by Tech. Sgt. Dean A. Kavanaugh
Air Force News Service
WASHINGTON -- The United States lacks "the linguistic and cultural skills and resources fundamental for competing in the new international environment," said David Boren, then a senator and chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee.
His words of warning pointed to top-level concern over the nation's continuing ability to meet ever-expanding demands of its global leadership. Such concerns have not gone unnoticed, according to Col. Dave Harrington, Air Force Education and Training Division chief in the Pentagon.
He said Air Force personnel officials have started to define foreign-language proficiency requirements. They will do this as they review policy, evaluate the Air Force's current foreign-language capability through self-reporting and follow-on testing, then train to fill the gap.
"We've already taken the first step," said Maj. Gen. Normand G. Lezy, Air Force personnel programs director. He said all major commands and joint-service organizations have received requests to identify their peacetime and wartime foreign-language requirements.
Phase II of the process involves a foreign-language proficiency survey now being sent to airmen.
"The survey went to active-duty officers and enlisted people," Lezy said. "After some fine tuning we'll include the Air National Guard, Air Force Reserve and then possibly civilians to gather self-reported language capability of the total force.
"All future Air Force accessions - enlisted and officer - will take the survey," he continued. "We have already gathered such data from all 1996 officer accessions."
This data combined with that gathered in this fall's survey, he explained, "will enable rapid identification of a person's language ability. It will radically improve our ability to respond to mission and contingency foreign-language needs."
The final phase - training to fill the gap - has already begun.
"We have already started to award foreign-language scholarships through (the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps), up to 50 this fall," Lezy said. "We're building up to 200 by the year 2000. At the same time, the Air Force Academy has sent nine cadets to foreign-language immersion programs."
With the foreign-language program in place, Lezy thinks the Air Force will have an answer to Senator Boren, who said several years ago, "Our ignorance of world cultures and world languages represents a threat to our ability to remain a world leader."
Today, Lezy said, "It is becoming increasingly evident that Air Force members demonstrating foreign-language proficiency will be uniquely positioned to take advantage of expanding opportunities for success in today's globally interactive environment."