<p>I posed this on a different thread, totally unrelated, and depending upon the answer, may merit its own. Here goes:</p>
<p>I've heard that 2010 and beyond are going to be required to take foreign languages, specifically Middle Eastern language ... no Spanish, French, German, Russian, latin ... </p>
<p>Any truth to this grist??</p>
<p>I highly doubt that.</p>
<p>Seems far-fetched to me too ... aside from the person who told me this and currently has a plebe and a 4th year @ USNA.</p>
<p>check an earlier thread about DOD policy regarding funding for critical languages, e.g., Arabic, Farsi in higher education. My youngster's minor at USNA is German.</p>
<p>I recently talked to one of my classmates at the academy. The Supe has selected him to help setup a foreign relations/language program in Chinese and Arabic. My classmate said he will be traveling to countries in these regions to investigate learning opportunities. I got the impression there would be opportunities for midshipmen to study aboard in these regions. Perhaps it is this program being discussed.</p>
<p>There is no way - we know from direct conversation with the Arabic teacher in charge of Arabic language studies at USNA - that the program is still very limited and for Plebes, there are only 20 slots for an Arabic language study. Now, grant you, this isn't simply a language class, but they simply haven't ramped up in Middle Eastern languages at USNA yet - and this professor came on board 5 years ago tasked with the job of developing this entire department.</p>
<p>What came out as reported in the news recently was the new defense dept guidelines to ramp up more military to take these languages and our local junior college has a front page story in our paper just today saying that our nearby Camp Pendleton folk are starting to become students in these classes in record numbers.</p>
<p>So perhaps that is what is driving this rumor around?</p>
<p>My issue with the story is the apparent mandate that only those languages will be offered. That's nuts.</p>
<p>Bush Kicks Off National Foreign Language Initiative
By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service </p>
<p>WASHINGTON, Jan. 5, 2006 President Bush today kicked off a new national program designed to increase the number of Americans fluent in Arabic, Chinese, Russian, Hindi, Farsi, and other critical-need languages. </p>
<p>"We're going to teach our kids how to speak important languages. We'll welcome teachers here to help teach our kids how to speak languages," Bush said in introducing his National Security Language Initiative at the State Department. </p>
<p>Bush addressed university presidents here attending an international educator's conference that's co-sponsored by the State and Education departments. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Education Secretary Margaret Spellings, and Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld attended the event. </p>
<p>The new program will benefit U.S. national security interests by training citizens and military members to understand and communicate with peoples who may have a wrong and limited view of America's ideals and culture, Bush said. </p>
<p>"When Americans learn to speak Arabic, those in the Arab region will say, 'Gosh, America's interested in us. They care enough to learn how we speak,'" he said. </p>
<p>The initiative, according to documents explaining the program, has three main goals, to: </p>
<p>Expand the number of Americans mastering critical-need languages and start teaching them at a younger age;
Increase the number of advanced-level speakers of foreign languages, with an emphasis on critical-need languages; and
Increase the number of foreign language teachers and necessary resources.
Bush said the initiative will target young American children to provide them with other-language capability. The NSLI also involves student exchange programs, the president said. </p>
<p>The State Department, the departments of Education and Defense, and the National Intelligence Directorate under John D. Negroponte, will participate in the new program. As the nation's top intelligence official, Negroponte coordinates the U.S. government's 15 intelligence components. </p>
<p>David S. C. Chu, undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, told Pentagon reporters earlier today that DoD is proud to be a part of the president's national language initiative. </p>
<p>The Defense Language Transformation Roadmap that was approved by former Deputy Defense Secretary Paul D. Wolfowitz on Feb. 14, 2005, provides the template for DoD to increase the number of its military and civilian personnel who are fluent in needed languages, Chu said. </p>
<p>"We need a stronger capacity to understand and work with the cultures and peoples of other nations," he said. "The central part of that capacity is linguistic facility." </p>
<p>Chu said DoD is in great need of many more people who can speak and understand some two dozen non-traditional languages identified by DoD as critical to mission accomplishment. For example, he cited the need to obtain more personnel fluent in Pashtun, which is spoken in Afghanistan, and Arabic, which is spoken in Iraq and across the Middle East. </p>
<p>The department will allocate more than $750 million over the next five years to increase personnel with critical language abilities, Chu said. The department also will provide another $25 million to be used by the president's National Security Language Initiative, he said. </p>
<p>DoD's language capabilities will be expanded beyond what's been previously available at the Defense Language Institute at Monterey, Calif., Chu said. DoD will forge partnerships with universities and colleges with grants through affiliated ROTC programs to assist them in teaching languages thought critical to national security. A total of 1,322 U.S. colleges and universities offer primary or associated ROTC programs. </p>
<p>DoD also will provide the resources to expand teaching needed languages at the nation's military service academies, Chu said. For example, the Army is expected to increase the numbers and training of those servicemembers who speak a critical language as part of the 09L military occupational specialty, he said. </p>
<p>Another related initiative, Chu said, involves establishing a Civilian Language Reserve Corps that will seek to add 1,000 new linguists over the next few years to provide a surge capacity to meet crucial military language skill needs. </p>
<p>Chu pointed to the military and linguistic success achieved by Army Lt. Gen. Karl Eikenberry, the commanding general of Combined Forces Command Afghanistan. Eikenberry speaks "pretty fluent" Mandarin Chinese, Chu observed, and once served as the U.S. military attaché in Beijing. Eikenberry's understanding of other cultures gained through his language training has proven a valuable asset during the general's present duty in Afghanistan, Chu said. </p>
<p>Referencing findings taken from a recent DoD-sponsored national language conference, Chu said younger people appear to have an easier time learning new languages than adults. "If you start when you're five, you have a great advantage in facility, in accent, in ease with which (a new language) is acquired," Chu said.</p>
<p>What do you call a person who speaks three languages?</p>
<p>Trilingual.</p>
<p>What do you call a person who speaks two languages?</p>
<p>Bilingual.</p>
<p>What do you call a person who speaks only one language?</p>
<p>American.</p>
<p>A very sad and all too common fact, I'm afraid.</p>
<p>I hardly know what to do with myself on Saturday mornings now after so many years of Saturday morning German language school. Many of my daughter's friends also attended Mandarin Chinese or Japanese school on the weekend. Does this happen outside of Southern California?</p>
<p>Not if we can help it. </p>
<p>Of course, lots of things that don't happen outside southern Cal. We're working to keep them quarantined.;-)</p>
<p>WP: You got that right!</p>
<p>Here in Texas, of course, we have developed a full-immersion bilingual program in Spanish. Just walk down to the "east side" and you can speak all the Spanish you want. [Recognizing that our formal education system has fallen in capability to just above Mississippi status, our informal language program might be an improvement.]</p>
<p>A fellow Spec Ops Navy type, EOD qualified officer I served with did two years in the Middle East with the UN Peace Keeping forces. He grew up in Isreal and had a great background in foreign relations, languages and terrorism. The Navy didn't promote him to CDR and he retired. Then a few years later, there's certainly a need for officers with his background. Unfortunately promotion boards for SpecOps officers who have an EOD or anti-terrorism background do not have a SpecOps guy on the board and if they don't look like a Surface Warfare Officer they have a hard time making the CDR/CAPT boards yet they have much needed experience in the field. </p>
<p>I was fortunate to have dinner with him and his wife and to pick his brain on the Middle East and his experiences in the region were very insightful. It would probably be good for the Academy to develop elective courses on the History of Terrorism and then Terrorism in the Middle East. I went through several DOD and University courses on Terrorism and if you understand the history and then modern day tactics it would certainly be beneficial and excellent preparation for MIDN for the future.</p>
<p>Thanks USNA09 mom for posting this....I hadn't seen this exact article, but it is what I was referring to.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Here in Texas, of course, we have developed a full-immersion bilingual program in Spanish.
[/quote]
You ain't kidding! :rolleyes:</p>
<p>
[quote]
Unfortunately promotion boards for SpecOps officers who have an EOD or anti-terrorism background do not have a SpecOps guy on the board and if they don't look like a Surface Warfare Officer they have a hard time making the CDR/CAPT boards yet they have much needed experience in the field.
[/quote]
Actually, it's more likely because SpecOps and EOD have far fewer senior officer billets than do the rest of the Navy. If you ever bump into a SEAL Admiral, genuflect, because that's as close to a God as you're ever likely to meet before you meet the Big One.</p>
<p>That said, I'm quite certain there is SOME favoritism involved in the selection process, which is unfortunate. Lots of good people get the boot because they're not with the "in" crowd.</p>
<p>
[quote]
It would probably be good for the Academy to develop elective courses on the History of Terrorism and then Terrorism in the Middle East.
[/quote]
I would add the history, culture, and mindsets of the Chinese and Koreans to that. We're going to have to tango with them, too, someday.</p>
<p>Ninety percent of my students are ELL (English Language Learners), but they are fluent enough to be in my class, not a dual-immersion setting. At the beginning of the year I tell them this is an "English Only" classroom because it's the law in California. They need practice speaking complete sentences in English, and non-Spanish speakers are offended by their personal conversations which have no place in the classroom in the first place. I am ruthless about this. If kids don't speak English in my classroom they run some extra laps around the field, pick up trash, scrape gum, etc. I just hope our next principal is a retired Marine officer. ;)</p>
<p>
[quote]
If kids don't speak English in my classroom they run some extra laps around the field, pick up trash, scrape gum, etc.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>As it should be, but don't let the ACLU get wind of that; they'll sue. :rolleyes:</p>
<p>There has never been a SpecOps Admiral but I know the SEALS now have at least one and you're right about him having to been one hell of an officer (and SEAL).</p>