Regional Affairs Strategist

Creating a fully trained Regional Affairs Strategist (RAS) at the senior Lieutenant Colonel/Colonel level to fill O-6 RAS requirements is challenging. To be sure, there are no shortcuts for either the stringent language requirements or the desired in-country experience. However, by demanding an aggressive programming matrix of senior level requirements, attaining buy-in from the O-6 assignment group, and leveraging the expertise of the Air Force Culture and Language Center to guide education plans, we can adequately exploit the three practical options for "late to the game" senior officers seeking a viable degree-foreign PME, civilian universities, and Air War College.