824X Foreign Area Officer (FAO)

Marine Officers will rate a region specific 824X AMOS designation upon successful completion of graduate level education at NPS and language training, or once a qualifying language proficiency score on file has been received. FAO designation is also possible through selection by the Experience Track panel for Marines possessing language and regional expertise, as well as a regionally focused graduate degree. Additionally awarded to Marines who have completed FPME, Olmsted scholar, or PEP in non-English speaking countries 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.

822X Regional Affairs Officer (RAO) Program

Marine Officers will rate a region specific 822X AMOS designation upon successful completion of academic training at NPS, completion of FPME, or PEP tour in an English-speaking country. RAO designation is also possible through selection by the Experience Track panel when a Marine has significant regional experience outside of the aforementioned mentioned programs. 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.

823X Foreign Area SNCO (FAS) Program

Foreign Area Staff Non-Commissioned Officers provide language skills, regional expertise and cultural capabilities (LREC) to MAGTF commanders throughout the phases of military operations and across the range of military operations to achieve U.S. government objectives. FAS's will apply LREC to the Marine Corps Planning Process, Security Cooperation and combined exercise planning, and serve as LREC trainers for operational force units, members of Forward Command Elements, and inter-organizational liaisons. FAS's will acquire Core Plus skills in Civil Affairs and Information Operations through skill progression and enhancement training as available/required. FAS's are proficient in their PMOS. This MOS may be assigned only as a FMOS and is available to ground and aviation Marines.FAS training focuses on the same skill sets as FAOs.

Military Personnel Exchange Program (MPEP)

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.

8220 Political-Military Officer

The 8220 MOS is used to designate those billets requiring a degree of knowledge or experience in international affairs. Officers assigned to fill these billets may include, but are not limited to, Regional Affairs Officers, Foreign Area Officers, and Interagency assignments. It will also be used to identify officers undergoing training as RAOs until they complete the requirements for designation in a regional sub-specialty (FMOS 8221-8228). This MOS may be assigned only as a FMOS. MOS 8220 will be assigned and voided only by authority of CMC (MM). Upon beginning Phase I of the Study Track RAO at Naval Postgraduate School (NPS), Foreign Professional Military Education (FPME) or PEP in English-speaking countries, Marine Officers will rate the 8220 designation. Additionally, Marines who serve in non-regionally affiliated political military (pol-mil) affairs billets within the contiguous United States which do not require the ability to speak a secondary language. Examples of such billets are: legislative affairs, state department, Liaison Officer (LNO), political/military fellowships (Brookings, JFK), or other interagency departments requiring pol-mil affairs expertise.

The Marine Corps International Affairs Programs (IAP) identifies, develops and manages a professionalized cadre of subject matter experts in regionally focused political-military affairs who will possess advanced education in regional security studies, regional experience, and advanced linguistic skills. In order to serve as leaders, principle staff, planners, and advisers on capabilities for assignments on tactical, operational, and strategic-level staffs, joint and combined assignments, and for duty with interagency organizations in order to improve MAGTF plans, operations, security cooperation, and intelligence efforts. IAP Marines will be primary nominees: mil-diplomatic defense attaché, Office of Security Cooperations, regional plans, advisors, plans, policies, operations. IAP is responsible for selection, designation and assignment of Marines to the following programs:

1. Foreign Area Officer (FAO)

2. Regional Affairs Officer (RAO)

3. Foreign Area Staff Noncommissioned Officer (FAS)

4. Personnel Exchange Program (PEP)​

Telephone
COM: 703-692-2168

Email
IAPMARINE@USMC.MIL

FISCAL YEAR 2024 AND FISCAL YEAR 2025 GROUND AND INTELLIGENCE PERSONNEL EXCHANGE PROGRAM SELECTION PANEL ANNOUNCEMENT

FISCAL YEAR 2024 AND FISCAL YEAR 2025 SECURITY COOPERATION OFFICER SELECTION BOARD ANNOUNCEMENT

FY23 1ST QUARTER INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS PROGRAM EXPERIENCE TRACK SELECTION PANEL RESULTS 

CHANGE 1 TO FY23 MARINE CORPS FOREIGN LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY BONUS ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS 

SUPPLEMENTAL FY23 SECURITY COOPERATION OFFICER SELECTION PANEL RESULTS > United States Marine Corps Flagship > Messages Display (marines.mil)

FY23 SECURITY COOPERATION OFFICER SELECTION PANEL RESULTS 

2023 GROUND AND INTELLIGENCE PERSONNEL EXCHANGE PROGRAM SELECTION PANEL RESULTS 

FISCAL YEAR 2023 AVIATION PERSONNEL EXCHANGE PROGRAM AND INTER-SERVICE EXCHANGE PROGRAM ADDITIONAL BILLETS RESULTS 

1) HOW CAN I PREPARE TO BE MORE ELIGIBLE FOR SELECTION?

Marines are encouraged to take the DLAB and any DLPTs for corresponding languages they have proficiency in.

2) WHAT IS A DLPT?

The Defense Language Proficiency Test is a battery of foreign language tests intended to assess the general language proficiency of native English speakers in a specific foreign language, in the skills of reading and listening. An Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) is sometimes administered to Defense Language Institute students to establish the graduate's proficiency in speaking following training there, but it is not part of the DLPT.

3) WHAT IS A DLAB?

The Defense Language Aptitude Battery (DLAB) is a test used to test an individual's potential for learning a foreign language and thus determining who may pursue language training. The test does not attempt to gauge a person's fluency in a given language, but rather to determine their ability to learn a language. The test will give the service member examples of what a selection of words or what a portion of a word means, then asks the test taker to create a specific word from the samples given.^[2]

Someone failing the test or getting a low score can always retake the DLAB but only after a wait of 6 months.

To qualify to pursue training in a language, one needs a minimum score of 95. Furthermore, the DLAB is a required test for officers looking to either join the Foreign Area Officer program or the Olmsted Scholar Program. The required grade for these programs is a 105, but the recommended grade is at least a 130 or above.

4) WHAT SCORES DO I NEED FOR MY DLPT AS A FAO/FAS?

The goal for IAP participants who attend language training is to graduate with a minimum score of 2/2/1+ in Listening/Reading/ and Speaking modalities on the DLPT and Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI). This level of proficiency corresponds to a limited functional proficiency in the target language, which will enable the individual to converse confidently, on most social, work, and family topics.

FAOs who fail to achieve a 2/2/1+ score following language training will retest immediately following In-Region Training (IRT). The ultimate goal for the program is to produce fully-trained FAO and FAS with scores of 3/3/3.

FAOs and FASs are required to maintain current DLPT and OPI proficiency scores in one language of their assigned region in order to maintain the AMOS. Proficiency requirements for the AMOS are the same as testing requirements for FLPP eligibility as established by the current Marine Corps Order on FLPP. Marines stationed further than 50 miles from the nearest testing facility can request an extension of their current DLPT/OPI scores.

5) WHAT IS THE MOS DESIGNATION BREAKDOWN FOR FAO/RAO/FAS?

6) WHAT IS CCLEB AND CPIB?

The Commandant's Career Level Education Board (CCLEB) and Commandant's Professional Intermediate-Level Education Board(CPIB) are aproduct of the 2011 Commandant's Planning Guidance to increase throughput in PME and fix issues with the Special Education Program, for a detailed breakdown CLICK HERE

7) WHAT CAN I ADD TO MY CCLEB/CPIB QUESTIONNAIRE?

Letters of Recommendation, Copies of Diplomas/Certificates, extracurricular activities or awards that highlight your language or political-military experience as well as immersion travel.

8) HOW ARE LANGUAGES CATEGORIZED AND ASSIGNED?

The languages are broken into tiers based on their difficulty level for a native English speaker as determined by the Defense Language Institute. The category into which a language is placed also determines the length of its basic course as taught at DLI.