Comments

• Ryan

  Sep 1, 2011 8:29 PM

  I myself am starting ROTC this semester and I hope to get into the police corp and also eventually end up learning a language. I spent some time in central america learning spanish and being with the people and now I would like to serve my country and also people of other countries. Just curious as to what your major was. I know that the army considers many things when they branch a cadet, but was there a particular reason you got into the police corp?

  
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• Michael Bromund

  Nov 6, 2011 1:31 PM

  Ryan,

  Sorry I took so long to respond. Arabic consumed most of my time, but at least I'm finished with the formal part of my training. The short answer is I eventually graduated with a BA in history after changing majors several times to graduate within four years and get to work serving in the Army. If you want to with other nations while serving in the Army, I think you're getting in at an interesting time and I would expect several opportunities down the road. At the time, all I wanted was to go to Ranger School, but wasn't too keen on the Infantry branch as a career, didn't have the math background for Signal or the Engineers, but still wanted to have the chance to lead Soldiers. The MP Corps is great for that and its style of leadership is different than any other branch; I'll write about that later. The longer answer to your question is an interesting one which I've discussed with other Soldiers and my peers often.

  First, I think the Army is a great organization because it is so diverse. While some do not want or expect their jobs to change frequently, the Army is, I think, the only organization which can facilitate major career changes quickly with the individual doing most of the initiation of that action. Foreign Area Officers (FAO), Special Forces (and the other components of Special Operations), Recruiting, and West Point instructors are a few of the options available after a Soldier completes their initial service obligation. Officers, more specifically, typically serve a four year active duty service obligation and then the Army offers them a choice. They can choose to come off active duty and serve the remainder of their obligation in the Reserve component, they can remain in their current branch (MP, infantry, signal, etc.), or they can initiate a personnel action to change their branch. This change is a selective process, but the bottom line I want to emphasize is that as long as you make contributions to the organization and serve as best as you are able, the Army wants you to continue serving and will generally allow you to with your interests in mind. You may not always get the assignment you want AND the location, but usually you can get one.

  All that being said, your major in college does not matter much to the Army. It is more important that you demonstrate the ability to learn and apply that knowledge to the ever-changing situation. My classmates' majors were forestry, psychology, communications, business, engineering, fine arts, and lots others. If, however, you have a different career in mind after the Army or you are aware of some branch or field available after your initial term of service, you may want to consider a more technical or specific major. As a lieutenant and later captain, the Army wants you to learn how the organization works and lead your unit through the application of the Army values. Officers are expected to be leaders with a general, but thorough understanding of the mission, situation, and the tools available to them to accomplish the mission. You will frequently hear the term, "Jack of all trades, master of none" applied to officers while the warrant officers, NCO, and Soldiers train to be more specific in their role within a unit.

  If you have the opportunity to take a language in college, take one you are generally interested in, try to maintain the skill through your Officer Basic Course, then take the Defense Language Proficiency Test (DLPT) at your first duty station. If you don't have the time to take a course in school or maintain your skill, you'll need to take the Defense Language Aptitude Board (DLAB) which is just a test to see if you can understand and apply general concepts and rules of language. The DLAB is the entry level test which the Army uses down the road to send you to language training either through a Special Operations component or as a FAO. Again, write it down as something to do after you achieve success as a lieutenant and you conclude that the Army is for you.

  Thanks for your interest. ROTC was good for me and some of my peers and I wish you the best.

  
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• Matthew Riggs

  Dec 14, 2011 12:04 PM

  Good afternoon sir,

  I'm a fellow armystrongstories blogger, and I was wondering how Foreign Area Officers differ from Civil Affairs Officers? I was considering CA, Thanks!

  
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• Michael Bromund

  Dec 14, 2011 6:09 PM

  Matthew,

  I was in the same boat a few years ago. Civil Affairs (CA) is part of the Army's component for Special Operations (SO) along with Psychological Operations and Special Forces. As I understand it, SO is focused on working with foreign populations, not necessarily just the military components, but across the spectrum. PsyOps influences them, SF has a wide range of capabilities, but is the best at training foreign military and para-military forces, and the CA (in the broad sense) coordinates and interfaces with various components of civil societies because the U.S. military (Army) has resources which can't necessarily be found in other governmental organizations. In the CA world the acronym SWEAT-MSO is their bread and butter mission; Sewage, Water, Electricity, Academics, Trash-Medical, Safety, and Other considerations. Generally, CA officers have technical experience in one of those fields so you are likely to find teachers, lawyers, engineers, medical specialists, as well as Army officers with a broad base of operational experience. Because of the mission oriented nature of CA, most of the CA units tend to be in the Reserve component which allows them to develop those critical civilian careers until needed for the Army. They are required to have some language training as all the Army's SO units are regionally focused, but they can still find themselves working outside of their specialized region.

  FAO have fewer foci in their careers. There is an intelligence component which is found everywhere, but there is also a large requirement for security cooperation. This gets back to American strategy which seeks to develop foreign military forces' inherent abilities so American Soldiers don't have to fight their battles. FAO coordinate for the sale of American weapons (economic understanding of the business is required), combined training events like NATO exercise and Cobra Gold in SE Asia, as well as direct military actions in foreign soil, a rescue or SF mission for example. FAO tend to be found in the Active component and are stationed at embassies, the staff offices of our alliances (NATO), Combatant Commands (CENTCOM, PACOM, etc.), Corps HQ, the Pentagon for policy development and assessment, and when necessary to individual assignments such as the UN or a Division HQ.

  When I compare the two, I recognize the shared advanced education and language requirements, but also the Active/Reserve slant and mission orientation. If your focus is on being stabilized in one location and you're passionate about a specialty, CA might be the better fit. If you are more interested in the strategic level of the Army and don't mind moving to meet those requirements, FAO will provide those opportunities. Hope this helps, it's solely my limited understanding of the two and others might be able to clarify better.

  
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• Matthew Riggs

  Dec 15, 2011 8:02 AM

  Very helpful sir, thanks for the detailed response!

  
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• Dave Marone

  Dec 20, 2011 4:32 AM

  Mike,

  I'm a 48G as well. I noticed you said you had 12 years in right now? All commissioned time? The reason I ask is that I will start language training in 2013 at my 12 year mark (I'm currently in a Joint EUCOM billet in Oberammergau Germany) and be roughly in the same boat as you since I've already completed ACS at NPS in the Middle East studies track. Did not attending IRT ever come up in discussion because of your late timeline?

  
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• Mike Bromund

  Dec 20, 2011 6:40 AM

  Dave,

  Yes, all 12 years commissioned. I did discuss not going to IRT with branch in lieu of an operational assignment, however, there is enough time to get it all done in time for the O5 boards. I'm projected to go to ILE after IRT, then take an assignment, then go to ACS for the Middle East concentration required by the Army. As I understand the perspective of FAO branch, language proficiency is the biggest difference between us and the others and IRT is viewed as a significant step in developing those language skills. They also emphasized the networking with DOS, other agencies, and the host nation. Finally, IRT evaluations are being weighed with full consideration by the selection boards to officers with our type of timeline. It's going to be a very eventful time in the 48G world. Good luck and I'll see you down the road.

  
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