DUTY WILL NOT NORMALLY BE INTERRUPTED.
        (3) HAVE NOTIFIED THEIR PRIMARY MOS MONITOR OF THEIR INTENT TO APPLY TO THE RESPECTIVE PROGRAM PRIOR TO SUBMITTING AN APPLICATION.
        (4) HAVE 24 MONTHS TIME-ON-STATION AS OF 1 JUN 2011 (FOR THOSE SELECTED FOR CHINESE, JAPANESE, ARABIC, OR KOREAN, MUST MEET TOS AS OF 1 JAN 2011).
        (5) HAVE NOT PREVIOUSLY ATTENDED A FULL-TIME, USMC-FUNDED GRADUATE EDUCATION PROGRAM.
        (6) ATTAIN A DLAB SCORE OF 95 OR HIGHER WITHIN THE LAST THREE YEARS (115 FOR ARABIC, CHINESE, JAPANESE, KOREAN, OR PASHTO).  APPLICANTS WHO HAVE A MINIMUM SCORE OF L2/R2 ON ANY DLPT III, DLPT IV OR DLPT V ARE ENCOURAGED TO INCLUDE THAT SCORE ON THEIR APPLICATIONS IN ADDITION TO THEIR DLAB SCORE.  THE DLPT IS ADMINISTERED AT APPROVED MARINE CORPS TESTING FACILITIES IN ACCORDANCE WITH REF B.
        (7) MEET REQUIREMENTS AS SPECIFIED IN REF A.
3.  RAO PROGRAM
    A.  THROUGH GRADUATE EDUCATION, THE RAO PROGRAM PRODUCES OFFICERS WITH EXPERTISE IN SPECIFIC GEOGRAPHICAL REGIONS.  RAO TRAINING PREPARES OFFICERS FOR DUTY WITH THE MARINE EXPEDITIONARY FORCES, SERVICE, JOINT, OR COMBINED STAFFS AND DUTY WITH THE DEFENSE ATTACHE SYSTEM.
    B.  THE RAO PROGRAM CONSISTS OF GRADUATE STUDIES AT THE NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL, MONTEREY, CA, LEADING TO A MASTER OF ARTS DEGREE IN NATIONAL SECURITY AFFAIRS (18 MONTHS).  LANGUAGE AND IN-COUNTRY IMMERSION TRAINING ARE NOT A PART OF THE RAO PROGRAM.
    C.  RAOS WILL BE ASSIGNED TO A UTILIZATION TOUR IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING COMPLETION OF SCHOOL.
    D.  FY11 RAO REGIONS.  THE SELECTION BOARD WILL CONSIDER APPLICATIONS FOR THE FOLLOWING REGIONAL CURRICULA:
LATIN AMERICA
RUSSIA/EURASIA
MIDDLE EAST/NORTH AFRICA
SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA
SOUTH ASIA
WESTERN EUROPE
EAST ASIA
EASTERN EUROPE
    E.  ALL RAO COURSES CONVENE IN JAN 2011.
    F.  OFFICERS ELIGIBLE FOR THE RAO PROGRAM ARE THOSE WHO:
        (1) ARE UNRESTRICTED REGULAR OFFICERS WITH 9-15 YEARS COMMISSIONED SERVICE AS OF 1 JAN 2011.
        (2) HAVE 24 MONTHS TIME-ON-STATION AS OF 1 JAN 2011.
        (3) HAVE NOT PREVIOUSLY ATTENDED A FULL-TIME, USMC-FUNDED GRADUATE EDUCATION PROGRAM.
        (4) MEET REQUIREMENTS AS SPECIFIED IN REF A.
4.  APPLICATIONS SHOULD BE SUBMITTED IN THE FORMAT PRESCRIBED BY REF A, PARAGRAPHS 2 AND 3 OF THIS MESSAGE, AND THE FOLLOWING INSTRUCTIONS:
    A.  APPLICATIONS MUST BE ENDORSED BY THE FIRST GENERAL OFFICER VIA THE CHAIN OF COMMAND.  LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION MAY BE INCLUDED AS ENCLOSURES TO THE APPLICATION.  MEANINGFUL ENDORSEMENTS/RECOMMENDATIONS MAY BE INCLUDED AS A COMPARATIVE ASSESSMENT OF THE APPLICANT'S POTENTIAL NOT ONLY AS A FAO/RAO BUT ALSO ADDRESS LONG TERM POTENTIAL IN HIS/HER PRIMARY MOS.
    B.  APPLICANTS SHOULD SPECIFY WHETHER THEY DESIRE TO BE CONSIDERED FOR FAO, RAO, OR BOTH PROGRAMS PROVIDED THEY MEET THE RESPECTIVE ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS.  APPLICANTS SHOULD ALSO LIST THEIR REGIONAL AND, IF APPLYING FOR FAO, LANGUAGE PREFERENCES.  OFFICERS MAY ALSO STATE THAT THEY ARE WILLING TO ACCEPT ANY REGION/LANGUAGE OR PROGRAM FOR WHICH THEY ARE CHOSEN.
    C.  NPS APPLICANTS MUST COMPLETE THE ONLINE REGISTRATION CONTAINED ON THE NPS WEBSITE.  ONE OFFICIAL SEALED TRANSCRIPT FROM ALL COLLEGES/UNIVERSITIES ATTENDED, WITH CREDITS AND LETTER GRADES, MUST BE MAILED TO NPS NLT 4 JUNE 2010 AT THE ADDRESS PROVIDED IN PARA 7.  THE ONLINE REGISTRATION CAN BE ACCESSED AT HTTP:WWW.NPS.EDU/ADMISSIONS/APPLYONLINE.HTML.  ANY QUESTIONS REGARDING THE NPS PROCESS MAY BE ADDRESSED VIA EMAIL AT GRAD-ED@NPS.EDU.
    D.  PHOTOGRAPHS.  AN OFFICIAL PHOTO, TAKEN WITHIN 12 MONTHS OF THE BOARD'S CONVENING DATE IS REQUIRED TO BE ELECTRONICALLY FILED IN THE OMPF.  SEE MARADMIN 0003/09 FOR THE SPECIFICATIONS REQUIRED FOR THE SUBMISSION OF DIGITAL PHOTOS.  PER MARADMIN 0003/09, OFFICERS WHO ARE DEPLOYED MAY TAKE THE PHOTO IN UTILITIES MINUS THE UTILITY BLOUSE.  THE TITLE BOARD WILL INCLUDE THE WORD "DEPLOYED" DISPLAYED PROMINENTLY ACROSS THE TOP OF THE BOARD AS WELL AS ALL OTHER INFORMATION REQUIRED BY REF C. FOR THE PURPOSE OF PHOTO CLARITY, THE PHOTO SHOULD BE TAKEN AGAINST A PLAIN BACKGROUND.  MARADMIN 0003/09 SPECIFIES THE UNIFORM FOR THE OFFICIAL PHOTOGRAPHS FOR FEMALES MARINES AS SERVICE "C" WITH SLACKS.  OFFICERS SHOULD CONFIRM RECEIPT OF THE PHOTO BY CONTACTING CMC (MMSB-20) AT 703-784-3974 OR BY CHECKING THE MMSB HOMEPAGE.  BE ADVISED THAT ALTHOUGH A PHOTO MAY BE OVER 12 MONTHS OLD, THE PHOTO WILL REMAIN IN THE OMPF UNTIL AN UPDATED PHOTO IS SUBMITTED.  THEREFORE, IF USING THE MMSB HOMEPAGE TO REVIEW RECEIPT OF YOUR DIGITAL PHOTO, PAY PARTICULAR ATTENTION TO THE DATE OF THE PHOTO TO ENSURE THE MOST CURRENT PHOTO SUBMITTED WAS RECEIVED BY CMC (MMSB-20).  OFFICERS DESIRING TO VIEW THE PHOTO FILED IN THEIR OMPF CAN USE HTTPS:(SLASH)(SLASH)WWW.MMSB.USMC.MIL/EMBS(UNDERSCORE)INSTRUCTIONS DOC.  THE MASTER BRIEF SHEET MAY ALSO BE VIEWED VIA THIS LINK. THE LINK DOES REQUIRE CAC LOG ON TO REGISTER AND ACCESS THE SITE. HARD COPY PHOTOS WILL NOT BE FILED IN THE OMPF.  IF A DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPH IS NOT AVAILABLE, A HARD COPY MAY BE INCLUDED AS AN ENCLOSURE TO THE APPLICATION.  GO TO THE MMSB HOMEPAGE FOR ADDITIONAL GUIDANCE ON THE SUBMISSION OF PHOTOS.
    E.  APPLICATIONS MUST CONTAIN THE FOLLOWING STATEMENT: "IF SELECTED, I AGREE TO REMAIN ON ACTIVE DUTY FOR AT LEAST FIVE YEARS (FAO) OR THREE YEARS (RAO) AFTER COMPLETION OF MY TRAINING.  I AGREE NOT TO TENDER RESIGNATION OR REQUEST SEPARATION OR RETIREMENT WHILE PARTICIPATING IN THE PROGRAM.  I FURTHER UNDERSTAND THAT THIS OBLIGATION BEGINS UPON COMPLETION OF STUDIES IN ACCORDANCE WITH REF A."
    F.  APPLICANTS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR ENSURING THEIR APPLICATIONS ARRIVE AT CMC (MMOA-5) NLT 4 JUNE 2010.  RECOMMEND FEDEX OR SOME OTHER MEANS OF TRACKING PACKAGES.  FAXED OR SCANNED COPIES WILL BE ACCEPTED PENDING RECEIPT OF ORIGINAL PACKAGE.  MMOA FAX NUMBER IS 703-784-9844 OR DSN 278-9844.
5.  ADDITIONAL INFORMATION REGARDING THIS PROGRAM IS LINKED TO THE MMOA HOME PAGE AT THE MMOA-5 GRADUATE EDUCATION TAB.  QUESTIONS CONCERNING THE FAO/RAO PROGRAMS AND CAREER TIMING CAN ALSO BE DIRECTED TO THE IAOP COORDINATOR, MAJ SETH FOLSOM (PLU-8); DSN 222-4365/COMM: (703)692-4365; E-MAIL: SETH.FOLSOM@USMC.MIL.  QUESTIONS REGARDING APPLICATION PACKAGES SHOULD BE DIRECTED TO MMOA-5, DIANE RODGERS E-MAIL DIANE.RODGERS@USMC.MIL, DSN 278-9286 COMM (703)784-9286.
6.  MAIL APPLICATIONS TO MMOA-5 NLT 4 JUNE 2010 TO:
HEADQUARTERS U.S. MARINE CORPS
MANPOWER AND RESERVE AFFAIRS
GRADUATE EDUCATION MMOA-5
3280 RUSSELL ROAD
QUANTICO, VA 22134-5103
7.  NPS ADDRESS:
NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL
ADMISSIONS OFFICE, CODE 01C3
1 UNIVERSITY CIRCLE, HE-022
MONTEREY, CA 93943-5100
8.  WITH THE EXCEPTION OF PARA 5 ABOVE, THIS MARADMIN IS NOT APPLICABLE TO THE MARINE CORPS RESERVE.
9.  RELEASE AUTHORIZED BY BGEN A. SALINAS, DIRECTOR, MANPOWER MANAGEMENT DIVISION.//