R 111839Z MAY 15
MARADMIN 245/15
MSGID/GENADMIN/CMC PPO PL WASHINGTON DC//
SUBJ/ANNOUNCEMENT AND SOLICITATION FOR VOLUNTEERS FOR USMC FOREIGN AREA STAFF NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICER (FAS) PROGRAM//
REF/A/MSGID: MARADMIN/496.11/YMD: 20110830//
REF/B/MSGID: MARADMIN/724.11/YMD: 20111211//
REF/C/MSGID: MARADMIN/156.14/YMD: 20140331//
REF/D/MSGID: MARADMIN/359.14/YMD: 20140722//
REF/E/MSGID: MCO/1520.11F/YMD: 20130327//
REF/F/MSGID: MSG/CMC/261405ZSEP13//
REF/G/MSGID: NAVMC/3500.65A/YMD: 20120130//
NARR/REF A IS THE ANNOUNCEMENT SOLICITING VOLUNTEERS FOR THE INITIAL BETA TEST OF THE FAS AND REGIONAL AFFAIRS STAFF NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICERS (RAS) PROGRAM. REF B IS THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF PARTICIPANTS
SELECTED FOR THE INITIAL BETA TEST OF USMC FAS-RAS PROGRAM AND ASSIGNMENT OF ADDITIONAL FAS-RAS MILITARY OCCUPATIONAL SPECIALTY (MOS). REF C IS THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF VOLUNTEERS FOR THE SECOND BETA TEST OF THE FAS PROGRAM. REF D IS THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF SELECTED VOLUNTEERS FOR THE FAS PROGRAM. REF E IS THE MARINE CORPS ORDER FOR INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS PROGRAM. REF F IS OFFICIAL MILITARY PERSONNEL FILE (OMPF) PHOTOGRAPH GUIDANCE. REF G IS THE OPERATIONAL CULTURE T&R MANUAL.//
POC1/CORNWELL, JAMES/GYSGT/UNIT: CMC WASHINGTON DC PPO PLU/NAME: JAMES.A.CORNWELL(AT)USMC.MIL/TEL: (703)432-1726//
POC2/FISHER, CLAYTON/GS/UNIT:CMC WASHINGTON DC PPO PLU/NAME: CLAYTON.FISHER(AT)USMC.MIL/TEL:(703)614-0322//
GENTEXT/REMARKS/1. THE PURPOSE OF THIS MSG IS TO SOLICIT APPLICATIONS FOR THE INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS PROGRAM (IAP) FOREIGN AREA STAFF NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICER (FAS) PROGRAM.
2. FAS MARINES SUPPORT THE CMC'S PRIORITIES OF BETTER EDUCATING AND TRAINING MARINES TO SUCCEED IN DISTRIBUTED AND INCREASINGLY COMPLEX HUMAN ENVIRONMENTS BY LEVERAGING THE DIVERSITY OF THE SNCO CORPS TO PROVIDE THE MARINE CORPS WITH AN EXPANDED CAPACITY TO IDENTIFY, TRACK, AND EMPLOY MARINES WITH LANGUAGE, REGIONAL EXPERTISE, AND CULTURE (LREC) SKILLS. FAS MARINES SERVE AS LREC SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS TO MAGTF COMMANDERS AT TACTICAL AND OPERATIONAL LEVEL STAFFS THROUGHOUT THE PHASES AND ACROSS THE RANGE OF MILITARY OPERATIONS. LREC SKILLS ARE PARTICULARLY RELEVANT IN ACCOMPLISHING SECURITY COOPERATION, IRREGULAR WARFARE, STABILITY OPERATIONS, COUNTERINSURGENCY, INFORMATION OPERATIONS, CIVIL AFFAIRS, AND OTHER MISSIONS. MARINES SELECTED FOR THE FAS PROGRAM MAY BE SELECTED TO SERVE ON MEU OR MARFOR STAFFS, WITH MARINE CORPS INFORMATION OPERATIONS CENTER (MCIOC), MARINE CORPS SECURITY COOPERATION GROUP (MCSCG), CIVIL AFFAIRS DETACHMENTS, OR WITH EMBASSY STAFFS. MARINES SELECTED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE FAS PROGRAM WILL BE AWARDED A REGIONAL FAS ADDITIONAL MOS (823X).
2.A. IN 2011, NINE SNCOS ATTENDED FAS TRAINING AND SERVED ON MEU, MEF, AND MARFOR STAFFS, AND WITH MARSOC, MCIOC, MCSCG, AND THE CENTER FOR ADVANCED OPERATIONAL CULTURE LEARNING (CAOCL). IN 2014, AN ADDITIONAL GROUP OF NINE SNCOS WAS SELECTED TO CONTINUE THE TEST TO INFORM THE DIRECTION AND MANAGEMENT OF THE PROGRAM. THESE MARINES SERVE ON MEU AND MARFOR STAFFS, AND WITH MCIOC, MCSCG, AND AS ADVISORS IN SUPPORT OF THE USMC TRAINING MISSION TO UNITED ARAB EMIRATES.
3. QUALIFIED ACTIVE DUTY MARINES WILL BE SELECTED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE FAS PROGRAM THROUGH EXPERIENCE AND PARTIAL STUDY TRACK. RESERVE MARINES WILL BE SELECTED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE EXPERIENCE TRACK. MARINES WITH EXPERIENCE IN ANY REGION AND FOREIGN LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY ARE ENCOURAGED TO APPLY.
4. APPLICANTS FOR THE FAS PROGRAM MUST BE SNCOS AND SHOULD MEET AT LEAST ONE OF THE FOLLOWING THREE REQUIREMENTS:
4.A. POSSESS AN ASSOCIATES DEGREE OR EQUIVALENT (60) COLLEGE CREDITS.
4.B. POSSESS SIX MONTHS OF FOREIGN CULTURAL IMMERSION OR PROFESSIONAL LEVEL REGIONAL EXPERIENCE. FOR THE PURPOSES OF THIS PROGRAM, FOREIGN CULTURAL IMMERSION IS DEFINED AS IN-DEPTH, DAILY INTERACTION WITH FOREIGN POPULATIONS.
4.C. DEMONSTRATE INTERMEDIATE LEVEL FOREIGN LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY (SCORE A MINIMUM OF 1+ IN TWO TESTED MODALITIES OF THE DEFENSE LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY TEST (DLPT) OR ORAL PROFICIENCY INTERVIEW (OPI)).
5. A SELECTION PANEL WILL CONVENE WITH REPRESENTATIVES FROM HQMC (PPO PLU), MMEA, AND OTHER STAKEHOLDERS. PANEL INFORMATION WILL BE SENT VIA SEPCOR TO THE PARTICIPANTS. THE FOLLOWING PREREQUISITES APPLY:
5.A. APPLICANTS MUST HAVE COMMUNICATED WITH THEIR PRIMARY MOS MONITOR INDICATING THEIR DESIRE AND AVAILABILITY FOR ASSIGNMENT AS A FAS AND FOR FOLLOW ON TOUR.
5.B. APPLICANTS MUST HAVE COMPLETED THE MINIMUM TIME ON STATION REQUIREMENTS BY AUGUST OF 2015.
5.C. FULL AND PARTIAL STUDY TRACK APPLICANTS MUST HAVE SUFFICIENT TIME ON CONTRACT TO MEET THE REQUIREMENTS OUTLINED IN PARAGRAPH SIX. MARINES WITHOUT SUFFICIENT TIME REMAINING ON CONTRACT WILL INCLUDE A PAGE-11 INDICATING A COMMITMENT TO RE-ENLIST TO MEET REQUIREMENTS.
5.D. APPLICANTS MUST POSSESS A SECRET CLEARANCE.
6. SELECTION FOR THIS PROGRAM WILL BE BASED UPON THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE MARINE CORPS, ASSIGNABILITY CONSIDERATIONS, SNCO CAREER DEVELOPMENT, AND ABILITY TO SUCCEED IN ACADEMIC AND INDEPENDENT DUTY ENVIRONMENTS. SELECTED CANDIDATES WILL NORMALLY BE ASSIGNED TO SPECIFIC UNITS FOR UP TO THREE YEARS. TIME ASSIGNED TO THE FAS PROGRAM MAY INCLUDE 18 TO 24 MONTHS OF TRAINING. FAS MARINES WILL RETURN TO THEIR PMOS-OPERATING FORCE ASSIGNMENT AT THE COMPLETION OF THE PROGRAM FOR CAREER MANAGEMENT AND PMOS OCCFIELD REQUIREMENTS. RESERVISTS WILL RECEIVE TRAINING ON A SPACE AND FUNDING AVAILABLE BASIS.
7. APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS CAN BE FOUND ON THE INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRSPROGRAMS WEBSITE AT: HTTPS(DOUBLE SLASH)HQMC.USMC.AFPIMS.MIL (SLASH)PPO(SLASH)UNITS(SLASH)STRATEGYANDPLANSDIVISION(PL)(SLASH) INTERNATIONALAFFAIRSBRANCH(PLU)(SLASH)INTERNATIONALAFFAIRSPROGRAMS (SLASH)IAPRESOURCES.ASPX
7.A. APPLICATION PACKAGES MUST BE SUBMITTED VIA THE ENDORSING CHAIN OF COMMAND TO HQMC PLU-8 NLT 10 AUGUST 2015.
7.B. NOMINATIONS WILL BE ENDORSED BY THE FIRST O-6 IN THE CHAIN OF COMMAND.
7.C. DIGITAL (PDF) COPIES OF THE ENTIRE PACKAGE ARE THE STANDARD SUBMISSION. THESE PDF FILE(S) SHALL BE E-MAILED TO THE HQMC PLU-8 POC LISTED IN THIS MESSAGE.
7.D. LABEL ALL PDF FILES WITH "LAST.FIRST.REGION.LANGUAGE" (E.G. REYES.RAMON.LATAM.SPANISH).
7.E. IF COMMANDS ARE UNABLE TO CONVERT THE APPLICATION PACKAGE TO PDF, CONTACT GYSGT JAMES CORNWELL VIA EMAIL AT JAMES.A.CORNWELL(AT) USMC.MIL OR 703-432-1726.
7.F. HQMC (PPO-PLU) WILL EVALUATE ASSIGNABILITY CONSIDERATIONS OF EACH PACKAGE BEFORE SUBMITTING THEM TO (MMEA-85) FOR FINAL DECISION.
8. QUESTIONS REGARDING FAS MAY BE ADDRESSED VIA EMAIL TO GYSGT JAMES CORNWELL.
9. RELEASE AUTHORIZED BY BGEN J. SCOTT O'MEARA, DIRECTOR, STRATEGY AND PLANS DIVISION, PLANS, POLICIES AND OPERATIONS, HEADQUARTERS, U.S. MARINE CORPS.//