Dr. Stanley talks about the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center

Video Transcript
(Narator)

Dr. Clifford Stanley, the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, responsible for overseeing the overall state of military readiness, said he believed the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center should become a Center of Excellence, the first place that should be tapped for language and culture training.

"...But I would really like to see DLI actually be like the Center of Excellence. This should be the place that you come to ... this should not be only symbolic, but also this should be the place where the excellence is... And than you, kind of, farm out from there... So, I see that as this place here. Than you kind of move out from here, but you have the excellence here ... So this is where you come - for the nucleus, and than you go to other places that you are supposed to go to for training."

(Narator)

Stanley had the opportunity to visit a Dari basic course class, speak with students and ask questions about the course. Service-members at the Multi Language School demonstrated some of the latest language learning programs and technology such as tablet PCs, iPods and interactive whiteboards.

"...All the different learning styles. We can listen to audio through it. We can read things...we can watch videos."

"I don't want to say I am a soft touch -- but I am impressed. I really am taken aback by the quality not only of the students in particular, but with technology, the staff, everything about here."

(Narator)

Stanley stressed that language training is not just important for the professional linguist, but for all Americans.

"I strongly believe that we should have a nation that we can draw from of people who are language-capable, and not only that but who have been exposed to languages very early. But again, it is bigger than the services. I also think that we should be using our other government agencies to help us with this. I think that our department of education, not DoD education, should be helping with this. I think it should be at every level, where we are as a Nation."

Stanley, who is the senior policy advisor to the Secretary of Defense on the 1.3 million Guard and Reserve personnel in the United States, pointed out that most allies are ahead of the U.S. in language training.

"I think that language is IMPORTANT. Particularly if we are now talking about working with our allies and other nations: Why do they all have to learn English? ...So when we talk about the Department of Defense, I am really thinking about the entire Nation, because the Department of Defense depends on the Nation to draw its assets and its quality. And that's what I am focusing on right now."

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