New FAOs Attend Orientation at IWTC Monterey

Photo By Kurt Van Slooten | During Navy day of the Joint Foreign Area Officer Orientation Course, Rear Adm. Philip Yu, senior defense official and defense attaché to Moscow, spoke to new foreign area officers and their spouses from the joint services, at Information Warfare Training Command Monterey on June 22, 2022.  

MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES

07.25.2022

Courtesy Story

Center for Information Warfare Training

By Yeoman 1st Class Ryan Bradford

MONTEREY, Calif. – The Navy foreign area officer (FAO) community welcomed 18 new FAOs and five spouses during the Joint Foreign Area Officer Orientation Course (JFAOC) in Monterey at the end of June.

The Joint Foreign Area Officer Orientation Course is a week long course providing a FAO community-specific introduction, and is required for full qualification as a FAO.

This summer’s JFAOC was hosted by Information Warfare Training Command Monterey. On Navy day, new FAOs received an introduction from Rear Adm. Philip Yu, senior defense official and defense attaché to Moscow; and Rear Adm. Michael Baker senior defense official and defense attaché to India. The Navy FAO Council of Captains and Community Leadership Management Team also shared their insight into the new life FAOs would embark upon as they are stationed around the world.

In Yu’s introduction he described his time in Moscow and told the group that while serving in their assignments overseas to maintain a continuously competitive mindset.

“JFAOC is always a great event, introducing our new officers to this internationally focused, and strategic competition-oriented community,” said Capt. Sean Hays, the Navy FAO chair at the Naval Postgraduate School. “These FAOs will leave Monterey and assume roles as the Navy’s strategic operators, ensuring the fleet’s network of allies and partners is strong and ready.”

During the course 150 new joint FAOs interacted with senior instructors, facilitators, and representatives from all of the services. The representatives helped the new FAOs to understand what will be expected of them, and explained the community’s mission, values, duties, and lifestyle.

IWTC Monterey, as part of the Center for Information Warfare Training (CIWT), provides a continuum of foreign language training to Navy personnel, which prepares them to conduct information warfare across the full spectrum of military operations.

With four schoolhouse commands, two detachments, and training sites throughout the United States and Japan, CIWT trains over 26,000 students every year, delivering trained information warfare professionals to the Navy and joint services. Center for Information Warfare Training also offers more than 200 courses for cryptologic technicians, intelligence specialists, information systems technicians, electronics technicians, and officers in the information warfare community.

• Date Taken: 07.25.2022
• Date Posted: 07.25.2022 09:48
• Story ID: 425699
• Location: MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA, US