Background

2. Background • The ARSOF Soldier, the centerpiece of USASOC, is at work everyday around the globe • Typically facing complex issues and situations • Routinely interacting face to face with indigenous populations, to include senior leaders, in order to resolve those same complex issues and situations

3. Role of Foreign Language & Regional Studies • It is critical that our ARSOF men and women be able to communicate within the context of the customs, traditions, and mores of specific indigenous cultures wherever they may be employed/deployed • ARSOF language & regional studies education focuses on socio-linguistic and cultural competency, and specifically: • Face-to-face communication • Problem solving • Rapport building • Information exchange • Cultural mitigation • Control techniques for interpreters

4. ARSOF Language & Regional Studies Evolution • Prior to 1989 – Selected ARSOF operators were trained at Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center • 1989-90 – Special Forces Functional Language Course (6-8 languages) began at the USAJFKSWCS Foreign Language Department for all SF and some CA/PSYOP • 1992 - Basic Military Language Course (10 languages) conducted for SF/CA/PSYOP with a goal of 0+/0+ on the Defense Language Proficiency Test (DLPT); • 1998 – Proficiency at 0+/0+ on the DLPT becomes the standard • 2003 - Proficiency standards were raised to 1/1 on the DLPT • Sep 2008 CG USAJFKSWCS directed the stand-up of the Language and Culture Division under Directorate of Special Operations Education • Mar 2009 – The proficiency standard was mandated as 1/1 as measured by the Two-Skill Oral Proficiency Interview • Sep 2009 – ARSOF Foreign Language Program expanded to 17 languages to include intermediate/advanced instruction and regional studies/cultural competency • Nov 2009 – CDR USSOCOM directed the creation of an 18L MOS to develop an organic capability specializing in foreign language proficiency and regional expertise • Mar 2010 – CG USAJFKSWCS directed the stand-up of the Directorate of Regional Studies and Education

5. Foreign Language and Regional Studies Mission The Directorate of Regional Studies and Education educates U.S. Army Civil Affairs, Psychological Operations, Special Forces Soldiers and Civilians throughout their careers by providing relevant instruction, professional development and a superior learning environment, in order to possess the capability to succeed in any global region. Foreign Language Initial Acquisition • Size and throughput second only tothe Defense Language Institute • 150 faculty and staff • Student Population • Training more than 1500 CA, PO and SF operators in FY 09 • Requirements increase to more than 2,000 students in FY 10 • Standards – Minimum 1/1 as measured by the Two-Skill OPI • Initial Acquisition Languages • Arabic • Chinese-Mandarin • Korean • Russian • Persian-Farsi/Dari • Pashto • Turkish • Thai • Polish • Tagalog • Indonesian-Bahasa • French • Spanish • Urdu • Czech • Hungarian

6. Foreign Language and Regional Studies • Contingency and Sustainment Language Support • Facilities – Network of satellite training facilities at Fort Bragg, NC, within CONUS and OCONUS • Population - Supports approximately 8,500 ARSOF operators • Objectives • Maintains ARSOF operational language skills at a minimum of 1/1; build to levels 2/2 and beyond. * • Focuses on critical mission-related pre-deployment foreign language and cultural awareness knowledge. ** • **Contingency Program Languages • Iraqi-Arabic • Pashto • Dari • Urdu • *Sustainment/Enhancement Languages • 17 Initial Acquisition Languages • Brazilian-Portuguese • Vietnamese • German • Laotian • Serbian • Bengali • Turkish • Punjabi

7. Understanding and Adaptive Culture Education • Our education provides our Soldiers with knowledge, skills, and ability to enable their effective adaptation in any cross-cultural environment. It is synchronized/embedded with foreign language training. • Integrated into all three qualification courses. • Students receive classes on: • Adaptive Thinking and Leadership • Negotiation • Laws and Principles of Human Behavior • Globalization • Cultural Literacy and Competency • Characteristics and Common Components of Culture • Comparison of Types of Culture • Adjustments to Culture • Regional Culture • Management techniques for Interpreters

8. Regional Studies Education • ARSOF Regional Studies consists of education in political, military, economic, social and geographical topics viewed from cultural and language perspectives. Provides the ARSOF operator with the knowledge necessary to translate national defense policy into operational effectiveness. • Current Regional Studies program includes education particular to seven systems/topics as they relate to five principal geographic regions: • -Physical Environment System • -Social System • -Political System • -National Security System • -Economic System • -Information System • -Infrastructure and Technology • -Europe • -Latin America • -Africa • -Asia • -Middle East

9. Special Forces Qualification Course

10. Active Army Civil Affairs Qualification Course

11. Active Army Psychological OperationsQualification Course

12. The Way Ahead for Language • The Directorate of Language and Regional Studies, USAJFKSWCS, will develop three distinct levels of instruction in our seventeen core languages for SF, CA and PSYOP Soldiers: Spanish, French, Indonesian, Chinese, Russian, Thai, Tagalog, Korean, Dari, Pashto, Arabic, Persian-Farsi, Urdu, Polish, Turkish, Czech, Hungarian. • Basic - Our basic level of instruction (embedded into our qualification courses) is designed for students to achieve a minimum Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) rating of 1, goal of 1+ (listening and speaking) capability and a basic level of cultural awareness and competence. • Intermediate - The top 15%, approximately, of our basic language course students, who demonstrate the highest foreign language proficiency, will be enrolled into our intermediate course immediately upon graduation, where they will achieve a minimum OPI rating of 2, goal of 2+ (listening and speaking). • Advanced - Implement an advanced program of instruction for those Operational Soldiers who have demonstrated the highest aptitude in language proficiency. This course is designed to achieve a rating of 3 in listening, speaking, and reading capability. • For those low-density languages, not identified as resident core languages, we will partner with other institutions that specialize in a broader variety of foreign languages.

13. The Way Ahead for The Regional Studies Course • Seminar-based ten month graduate level program synchronized with foreign language proficiency and cultural competency designed to develop students’ writing and professional research abilities as well as strategies for working with other agencies and with other members of international coalitions. • Will provide a strategic perspective on: global threat environment, politicized ideological movements, the relationship between political objectives, strategy and all instruments of national power. • Through a combination of theoretical and practical learning, the program prepares professionals to develop and implement national and international security strategies. This program will include OCONUS language immersion. • Currently working with National Defense University and the University of North Carolina system for potential partnership opportunities.

14. Questions of Interest 1. How does SWCS select the languages and regional studies education for particular nations?  - The USAJFKSWCS does not select foreign language nor cultural training at the individual country level, but rather focuses on foreign languages that apply on an enduring regional application basis. - It is neither cost-effective nor practical to attempt to develop instructional programs that may apply to a limited audience or for which validated requirements do not exist. - Regional Studies education focuses on the macro level attributes that characterize or govern behaviors across a specific regional area with additional specificity provided within the context of individual foreign language education courses.

15. Questions of Interest 2. How does SWCS forecast language requirements and then develop the appropriate cadre and curriculum to ensure the right culturally & linguistically proficient operators are available at the right time & place and in sufficient capacity? • The USAJFKSWCS conducts a biennial review of foreign language requirements in conjunction with input received from the Theater Special Operations Commands (TSOC), and USASOC end-users (SF Command, 4th POG and 95th CA Brigade). • This process is intended to ensure that the USAJFKSWCS adjusts the foreign languages taught in residence for the three qualification courses in a timely manner to address operational requirements emanating from the operational force. • Once new requirements are received from the operational force, this serves as the trigger to initiate a cycle where we determine the scope of the requirement and determine the most efficacious process by which the requirement might be serviced. • Where a requirement is limited and the population to be trained is considered low-density, we look at other government institutions (DLI, FSI, etc.) that possess the capability and capacity to accept ARSOF students.

16. Questions of Interest cont. 2. How does SWCS forecast language requirements and then develop the appropriate cadre and curriculum to ensure the right culturally & linguistically proficient operators are available at the right time & place and in sufficient capacity? • Where a requirement is greater or it has been determined that the requirement will exist for a greater duration, the USAJFKSWCS working in conjunction with partners will develop a specific instructional program specifically tailored to meet ARSOF requirements. • Depending upon the level of complexity of the language(s) in question, development time can take between 12-18 months to complete. • In order to ensure that the requirement does not remain unsatisfied during the developmental period, we will adapt or modify an existent curriculum product to instruct on an interim basis until such time as we have completed the effort. Immediate instructional capacity can be procured through the USSOCOM Omnibus Instructional Services contract vehicle.

17. Questions of Interest 3. What is unique about the SWCS language and regional studies education that sets it apart? • The USAJFKSWCS is unique in that the “Holistic Perspective” approach to cultural awareness, regional studies, and adaptive thinking education fused with the language instruction provides SOF operators with the tools that are required for them to interact with host nation counterparts or indigenous populations with confidence so that they might work with, through, and by these elements. • Our program focuses on the development and application of demonstrable foreign language proficiency in the modalities that are most relevant to the SOF operator; speaking and participatory listening comprehension as opposed to non-participatory listening and reading. • Students are taught to read and write the languages as well, but the preponderance of effort is placed on the skills that mission requirements dictate as paramount. These include rapport building, information extraction and dissemination, cultural mitigation and control techniques for interpreters. • While the standard for graduation for students in the initial acquisition program is 1/1 as measured by a DLI-certified Two-Skill Oral Proficiency Interview, approximately 44% of students attain a rating of 1+/1+ on that scale.

18. Questions of Interest • 4. What is the “flash to bang” for un-forecasted language requirements? • The “flash to bang” time frame to meet out-of-cycle requirements can be as quick as 60 days as was the case last summer when the USASOC Commander mandated that the USAJFKSWCS provide initial acquisition training in the Pashto and Urdu languages within that period. • Working in conjunction with the DLI, MARSOC and our contract vendor, we were able to meet this requirement with a successful pilot program where all 11 students were successful in meeting or exceeding exit standards. • The USAJFKSWCS is preparing to start its first intermediate course offerings this month in the Arabic-Iraqi, Dari, Pashto and Urdu languages where students will attain 2/2 proficiency with a commensurate level of competency in culture and regional studies. • The USSOCOM Commander, in November 2009,  directed that the USAJFKSWCS provide four intermediate level training courses within 90 days. While this pilot has just begun, and success cannot yet be assessed, we are confident that we will make significant strides in meeting the his standards.   

19. Questions?