<div> <font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">I think the main issues for the force to make this work will be:<br>
1.) Command Emphasis, and <br>
2.) Making languages and other folks' cultures important, as part of the corporate cultures of the armed forces (see # 1!).<br>
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<div> <font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Dan V.<br>
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-----Original Message-----<br>
From: Harold Schiffman <haroldfs@gmail.com><br>
To: lgpolicy-list@ccat.sas.upenn.edu<br>
Sent: Fri, 12 Dec 2008 5:45 pm<br>
Subject: Re: US: Official Responds to Congressional Findings on Military Linguistics<br>
<br>
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<pre style="font-size: 9pt;"><tt>I just googled it and found this:<br>
<a href="http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Mar2005/d20050330roadmap.pdf" target="_blank">http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Mar2005/d20050330roadmap.pdf</a><br>
Looks pretty explicit!<br>
HS<br>
On Fri, Dec 12, 2008 at 6:15 PM, <<a href="mailto:interpreterman@aol.com">interpreterman@aol.com</a>> wrote:> Does anybody <br>
have a link to this Defense Language Transformation Roadmap, by> any chance?> <br>
Dan V.> Taipei, Taiwan>> a language plan launched four years> ago. Known as the <br>
Defense Language Transformation Roadmap, the broad> strategy aims to address <br>
national shortfalls in foreign language> skills in the United States.>>> <br>
-----Original Message-----> From:
Harold Schiffman <<a href="mailto:hfsclpp@gmail.com">hfsclpp@gmail.com</a>>> To: lp <br>
<<a href="mailto:lgpolicy-list@ccat.sas.upenn.edu">lgpolicy-list@ccat.sas.upenn.edu</a>>> Sent: Fri, 12 Dec 2008 10:28 am> Subject: <br>
US: Official Responds to Congressional Findings on Military> Linguistics>> <br>
Official Responds to Congressional Findings on Military Linguistics> By John J. <br>
Kruzel> American Forces Press Service>> Dec. 11, 2008 - A congressional <br>
assessment of how the Pentagon is> implementing its language strategy reflects <br>
the Defense Department's> progress and shortfalls, a Pentagon official said <br>
yesterday. "I think> the House Armed Services Committee report accurately <br>
reflects the> progress that we've made," said Gail McGinn, deputy undersecretary <br>
of> defense for plans. "It also talked about some of the things that we> haven't <br>
quite accomplished yet, which we knew.">> The report, released last month, <br>
acknowledges that the department and> the services are takin> g additional <br>
action to complement the 90-percent> completed tasks it outlined in a language <br>
plan launched four years> ago. Known as the Defense Language Transformation <br>
Roadmap, the broad> strategy aims to address national shortfalls in foreign <br>
language> skills in the United States.>> But one of the report's findings is <br>
that "inconsistencies" exist in> the way the department and the services are <br>
approaching language> transformation.>> The report recommends that=2
0the dpartment <br>
should clarify its policy> characterizing foreign language, regional expertise, <br>
and cultural> awareness as critical or core competencies essential to its <br>
missions> as a way to establish greater consistency.>> McGinn said the services' <br>
leaders understand the importance of foreign> languages, but that the demands of <br>
language training – an Arabic> course lasts 63 weeks, for example – places <br>
difficulty on a force with> finite manning.>> "When you talk about wanting to <br>
get more language capability in your> officer corps, it's hard to conceive of <br>
that in an officer's career,"> she said in an interview at the Pentagon <br>
yesterday.>> To mitigate this, the department has begun focusing on <br>
pre-accession> education, meaning academics undertaken before becoming a <br>
military> servicemember, she said. The idea is that troops would enter the <br>
force> having completed previous language training.>> As part of this <br>
transformation, all three service academies now> feature more robust strategic <br>
language and cultural program offerings.> As=2> 0a result, more cadets and <br>
midshipmen are studying languages of> strategic importance. ROTC programs also <br>
reap the benefits, with> students enjoying a wider array of destinations for <br>
study abroad.> Beyond pure language know-how, McGinn said, the military hopes <br>
to> instill cultural and regional expertise in servicemembers, which often> <br>
require less labor-inte
nsive instruction and time than language> training.>> <br>
"There's an issue of striking the right balance: we need cultural> <br>
understanding, we need regional expertise and we need foreign> language," she <br>
said. "We need to figure out how to fit all of that> into the force, and that is <br>
still a work in progress.">> To ensure that the language transformation occurs <br>
smoothly and> successfully, the department has appointed senior language <br>
authorities> in each of the military services and agencies to conduct <br>
oversight,> execution and planning. McGinn said she meets regularly with these> <br>
representatives to best determine how to steer policy.>> "We want them to know <br>
what is needed, what capability already exists,> and they also help me formulate <br>
policies and programs," she said of> senior language authorities.>> Anther <br>
measure of transformational progress is the department's> establishment of <br>
centers of excellence in each military service to> oversee and standardize <br>
training and impart essential and> mission-targeted cultural training.>> <br>
Pentagon officials also increased the Defense Language Institute> Foreign <br>
Language Center's funding from a fiscal 2001 budget of $> 77> million to $270 <br>
million this fiscal year. DLIFLC, located in Monterey,> Calif., is the <br>
department's premiere language and cultural training> center.>> McGinn said the <br>
overall goals are three-fold: more foundational and> strategic language=2
0<br>
expertise in the force, the ability to obtain> expertise in a language if needed <br>
at short notice, and to develop a> cadre of linguists with higher-level language <br>
skills.>> The upshot of foreign language and cultural expertise is that it <br>
helps> U.S. servicemembers communicate, negotiate and set goals with foreign> <br>
partners. It also helps troops avoid pitfalls that often surround> language <br>
barriers.>> In American military lingo, for example, the term "field of fire"> <br>
refers to area in which a person can be engaged by weaponry. "Someone> in <br>
another culture might see that as a burning wheat field," McGinn> pointed out. <br>
"And that's not what you mean at all when you said those> words.">> The maxim <br>
"know a language and understand what someone says, but know> a culture and <br>
understand what someone means" rings true in this> example. Unfortunately, U.S. <br>
education does not greatly emphasize the> study of foreign language and culture, <br>
the report notes.>> "One problem pointed out in the report is that the American> <br>
educational system really isn't where we would hope it would be in> terms of <br>
producing high school grads with foreign language ability,"> McGinn said. "We <br>
are not robust in strategic languages like Arabic and> Chinese.">> As the commi> <br>
ttee report states, "The military's lack of language> skills and cultural <br>
expertise is a symptom of the larger problem> facing the na
tion as a whole.">> <br>
<a href="http://military-online.blogspot.com/2008/12/official-responds-to-congressional.html" target="_blank">http://military-online.blogspot.com/2008/12/official-responds-to-congressional.html</a>>> <br>
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confirmation nor agreement by the owner> or sponsor of> the list as to the <br>
veracity of a message's contents. Members who> disagree with a> message are <br>
encouraged to post a rebuttal. (H. Schiffman, Moderator)> *******************************************>> <br>
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-- =+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+<br>
Harold F. Schiffman<br>
Professor Emeritus of Dravidian Linguistics and CultureDept. of South Asia <br>
StudiesUniversity of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia, PA 19104-6305<br>
Phone: (215) 898-7475Fax: (215) 573-2138<br>
Email: <a href="mailto:haroldfs@gmail.comhttp">haroldfs@gmail.comhttp</a>://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~haroldfs/<br>
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