The Foreign Area Officer Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

In this episode of the Foreign Area Officer we delve into the critical role of Foreign Area Officers (FAOs) with COL(R) Mike Burgoyne and LTC(R) Jim Marckwardt. Mike and Jim discuss their recent article  ‘Five Foreign Area Officer Truths,’ published in Joint Forces Quarterly. Below are the 5 Truths, listen in to hear more.

1.⁠ ⁠FAOs Are Most Effective in the Gray Zone Between Peace and War

2.⁠ ⁠Networks Cannot Be Built After a Crisis Begins

3.⁠ ⁠FAOs Are Regional Experts, Not Generalists

4.⁠ ⁠Language and Culture Provide FAOs’ Unique Access

5. FAOs Are Raised by their Services but Operate in Joint and Interagency World

Major Mike White, Persian instructor at West Point, shares his journey with the U.S. Army, starting from his enlistment in 2002 to becoming a Foreign Area Officer (FAO). Major White elaborates on his experiences learning Dari at the Defense Language Institute, the significance of cultural immersion, and his deployments in Afghanistan and Nepal, where he navigated complex relationships and critical missions. He also underscores the value of writing skills, adaptability, and family resilience. The narrative highlights the power of networking within the FAO community, recounting personal anecdotes on how these connections have supported successful operations, including during the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. Major White reflects on his storied career and future plans to continue contributing to the community, leveraging his language skills and cultural expertise.

COL(R) John Haseman  is a member of the DIA Defense Attaché Service Hall of Fame and a specialist in southeast asian political-military affairs.  He served in Vietnam as a military intelligence officer and district-level advisor and is one of very few Military Intelligence officers to earn the Combat Infantryman Badge.  His Vietnam service led him into the Foreign Area Officer program where he served overseas tours in Indonesia, Burma and Thailand.  A prolific writer, COL Haseman is the editor of the Foreign Area Officer Association Journal of International Affairs.  

Check out his books!

In the Mouth of the Dragon: Memoir of a District Advisor in the Making Delta, 1971-1973. https://a.co/d/diqKv6m

The Thai Resistance Movement During World War II https://a.co/d/267J172 

Lieutenant Colonel Jason Morales was raised in Naranjito on the island of Puerto Rico and has been an Engineer Officer, Special Forces Officer, and finally a foreign area officer during his military career, now serving in Office of Defense Coordination in Mexico City.  Jason served previous tours in Mexico, Colombia, El Salvador, and as an army inter-agency fellow at the Federal Emergency Management Agency. 

MAJ Neil Law is a native of Queens, New York, Neil currently serves as a U.S. Army foreign area officer in Port-au-Prince Haiti. He received his commission as a transportation officer from SUNY Albany, and completed two deployments to Afghanistan before assessing into the FAO career field and completing in-region training in Mexico City. He is fluent in Chinese Mandarin, Chinese Cantonese and Spanish. 

Emma Shade is a U. S. Army Signal Officer from Georgia. She currently serves as Desk Officer at the Defense Intelligence Agency covering Sub Saharan Africa. Emma speaks French and Arabic, which she used in her assignments in N'Djamena Chad as the Chief of the Office of Security Cooperation and at SETAF-AF in Vicenza, Italy as the Sub Saharan Africa Desk Officer. She completed her IRT at the U. S. Embassy in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.  

Alex Shade is from Ridgewood, New Jersey. A graduate of the Citadel Military College, he commissioned as a U.S. Army Armor Officer, where he served for two years before transitioning to Military Intelligence.  An Arabic and German speaker, he currently serves on the Joint Staff J5 on the Israel Desk. Previous assignments include Army Attaché in N'Djamena, Chad, including nine months as Acting SDO/DATT, North Africa Desk Officer at SETAF-AF in Vicenza, Italy, and he completed his IRT at U. S. Embassy in Rabat, Morocco. 

MAJ Matt Saunders is an infantry officer at Latin America. Pharaoh currently earning his master's degree at the Harvard Kennedy school of government.  He is a Spanish speaker and completed his IRT at us embassy, Mexico city. 

 Dr. Madison Saunders is a practicing clinical audiologist. She earned her bachelor's of arts in communication, sciences, and disorders from LSU in 2012. And her doctorate of audiology from the university of Kansas medical center in 2017. 

Lieutenant Colonel Wes Chaney is an infantry officer who currently serves as the Director for CENTCOM Regional Operations at the United States Army Security Assistance Command.  In previous assignments has served as the Foreign Area Officer Branch Chief, SDO/DATT in Côte d’Ivoire and in Djibouti as the Chief of the Security Cooperation Office.  He also served assignments at the Army G-3/5/7 and in the U.S. Army’s Africa and Southern European Task force.  Lieutenant Colonel Chaney is married and is the proud father of two children.

In this episode of The Foreign Area Officer Podcast, Brigadier General Brad Nicholson from the U.S. Army Security Assistance Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama provides in-depth insights into the challenges and rewards of serving as a FAO, discusses the importance of mentorship, and offers guidance on navigating assignments, including dealing with the Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP) challenges. The conversation also explores the evolving role of FAOs in global security contexts and the exciting future ahead for the FAO community.

In this episode of the Foreign Area Officer podcast, I sit down with LTC(P) David Bradley, former Chinese instructor at the United States Military Academy, to explore the intricate dynamics of China's relationships and ambitions. We delve into the one China policy, the complex history and current situations in Hong Kong and Taiwan, and the broader security environment in Eastern Asia. Gain insights into U.S. foreign policy, military strategy, and the crucial role of foreign area officers in navigating the challenging geopolitical landscape posed by China’s actions and strategies. This episode provides valuable insights for comprehending global diplomatic and economic interactions involving China.