INCREASED INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY SUPPORT TO NATIONAL FOREIGN LANGUAGE TRAINING PROGRAMS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP83M00914R002100150034-0
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 20, 2016
• Document Release Date: January 9, 2008
• Sequence Number: 34
• Publication Date: December 24, 1981
• Content Type: MEMO

Approved For Release 2008/01/09: CIA-RDP83M00914R002100150034-0
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OFFI( OF THE UNDER SECRETARY OF DEFcivSE
RESEARCH AND
ENGINEERING
2 4 DEC 1981
MEMORANDUM FOR DIRECTOR OF NAVAL INTELLIGENCE -
SUBJECT: Increased Intelligence Community Support to National Foreign
Language Training Programs
Thank you for your comments on the proposed Intelligence Community Foreign
Language Training Committee. For the past few years the IC Staff has chaired
the Ad Hoc Task Force on the Foreign Language Problem. Although this group
was effective in identifying foreign language problems of intelligence
community components, it never addressed the management of programs internal
to those components, nor did it attempt to project intelligence community
foreign language needs in the context of national level programs. The General
Officer's Steering Committee for Foreign Language Training (GOSC), serves as
an excellent guidance mechanism for internal DoD foreign language training
programs. And that should not be changed or superseded. The need for an
Intelligence Community--National programs interface, however, is not now
being met by any consolidated community mechanism. The proposed foreign
language committee is intended for this purpose: to identify foreign language
needs for now and the future; to juxtapose these needs to the total national
capability to produce linguists; to consider the demographics of the feeder
population to a spectrum of intelligence requirements; and, as necessary, to
communicate the importance of these needs and required supporting programs to
the White House, the Congress, other federal departments and agencies, local
governments, and the academic community.
The previous experience with an ad hoc task force assisted IC Staff principals
in their determination that a new foreign language committee should be
permanent, chartered, and at the DCI Committee level. Inasmuch as the U.S.
population base will probably not become sufficiently multilingual to support
all major intelligence community linguist requirements in the near term, we
feel that it would be some time before the DCI would want to disestablish the
subject committee. The importance of intelligence community foreign language
issues in the context of total national programs is simply significant enough
to warrant a DCI. Committee.
The Army, Air Force, Marine Corps, DIA, NSA, Office of the DUSD(Policy), and
Office of the ASD(Manpower, Reserve Affairs and Logistics) have agreed to the
creation of the proposed Foreign Language Committee, the implementing DCID
Not reviewed by OSD. OSD on-file release instructions apply
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 Approved For Release 2008/01/09: CIA-RDP83M00914R002100150034-0
as drafted, and the decision memorandum to the Deputy Secretary of Defense.
I am, therefore, proceeding to seek'(DepSecDef approval for the Committee as
originally proposed, highlighting the Navy comments for Mr. Carlucci's
consideration. If the language training committee is approved following
these parameters, I know the Navy will actively support and participate in all
committee efforts.
4~~ veze~~ .
Donald C. Latham
Deputy Under Secretary of Defense
(Communications, Command, Control and Intelligence)
Approved For Release 2008/01/09: CIA-RDP83M00914R002100150034-0