Foreign Area Officer and Regional Affairs Officer Program
- Foreign Area Officers (FAO) - FAOs develop professional language regional expertise and cultural (LREC) capabilities and insights to help MAGTF, Joint, and Coalition commanders understand the complex human environment where Marines deploy. FAO training focuses on the three skill sets of the LREC continuum: regionally-focused graduate education, foreign language proficiency and direct experience through regional immersion and travel. The in-country/regional immersion prepares FAOs to understand historical context, cultural significance, and social perspectives of foreign societies and militaries.
- Regional Affairs Officers (RAO) - RAOs develop specialized regional expertise through graduate education or significant time abroad. RAOs are qualified to serve in billets where foreign language skills are not required.
Foreign Area SNCO and Regional Affairs SNCO Program
- Foreign Area SNCO (FAS) - The FAS program provides MAGTF commanders enhanced LREC capability at the tactical level to effectively navigate increasingly complex cultural terrain. FASs develop professional LREC capabilities and insights to help commanders understand the human environment where Marines deploy. FAS training focuses on the same skill sets as FAOs.
- Regional Affaris SNCO (RAS) - The RAS program also provides MAGTF commanders enhanced regional expertise at the tactical level by identifying Marines with either focused regional undergraduate education or significant experience overseas. Existing programs, such as Marine Security Guard, PEP, Military Training Teams (MTT), Black Sea Rotational Forces, and Civil Affairs help develop critical insights and exposure to foreign populations, coalition forces, and interagency partners. At virtually no cost, the RAS designation identifies these Marines for future assignment to engage these skill sets.
Personnel Exchange Program
- PEPs represent Marine Corps engagement with allied partners to exchange and standardize operational procedures between coalition partners. Marine Corps exchange personnel embed with partnered military units while foreign counterparts embed with Marine Corps units, to develop and enhance worldwide security cooperation.
Afghanistan Pakistan Hands Program
- The AfPak Hands program trains a cadre of military personnel to receive language, culture, and counter-insurgency (COIN) training for deployment to key billets in Afghanistan and Pakistan.