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Career opportunities for officers provide specialized skills, make global impact

  • Published
  • By 1st Lt. Amanda Ferrell
  • 325th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  Line of the Air Force lieutenants through lieutenant colonels will have an opportunity to learn about the International Affairs Specialist program during a briefing March 8 at 2 p.m. in the 325th Air Control Squadron auditorium. 

Commanders and senior leaders are encouraged to attend to gain a better understanding of this important program. 

The IAS outreach briefing will be conducted by Maj. John Casey, IAS Strategic Plans and Programs Chief, office of the Deputy Under Secretary of the Air Force, International Affairs. 

The IAS program enables the Air Force to build a cadre of officers with the skills needed to foster effective relationships with global partners in support of the combatant commanders and the United States' global interests. 

"As an expeditionary Air Force, we need Airmen who can function and interact at a professional level with foreign counterparts in foreign lands," said Major Casey. "Without these officers, our mission is much more difficult." 

International affairs specialists are key to expeditionary air and space forces conducting global operations and fighting the war on terrorism, he said. These high-visibility, primarily joint positions, require a standard three-year assignment period in most cases. 

The IAS program manages two career specialties: Regional Affairs Strategist and Political-Military Affairs Strategist. 

The RAS officers serve as major command staff officers, international affairs country desk officers, security assistant officers and attachés, said Maj Casey. A combination of professional military skills, regional expertise and foreign language proficiency is required. 

Officers designated for RAS deliberate development will earn a regionally-focused master's degree and complete foreign language training to gain a detailed knowledge of regional history, culture, language and political-military affairs, said Maj Casey. They then gain in-depth international experience and hone their foreign language skills while serving on a dual career path, alternating between their primary career field and RAS assignments. 

When feasible, RAS officers' primary Air Force Specialty Code assignments will occur within the geographic area of RAS specialization, he said. This allows them to remain competitive in their core AFSC career while maintaining and improving their foreign language proficiency and regional skills. 

RAS assignments complement the officer's primary AFSC duties by providing critical skill pairing that is invaluable in a rapid deployment, expeditionary Air Force environment, regardless of the officer's career field. 

"Air Force Personnel Center assignment teams and development teams will carefully manage this dual career path to ensure officers remain competitive in both their primary AFSC and RAS career fields," he said. 

The duties of the PAS officers are similar to those of the RAS, however, language skills aren't required for PAS officers, he said. 

PAS development begins in conjunction with Intermediate Developmental Education, said Maj Casey. Selected officers acquire a broad knowledge of political-military affairs through developmental education and then serve in at least one developmental assignment to gain political-military experience. 

For more information, email Major Casey at john.casey@pentagon.af.mil.