Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class John Owen | NAVAL STATION ROTA, Spain (May 9, 2022) – Cmdr. David Paz, left, and Cmdr. Mark...... read more read more
Naval attachés play an important role in U.S. government partnerships and interactions with allies and other governments around the world. Pulling from their military experience, attachés serve as military advisors to U.S. ambassadors, provide military-political situational awareness within a country or region, support U.S. military theater security cooperation, and represent the Secretary of Defense, U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff and U.S. military service abroad.
Cmdr. Mark Krozel and Cmdr. David Paz, both stationed within the Naval Station (NAVSTA) Rota community, have been selected for the naval attaché program and will be departing this summer to serve as representatives of the United States in their selected countries.
“It is definitely more unconventional that most medical corps officers’ pipelines,” said Paz, who is a radiologist by trade and currently serving as the chief medical officer at Navy Medical Readiness and Training Command (NMRTC) Rota, “but I believe this will continue to round out my naval career with experience that I can then hopefully bring back to Navy medicine in the future.”
Krozel, port operations officer at NAVSTA Rota, agrees that this duty isn’t in a typical military career trajectory, but the naval attaché program pulls from all communities to support this essential mission.
“I am thrilled at the opportunity to serve in a unique location and different capacity,” said Krozel, who will be heading to Santiago, Chile as assistant naval attaché. “The family is anxious and excited, but we are looking forward to continue working on our Spanish and learn about new cultures.”
The attaché program is unlike traditional duty stations in that the families are heavily involved in the selection process and within the duty station upon arrival. Naval attachés and their families operate as part of the Embassy team – falling under the U.S. State Department – and must work together as a team in a variety of social and diplomatic functions. They also get to immerse themselves in the culture and language.
Krozel heard about the naval attaché program years ago during a brief at Point Loma, California.
“It was always in the back of my mind, however, timing never worked out,” said Krozel. “While stationed in Rota and thinking about my future and family priorities, I was given a chance to screen for the program and went for it.”
Similarly, Paz had kept the naval attaché program in his peripheral over the years. It was in fall 2020 after some discussion with attaché personnel in Madrid that he decided to begin the application process for Sofia, Bulgaria, a place special to him and his wife as that is where they honeymooned.
After the initial application is complete, the active duty service member and their spouse must complete an interview requiring knowledge of the specific country and region. The multi-hour interview included representatives from Naval Attaché Affairs, Secretary of Defense (SECDEF), Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) and Defense Intelligence.
“It was a pretty intense interview to assess how much preparatory work you have done to be knowledgeable about the country and region you are applying for,” explained Paz. “The interview also assessed how well my wife and I worked as a team and how we might handle delicate social interactions with representatives from other nations.”
If selected for the program, the application and selection must be routed through various agencies and departments, including the Secretary of the Navy, for final determination.
While it was a lengthy process, Krozel said it is straightforward. He said one of the first steps is contacting the attaché detailer.
“The biggest hurdle is someone who thinks that it is not possible to be a potential candidate,” said Krozel. “I would advise anyone interested to call the attaché detailer to see what is possible.”
For both Krozel and Paz, the opportunity to become a naval attaché has become a reality, and all that remains between them and their ultimate duty station is the attaché and language training. The training will help them to step outside their designator and into a broader viewpoint to help develop strong bonds with allies, work with like-minded navies, and develop strong diplomatic bonds with their host nation.
Referencing a previous tour in Naples, Italy, Paz says the realization that he enjoyed developing bonds with other nations was a driving force to apply for the attaché program.
“I hope to serve the Ambassador, my embassy team, the host nation, SECDEF, SECNAV, CNO, and the Navy well as our family builds strong bonds and partnerships with the host nation and our partner nations,” he said.
Developing working relationships with foreign allies was routine for Krozel here in Rota, and he looks forward to developing strong relationships with his Chilean counterparts.
“Professionally I hope to learn as much of the job as I can and grow within the attaché community,” said Krozel. “Personally, I hope to travel and learn as much as I can about Chile and the rest of South America.”
Krozel and Paz will both depart Rota this summer reflecting on their successful naval careers thus far, and look forward to expanding and growing within their new roles as naval attachés.
While ultimately being selected for the program is based on available billets and timing, they encourage anyone who is interested in the naval attaché program to take the first step and research the possibility.
If you are interested in learning about the Naval Attaché Program and its requirements, contact the naval attaché placement officer, Mr. George Gilliland at George.l.gilliland.civ@us.navy.mil.
| Date Taken: | 05.19.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 05.19.2022 07:32 |
| Story ID: | 421027 |
| Location: | ES |
| Web Views: | 914 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, Two Rota Officers Depart for Duty as Naval Attachés, by Courtney Pollock, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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