The Navy has created five Additional Qualification Designators (AQD) to identify officers with experience and education relating to the U.S. Pacific Command (PACOM) area of responsibility (AOR).

In an effort to identify and manage the talent that exists in the Navy, Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus wanted to create a way of tracking those with regional expertise so they can be effectively used.

The AQDs align with the Asia Pacific (APAC) Hands concept, which supports the "rebalance toward the APAC region." The goal of the APAC Hands program is to develop officers with enhanced regional and operational understanding who then are able to continue to progress to senior decision making levels within their communities.

The five PACOM AOR-focused AQDs are structured to identify increasing levels of regional proficiency. This proficiency is gained through education or experience, or a combination of both. The AQDs align with the regional proficiency skill level guidelines outlined in the Department of Defense (DOD) Instruction 5160.70, Management of DOD Language and Regional Proficiency Capabilities and are applicable both to billets and officers of all designators. The AQDs will facilitate distribution, requirements identification, and personnel tracking.

More information on the AQD series and corresponding requirements for each level are found in the Manual of Navy Officer Manpower and Personnel Classifications, Volume I, and on the Navy Language, Regional Expertise, and Culture (LREC) website at http://www.public.navy.mil/bupers-npc/career/language_culture/pages/default2.aspx.

Eligible officers will be coded with an AQD corresponding to the appropriate level of PACOM AOR-related experience and/or education. Experience typically will be accumulated by serving in AQD-coded billets, which are aligned to existing community requirements (e.g. regional desk officers, attaches and other embassy personnel, intelligence staffs, operational planners, public affairs officers). Because APAC Hands will be assigned to billets consistent with their designators, they will remain competitive within their communities.

All commands are highly encouraged to identify APAC Hand positions that may require or be enhanced by regional knowledge. Typically, these billets will be found on staffs at the operational or strategic level and will be related to the work required by the incumbent rather than based on a physical location. Coding billets will facilitate opportunities for education en route, which should reduce manning shortfalls and minimize the requirement for on the job training to learn regional dynamics.

Officers who already have qualifying experience and/or education may self-nominate for an APAC Hands AQD. Information on how to apply, along with other amplifying information, can be found in NAVADMIN 034/15.