Building Capabilities For C and - FAOA Capabilities for Lang... · foreign area expertise...

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LANGUAGE AND CULTURE

Building Capabilities ForLanguage and

In DefenseIntelligenceCulture

Building Capabilities ForLanguage and

In DefenseIntelligenceCulture

LANGUAGE AND CULTURELANGUAGE AND CULTURE

The stresses of asymmetric warfare and ever expanding volumes of information generated by 21st Century technology in a great diversity of world languages pose severe challenges and risks to the effective performance of the Defense Intelligence Enterprise. The investment in collection of information in languages other than English has never been greater and presents great volumes of documents, digital media, and communications for processing and analysis by an inadequate intelligence workforce. Faced with continuing evolution of engagement with foreign nations and non-state actors, Defense Intelligence must take substantive steps to improve the accession, development, employment, retention, and growth of a workforce with professional skills in world languages and deep knowledge of the countries and groups of interest to U.S. national security.

Building on the August 10, 2011 Secretary of Defense memorandum on Language Skills, Regional Expertise, and Cultural Capabilities in the Department of Defense (DoD), the following document outlines conceptual steps toward achieving a holistic approach for doctrinal, policy, and program transformation in building, maintaining and employing the skills needed to ensure mission success. It is intended to describe how Defense Intelligence can advance an aggregated foreign language and area portfolio by marshalling component leadership and aligning management processes, and supplements strategic plans of the DoD and Intelligence Community (IC). The result will produce a foreign language and area workforce that is efficiently managed and continually shaped for optimal effectiveness in supporting national decision-making and global military operations.

We look forward to working with each component organization on this all important endeavor.

Michael G. VickersUnder Secretary of Defense for Intelligence

“In the 21st century, military strength will be measured not only

by the weapons our troops carry, but by the languages they

speak and the cultures that they understand.”

President Barack Obamain an address to the

Veterans of Foreign Wars Phoenix, Arizona

17 August 2009

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The Defense Intelligence Enterprise consists of the National Security Agency (NSA), the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency

(NGA), and the Intelligence components of the Armed Forces.

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Defense IntellIgence foreIgn language anD foreIgn areaThe U.S. will continue to be a global leader and will need enhanced foreign language skills and foreign area knowledge to maintain that role. To support national security objectives and successfully meet global operational demands, the Defense Intelligence Enterprise requires an adequate inventory of specialists with expert understanding of governments, people, cultures, and foreign languages in regions of interest. The need for greater linguistic and foreign area expertise within the Intelligence Community (IC) has been identified in the National Intelligence Strategy for 2009, the Defense Intelligence Strategy for 2010, and the Quadrennial Defense Review reports in 2006 and 2010.

The variety and complexity of foreign language and foreign area capabilities needed by Defense Intelligence will continue to mount as a result of asymmetric warfare and as the diversity of human language and culture within that domain manifests itself. Defense Intelligence will continue to collect vast amounts of critical information for processing and analysis in languages other than English. The increased relevance of formerly obscure, less-commonly-taught languages coupled with the expanding volume of human communication delivered by 21st century technology is staggering.

Human Skills and Knowledge:A robust ability to process and exploit critical information in foreign language to facilitate and improve analysis, collection, operations, and warfighter support is essential to achieving mission success. The Enterprise needs an agile, adaptive and integrated corps of foreign language professionals and foreign area specialists – military and civilian – with the right linguistic skills and foreign area knowledge. Historically, the Department of Defense (DoD) has never had adequate foreign language and foreign area expertise capabilities. Language skills are not easily acquired and, once acquired, are not universally applicable to all regions within a country or situation. Foreign area knowledge requires continuous learning to stay current in an ever-changing world environment. Other challenges include:

■ Insufficient programming to address current or future lack of foreign language skills and foreign area knowledge facing the Department and Defense Intelligence.

■ Significant shortfalls in advanced proficiency in foreign languages essential to today’s most critical intelligence missions.

“For the United States to get to where it will need to be will require a

national commitment to strengthening America’s foreign language

proficiency… A significant culture change needs to occur. And that

requires a transformation in attitude from everyone involved: individuals, government, schools and universities,

and the private sector.”

Secretary of Defense Leon Panettaas CIA Director,

to the CIA Foreign Language SummitUniversity of Maryland, College Park

December 2010

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■ There are over 100 foreign languages (including various dialects) for which intelligence mission requirements go either unfilled or filled with less than the required proficiency needed in the target language.

■ Civilian analytic and collection positions requiring foreign language and foreign area attributes are not documented as required in order to preserve hiring flexibility.

■ There are no primary Military Occupational Skills designated for foreign language work as true translators, interpreters, or analysts, other than those in the Cryptologic Language Analyst career field.

■ There is inherent and understandable reluctance to develop a significant level of cadre with specific foreign language skills that may not be necessary in the long term.

Human Language Technology:Great strides have been made in developing and employing technology to facilitate collection and processing of human communications in foreign language. However, the vision of technology replacing the human language translator, interpreter, or analyst is still an unfulfilled promise. The dynamics of natural human language pose significant and insurmountable barriers to attaining that goal. The number of new words coined each day, the new meanings given to old familiar words used in different contexts, and the incorrect use of those same words provide formidable obstacles to high quality/high accuracy machine translation or interpretation.

Significant investments have been made in research and development of technology that facilitates processing of foreign language media and communication into actionable information in English. Dynamic structured search across great volumes of graphic or oral communicative media in foreign languages will speed the delivery of high interest items to the human translator, interpreter, and analyst. These tools will mitigate the risk of missing critical information because of today’s volume, variety, and speed of collected information that outpaces the Enterprise’s human capability to process and analyze. However, a cadre of professional foreign language and foreign area professionals will always be an essential component to help build the lexical basis for that technology and to ensure the accuracy and timeliness of the intelligence product.

The role of technology in educating and maintaining the proficiency of foreign language professionals and foreign area specialists continues to grow as teaching and delivery methods mature. Whiteboards with internet connectivity, catalogs of online courseware at specific proficiency levels,

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online diagnostics, and interactive simulations of real life encounters with foreign language speakers offer ubiquitous accessibility for study or practice of a second or third language. However, the Enterprise needs a coherent plan and program for research, development, acquisition and employment of the underlying hardware, software, and lexical basis for processing foreign language collections and for language learning systems.

a HolIstIc approacH for foreIgn language anD foreIgn area capabIlItyGreater collaboration across DoD and IC components is needed to produce efficiencies that benefit Defense Intelligence foreign language and foreign area capabilities. Where policies and authorities permit, a collective approach to resolving known process and procedural impediments will serve to enhance their effectiveness. Toward this end, policies, processes, and procedures must be reexamined to permit workload and workforce sharing across organizational lines.

In coordination with the Director of National Intelligence, we must provide the leadership, direction and program guidance so that common strategies are developed and the right policies are generated to produce and sustain adequate foreign language skill levels and foreign area expertise to meet current and future mission requirements.

The immediate goal under this holistic approach is to determine the best possible alignment and linkage of policies, processes and procedures. The longer term objectives are to:

■ Synchronize foreign language and foreign area programs of the Enterprise components

■ Align Enterprise foreign language and foreign area initiatives with those of the larger DoD and IC

■ Coordinate the development of Enterprise foreign language skills, foreign area knowledge, and human language technology with the efforts of the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness (OUSD(P&R)), the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), and the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS)

Pursuing a holistic approach for Defense Intelligence foreign language and foreign area will be accomplished by developing appropriate conceptual

and procedural schemes, converting goals and objectives into actionable and measurable tasks, monitoring the completions of the tasks among the components, and by providing powerful ideas to aid the various programs and enable the Enterprise to achieve a desired end-state. This approach provides a seamless coordination effort in the development of the necessary skills, human language technology advancements, and outreach programs.

Taking a holistic approach will result in a more transparent and collaborative environment among the intelligence components. It will offer free exchange of ideas, and present opportunities to develop an Enterprise-wide approach to mitigate intelligence shortfalls in foreign language skills and foreign area knowledge capacity and capability in hard-to-acquire languages. However, to be effective and successful in implementation, this approach must be given appropriate governance and authority, and there must be a willingness of the components to undertake the challenges in predicting future requirements along with buy-in for the proper development and use of military personnel and civilian employees possessing these critical capabilities. The Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence (OUSD(I)) offers the following innovative ideas as starting points for discussion and consideration in addressing the Enterprise’s foreign language and foreign area related challenges.

Determine Language and Area Capability Requirements.

Intelligence elements of the Military Departments and Combat Support Agencies must play an active role in generating the requirements for foreign language skills and foreign area knowledge.

In today’s Enterprise construct and policies, authorized requirements for a military or civilian foreign language or foreign area specialist position are filled in one of four ways:

Option 1. From existing civilian or military specialist workforce, or Option 2. Accession of an employee or service member with those skills, orOption 3. Accession of a contract or temporary employee with those skills, orOption 4. Accession and education of an employee or service member with those skills

The time required to fill a position depends on the availability of the skills in Options 1 through Option 3. For Option 4, the time ranges from one to four years until the position is filled with a qualified individual. Because many of the foreign languages required in intelligence missions are available from a very limited populace, Option 4 is and will continue to be an essential part of an orderly growth or crises surge in capability in less commonly taught languages.

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The Enterprise lacks a sound methodology for predicting foreign language needs beyond the day-to-day current mission and thus lacks the means to put in motion the accession and education cited in Option 4. In 2010, the Department of Defense completed a Capabilities-Based Assessment (CBA) for Language, Regional Expertise, and Culture (LREC) and developed a standardized methodology for Geographic Combatant Commands (COCOM) to identify and prioritize LREC capability requirements in their respective area of responsibility. The CBA recommendations issued in the resulting Doctrine, Organization, Training, Materiel, Leadership and Education, Personnel, and Facilities Change Recommendation should favorably impact the Department’s ability to plan and manage the needs for foreign language skills. Intelligence capability needs are to be addressed within the overall assessment of needs that include the General Purpose and Special Operations forces. Enterprise participation in the implementation of this methodology is essential to ensure intelligence equities at Joint Intelligence Operation Centers and Theater Supporting Commands are considered. To play an active role in generating foreign language skills and foreign area knowledge requirements, intelligence elements of the Military Departments and Combat Support Agencies should use a phased approach to:

1. Adapt guidance from national and departmental strategies to provide priorities for geographic areas of the globe

2. Identify primary language and lingua franca of the prioritized areas

3. Assess the role of foreign language skills in intelligence missions and tasks as assigned by national authorities and combatant commanders

4. Determine the numbers of intelligence foreign language and foreign area specialists required in steady state, and in fulfillment of theater engagement and contingency plans

5. Compare needs with steady state inventory and projected accession plans

6. Review future force models to ensure integration of language billets

7. Participate in prioritization of investments in accession and education/training of manpower as an essential core capability of the total force

Capitalize on Foreign Language Proficiency.

Policies and regulations should be adjusted to provide those receiving compensation time for maintenance and enhancement of language skills and for time-on-task to translate, interpret, or analyze foreign language material to enhance the individual’s capability to perform these tasks when needed.

Significant funds are paid to civilian employees and military service members as monthly or bi-weekly foreign language proficiency payments or bonuses. Although these funds are paid, individuals are not always provided the time necessary to maintain, use, or enhance their skills.

Foreign language skills will atrophy if not used and refreshed. The DoD and IC invest significant resources in maintaining a capability to deliver foreign language instruction and learning materials. The opportunities to maintain and enhance foreign language skills continue to grow under current programs and funding levels. However, due to increasing intelligence mission requirements, these opportunities are not being utilized. The Congressional initiative to provide foreign language workforce backfill is a significant step toward engaging foreign language professionals in periodic formal maintenance learning. Defense Intelligence leadership should focus on developing manning criteria for foreign language and foreign area positions that also include the time for adequate training and education to maintain their skills.

Establish a Professional Military Language Corps.

The Department should form a Professional Military Language Corps (PMLC) trained in the skills of interpretation, translation, and language analysis to serve on call across the missions of the total force.

Efficiencies in manpower and fiscal resources should be sought in restructuring current service personnel programs and processes impacting the foreign language workforce. To increase language capacity and achieve

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higher levels of foreign language proficiency, a PMLC would recruit from the best and brightest of intelligence foreign language specialists prior to separation from service and offer these valuable assets a career avenue for continuing language work in the military through enlisted grades up to E-8, Warrant Officer WO-4, and Commissioned Officer O-5.

Advanced training in the arts of translation and interpretation and continuing education in foreign language skills would be provided on entry into the PMLC. Language professionals would be employed wherever and whenever there is a need for professional translators, interpreters, trans-language negotiators and communicators. Tasks might range from translating open source intelligence to interpreting for the Secretary of Defense. PMLC members would be centrally managed to be employed as military language instructors and as translators by the National Virtual Translation Center (NVTC), the National Media Exploitation Center (NMEC), or the Army Reach Language Support Program (RLSP). Employment as interpreters or translators by deployed military commands would be enabled through temporary duty assignments or tele-interpreting technology. The existence of this professional corps would offer an alternative to drawing from the intelligence workforce to perform interpretation and translation for deployed commanders, as is the common practice today.

Employ Native and Heritage Speakers.

The Enterprise should capitalize on the inherent language skills and cultural background of native and heritage speakers.

Currently, the Military Services recruit native and heritage speakers under the 09 Lima (09L) Interpreter/Translator program and the Military Accessions Vital to the National Interest (MAVNI) program. These two programs could serve to provide the seed-corn for professional foreign language capability in many of the languages that will be critical over the next two to three decades. Both programs were intended to provide ready-made bilingual support to operating forces in contingency operations, but have the potential to be of greater value for steady-state engagement with foreign states of the future. Within the federal government, the Georgetown English for Heritage Language Speakers (EHLS) program - sponsored by the National Security Education Program (NSEP) - provides English instruction to native and heritage speakers in exchange for mandatory government service. Alternatively, the National Language Service Corps (NLSC), which recruits and utilizes bilingual Americans who volunteer their time and skills during crises and national emergencies, may also serve as a means of

identifying critical language skills for immediate, short-term Defense Intelligence priorities.

In order to capitalize on these or similar programs, a central management structure is needed to avoid unintended consequences in the recruiting, training

and employment cycle for such individuals. The central focus of the organization of such activity must be on the talent for which the individual was recruited - the foreign language skills and foreign area knowledge. Security screening policy, processes, and observation practices need to be in place in a continuum from recruitment to separation or reemployment for a sufficiently rigorous assessment of risk versus value added. Recruitment should be directed against specific military occupational specialties and civilian

intelligence positions, such as translator, interpreter, instructor, or language analyst. Basic training and education in English and in use of their language skills in translation, interpretation, or bilingual

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communication and negotiation on behalf of monolingual superiors is an essential first step during initial entry training. Continuing education opportunities for maintaining and enhancing both their mother language and English should be planned for and managed with an eye on the growth of the cognitive skills and currency in usage in both languages. The recruitment and effective use of these critically needed language skills will require development of, and investment in, manpower and organizational structure that will oversee and manage the maintenance and employment of those skills.

Employ Reserve Component Language and Area Capabilities.

The Enterprise should utilize reservists receiving foreign language pay in the production of translations or language analysis of open source material.

Foreign language professionals separating from military service to pursue college degrees or other professions are actively encouraged to enlist in the Selective Reserve, Intelligence Reserve Units, or National Guard organizations. The Department of Defense pays monthly Foreign Language Proficiency Bonus (FLPB) to those reserve personnel that maintain their foreign language skills based on annual Defense Language Proficiency Tests (DLPT). There is no requirement for those receiving FLPB to perform in their target language, yet significant opportunities exist for translation or transcription that would help reduce volumes of unprocessed open source materials.

Employing reservists with foreign language skills in production of translations or language analysis would also provide time-on-task maintenance and enhancement training. Policies, regulations, and organization are needed within the DoD and the IC to activate reserve production in translation and analysis. Several facilities exist that could support this concept. They are:

■ The Joint Reserve Intelligence Program (JRIP) maintains facilities that are directly connected via secure networks to the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) and other intelligence centers that could provide foreign language documents or other media for processing by reserve linguists

■ The Army National Ground Intelligence Center (NGIC) operates the Reach Language Support Program (RLSP) which employs Army Reserve Component linguists in direct support of field operations and has offered this service to the other military departments

■ The NVTC operates a nation-wide system of open and secure networks that can employ reserve component linguists in quality controlled production for operational purposes

■ The National Media Exploitation Center (NMEC) operates in direct support of field operations, is connected to the NVTC in secure communication networks, and employs contract linguists

Develop Attractive Career Path for Language and Area Specialists.

The Enterprise must develop and effectively advertise and manage career paths that emphasize life-long employment and education as foreign language professionals, to include opportunities to grow into foreign area specialists.

In addition to adequate monetary compensation, language professionals with high language aptitude and desire to grow in their target language must be offered opportunities to strengthen their skills and requisite contextual knowledge through appropriate training, professional development, and utilization practices and activities. Opportunity for solid employment in foreign language work in a rational upward career progression is a major consideration for many. Joint duty assignments to foreign language activities across the IC provide opportunities for continuing employment and enhancement of foreign language skills while learning additional tradecraft in intelligence missions. An integrated approach to workload and workforce sharing is facilitated by the extensive secure digital networks available today. DoD and IC personnel policies and processes need to emphasize and facilitate the employment of foreign language skills and foreign area knowledge in community efforts to effectively process prioritized foreign language collections from open source to highly classified materials.

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Foster Civilian Foreign Area Specialists.

The Enterprise must appropriately fund the development of a robust Civilian Foreign Area Specialist (CIVFAS) cadre to bring current and continuing expert-level knowledge on a designated region.

U.S. engagement in foreign countries places extraordinary demands on intelligence analytic and collection cadres for in-depth understanding of languages, political and economic realities and cultures in regions where U.S. forces are or are likely to be engaged. Such in-depth understanding can only be achieved through continued engagement with the people and the cultures of the target area.

While military Foreign Area Officer (FAO) programs provide a valuable source of country specific knowledge and experience, that expertise is rotated in and out of the analytic community and is not devoted solely to intelligence performance. A CIVFAS cadre in the Enterprise would provide current and continuing expert-level knowledge of a designated region to include cultural, political-military, and socio-economic aspects; advanced proficiency in one or more languages spoken in the region; and specialized skill, tradecraft, and abilities in key Enterprise disciplines. A CIVFAS cadre would facilitate intelligence collection, analysis, and production at higher competency levels in support of COCOM operations, as well as national-level agencies and activities.

A robust CIVFAS program would address the socio-cultural capability gaps identified in the Joint Staff FY-2012-2016 Capability Gap Assessment Results and Recommendations for Mitigating Capability Gaps Memorandum, JROCM 096-10, dated 9 June 2010 reflecting the Mission Analysis process, COCOMs Integrated Priority Lists, and Commanders Narrative Assessments. Collaboration and coordination with the National Intelligence University (NIU), the Naval Post-graduate School (NPS), and the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center (DLIFLC) can provide the academic base for initial and continuing education and development of the CIVFAS cadre.

Attract National Security Education Program Awardees.

Job descriptions in Defense Intelligence need to be formulated with specific requirements for critically needed foreign language skills and foreign area knowledge to attract NSEP recipients.

Since 1994, NSEP has awarded approximately 2,840 Boren Scholarships to undergraduates and approximately 1,660 Boren Fellowships to degree-seeking master’s and doctoral students. Boren Scholars and Fellows go abroad to a country where a critical language is spoken and participate in programs that combine language and culture study with education in various professions or independent research projects.

Awards are made with a commitment to U.S. government service for at least one year, or service in education if no federal position is available. To date, approximately 54% of Boren Scholars and Fellows have partially completed or completed their service obligation. Of Scholars and Fellows who have at least partially fulfilled their obligations, 70% have reported service in a national security position. The absence of intelligence job descriptions (outside of job series GS-1040) that require specific foreign language

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translation and interpretation tradecraft, would be provided to produce professional level capabilities at Defense Language Institute (DLI) facilities in the NCR. After initial entry training, members would be assigned as permanent or temporary employees of U.S. government agencies for the remainder of their initial commitment. Tuition assistance would be made available for members who engaged in off-duty pursuit of college degrees. On completion of service commitment, corps members would possess the qualifications to pursue foreign area specialist programs and professional language work roles in or out of government.

Establish a Foreign Language Training Center in the National Capital Region.

The Enterprise should examine the feasibility and cost benefit of establishing a foreign language training center campus in the National Capital Region (NCR).

The mission of the DLIFLC continues to grow as new permanent training sites in various locations within the U.S. and abroad provide worldwide foreign language support to special operators, general purpose forces, and IC foreign language professionals. The DLIFLC currently meets the demands for language education in the NCR through a highly adaptive and responsive contract vehicle. The contract program is ideal for short-term or unprogrammed training requirements and is a critical rapid response capability for the DoD.

For enduring requirements, the establishment of a NCR foreign language training center would provide for intermediate, advanced and specialized language classroom and tutorial language education for military and civilian intelligence foreign language professionals and foreign area specialists under the academic management of the DLIFLC. This center could be staffed by DLIFLC professional faculty and provide a unique capability in an area where there is a concentrated need.

Energize Outreach Programs.

Senior Language Authorities within the Defense Intelligence Enterprise need to encourage senior leadership to prioritize investments to re-energize the 2006 Presidential National Security Language Initiative (NSLI) contacts and participation in the Federal Interagency Language Roundtable (ILR).

The initial investment of the NSLI was largely drawn from pre-existing programs. Although some programs, such as the ODNI STARTALK program, continue to promote language learning in the general elementary

skills and foreign area knowledge pose an obstacle to intelligence capitalization of their skills and in-country experience. Intelligence job descriptions need to be formulated with specific requirements for critically needed language skills and foreign area knowledge, and competitive compensation rates must be offered to attract NSEP recipients to government work.

Establish a Civilian World Languages Work Corps.

Defense Intelligence should conduct a feasibility study of a Civilian World Languages Work Corps (CWLWC) program to capitalize on U.S. government investments in the development of K-12 world language instruction programs.

In an effort to respond to the growing need for foreign language and foreign area expertise, DoD, IC and other U.S. government elements have made and continue to make significant investments in the development of K-12 world language instruction programs that graduate high school students with a novice level of proficiency. There are national efforts underway to select and recognize students with gifts for foreign language learning and to offer them opportunities for continuing education in their languages. The IC can capitalize on such investments by establishing a pilot program to recruit among high school graduates for a six-year commitment. Recruitment emphasis should be placed specifically on heritage and native speakers as well as high school graduates who have achieved novice skills in a second language, and high scores on language aptitude tests delivered as part of the DoD online career exploration program. Basic and advanced language education, including

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outcoMesForeign language skills and foreign area knowledge are core competencies essential to mission readiness. The approach outlined in this document will permit Defense Intelligence to proactively determine which foreign language skills and foreign area capabilities are needed, plan for more effective exploitation of collected information from intelligence sources, improve intelligence assessments and products, and enhance the preparation of the battlefield. A more accurate projection of future needs for specific foreign language and foreign area capabilities will be acquired, permitting rational allocation for accession and development of foreign language professionals and foreign area specialists. The coordinating efforts of the community will produce a more accurate projection of foreign language capabilities needed in theater intelligence campaign and contingency planning with sufficient lead time to ensure appropriate sourcing. Performance measures in these areas will effectively address deficiencies in the requirement identification process for foreign language professionals and foreign area specialists, and make certain better returns on foreign language investments for the Department of Defense, the Defense Intelligence Enterprise, and the National Intelligence Community.

A holistic approach will not only align DoD and IC policies, but will result in new and enhanced programs and policy for better development of a professionally qualified military and civilian workforce delivering timely collection, processing, and exploitation of foreign language media, communications and documents across the Defense Intelligence workforce. It will improve the delivery of foreign language and area capabilities to our warfighters, and to our national and military global intelligence operations. It will enable higher quality products from language processing operations, and expand reach-back capabilities of foreign language and foreign area expertise. The IC will also be able to better deliver an organic professional military and civilian language workforce through the significant investments made in proficiency compensation as well as other U.S. government investments made in foreign language and foreign area education.

Finally, greater collaboration among Defense Intelligence components will optimize employment of military, civilian and reserve foreign language and foreign area specialists, and provide expanded career and life-long learning opportunities with extended, and professionally managed foreign language instruction. Efforts will result in improved accessions, development, employment, and retention of these essential and valuable capabilities. Defense Intelligence will have the organic cadre of translators and interpreters with professional qualifications to support warfighter needs and build intelligence partnership.

and high school population, the NSLI has gone into hiatus after the change in administrations. NSEP is convening an Interagency Working Group to continue engagement on promoting foreign language learning along the continuum from K-12 through the university and professional levels. NSEP and DLO also maintain a dialogue with ACTFL and other major language associations to promote the development of professional level language proficiency across disciplines and specializations. Contacts with non-government language associations such as the American Translators Association, the American Council of Teachers of Foreign Languages, Modern Language Association, and others should be encouraged, with investment in institution membership made where possible. Models for such relationship may be drawn from the government relationship with the Intelligence and National Security Alliance, and the Armed Forces Communication and Electronics Association.

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conclusIonIt is safe to estimate that the Department of Defense, Defense Intelligence, and National Intelligence Community combined expend in excess of several billion dollars annually in collecting and processing foreign language information. More than one billion is spent in accessioning, educating, training, and maintaining the proficiency of foreign language skilled staff; and perhaps yet another billion is spent in research and acquisition of technology to collect and process foreign language information. However, the National Intelligence Community and Defense Intelligence continue to experience significant shortfalls in the capability to process the volumes of material collected.

Defense Intelligence needs to better manage the foreign language skills and foreign area knowledge challenges that exist today. Solutions must be developed holistically with consideration given to the increasingly austere fiscal environment that inhibits wholesale growth in capability and capacity. An all-inclusive approach to the foreign language and foreign area portfolio will ensure that foreign language and foreign area efforts of the military intelligence departments and combat support agencies are better synchronized and properly aligned with those initiatives of the DoD and the IC. It will assure a seamless coordination effort in the development of the necessary skills, human language technology advancements, and outreach programs.

Foreign language skills and foreign area expertise are core capabilities essential to the missions of the Defense Intelligence Enterprise. As a community, we must sustain and enhance these capabilities in the face of formidable challenges. We must come together to develop and deliver foreign language skills and foreign area knowledge, with an aim for greater efficiency and effectiveness so we can better respond to the needs of the warfighter and our national leaders. The publication of this holistic approach concept begins the process.

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LANGUAGE AND CULTURE

Building Capabilities For C and - FAOA Capabilities for Lang... · foreign area expertise...

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