1713 Career Guide
1713: Foreign Area Officer (FAO) - Training
Career transition guide for Navy Foreign Area Officer (FAO) - Training (1713)
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Real industry tech roles your 1713 background maps to — picked from BLS-anchored occupations using your training, cognitive skills, and systems experience.
Computer Systems Analyst
Customer / Field
Your Regional Studies and Analysis training, combined with situational awareness skills, prepares you to analyze user needs and system requirements, then recommend practical tech solutions. Your experience with resource optimization also enables effective technology procurement and implementation.
Typical stack:
Technical Program Manager
Product
Your training in US National Security Policy and International Relations Theory gives you a strong foundation in strategic thinking and planning, skills highly transferable to managing complex technical projects. Your resource optimization skills also translate directly to managing project budgets and timelines.
Typical stack:
Data Analyst
Data
Your background in Regional Studies and Analysis provides a solid base for interpreting and drawing insights from data. After-action analysis skills will help you evaluate data accuracy and identify trends.
Typical stack:
Solutions Engineer
Customer / Field
Your cross-cultural communication skills, coupled with your area-specific history and politics training, allows you to effectively communicate technical solutions to diverse clients. The ability to understand and adapt to different cultural contexts enhances your ability to build rapport and address client-specific challenges.
Typical stack:
Skills You Already Have
Concrete bridges from 1713 experience to tech-industry practice.
- Situational Awareness→ Understanding market nuances and anticipating industry changes.
- Resource Optimization→ Project management and budget allocation.
- After-Action Analysis→ Critical evaluation of business strategies and performance improvement.
- Defense Language Proficiency Test (DLPT)→ Language proficiency assessments (e.g., ACTFL).
- Joint Knowledge Online (JKO)→ Online Learning Platforms (e.g., Coursera, Udemy, LinkedIn Learning).
Skills to Learn
The concrete gap to bridge — specific to the roles above, not generic.
How VWC fits
Vets Who Code accelerates the parts we teach — software engineering fundamentals, web development, AI tooling. For everything else above, the path is doable independently with the resources we link to.
See VWC ProgramsCivilian Career Pathways
Top civilian roles for 1713 veterans, with average salary and market demand data.
International Business Development Manager
Skills to develop:
Political Risk Analyst
Skills to develop:
International Aid/Development Worker
Skills to develop:
Intelligence Analyst (Private Sector)
Skills to develop:
Foreign Affairs Officer (Government)
Skills to develop:
Salary estimates from VWC career data
Hidden Strengths
Cognitive skills your 1713 training built — and where they transfer.
Situational Awareness
As a Foreign Area Officer, you constantly assess the geopolitical landscape, understanding the cultural, economic, and military factors at play in a specific region.
This translates directly to an ability to quickly grasp the nuances of a new market or industry, anticipating potential challenges and opportunities before they arise.
Adversarial Thinking
In your training and preparation as a Foreign Area Officer, you consider potential threats and challenges, anticipating the actions of adversaries and developing strategies to counter them.
This skill is highly valuable in competitive business environments where you need to anticipate competitors' moves and develop proactive strategies to maintain a competitive edge.
Resource Optimization
Even in training, understanding resource limitations and allocating them effectively to achieve mission objectives is vital. This includes managing time, information, and personnel.
This translates to efficient project management, strategic budget allocation, and the ability to maximize output with limited resources – a highly sought-after skill in any organization.
After-Action Analysis
You're trained to meticulously review operations and training exercises, identifying areas for improvement and ensuring that lessons learned are integrated into future planning.
This ability allows you to critically evaluate business strategies, pinpoint weaknesses, and implement corrective actions to enhance overall performance and achieve continuous improvement.
Non-Obvious Career Matches
Competitive Intelligence Analyst
SOC 19-3099.00You've been trained to think adversarially and analyze complex situations. As a competitive intelligence analyst (19-3099.00), you'll use these skills to gather and analyze information about competitors, helping companies make strategic decisions. Your understanding of geopolitical factors gained as a Foreign Area Officer will be invaluable in this role.
Market Research Analyst
SOC 19-3022.00You've developed keen situational awareness skills. As a Market Research Analyst (19-3022.00), you'll use those abilities to analyze market trends, consumer behavior, and competitor strategies, providing valuable insights to businesses. Your experience in understanding cultural nuances will be particularly useful in international market research.
Management Consultant
SOC 13-1111.00You're skilled in resource optimization and after-action analysis. As a Management Consultant (13-1111.00), you'll apply these skills to help organizations improve their efficiency and effectiveness. You've been trained to identify areas for improvement and implement solutions, making you a valuable asset to any consulting firm.
Training & Education Equivalencies
FAO Basic Course, Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, CA
Topics Covered
- •Regional Studies and Analysis
- •Language Training (basic)
- •Cross-Cultural Communication
- •US National Security Policy
- •International Relations Theory
- •Area-Specific History and Politics
Certification Pathways
Partial Coverage
Gaps include specific international trade regulations, documentation, finance, and marketing principles used in the commercial sector. Study the CITP body of knowledge.
Gaps involve specific project management methodologies (Agile, Scrum), business analysis, and risk management techniques commonly used in civilian project management. Study the PMBOK Guide.
Recommended Next Certifications
Technical Systems Translation
Military systems you've used and their civilian equivalents for your resume.
| Military System | Civilian Equivalent |
|---|---|
| Defense Language Proficiency Test (DLPT) | Language proficiency assessments (e.g., ACTFL) |
| Joint Knowledge Online (JKO) | Online Learning Platforms (e.g., Coursera, Udemy, LinkedIn Learning) |
| Foreign Military Sales (FMS) System | International Sales and Logistics Software (e.g., SAP, Oracle with International Trade modules) |
| Global Force Management (GFM) System | Resource Management and Planning Software |
| Security Cooperation Information Portal (SCIP) | Secure International Collaboration Platforms |
| Diplomatic Security Training | Corporate Security Training & Risk Assessment Programs |
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