Command Language Program
ofBrian Lamar, Strategic winners
the Year Communications
By
Master Sgt. Joseph Spear, the 5th Special Forces Group language program
manager, receives an award for his unit from then DLIFLC Commandant,
Col. Sue Ann Sandusky.
PRESIDIO OF MONTEREY, Calif. - Recruits who join the
military in this era of continuous conflict are almost guaranteed an overseas
deployment. Requirements for language-enabled servicemembers are at an
all- time high due to multiple combat and intelligence gathering operations
in the Middle East, South America, Asia, and Africa.
In most cases, the quality of the intelligence-gathering mission of a unit
is a direct reflection of the quality and professional standard that a manager
holds his command language program. To recognize the importance of this,
each year the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center holds
a contest during the Command Language Program Manager’s conference,
which honors the units that stand out above the rest.
This year’s winners of the CLPM of the Year are:
DoD – Naval Information Operations Command, Maryland
Army – 5th Special Forces Group
Marine Corps – 3rd Radio Battalion
Navy – NIOC, Maryland
Air Force – 316th Training Squadron
The relationship between a language program and a unit command is an
enduring contributing factor each year in the contest. The more emphasis
a commander places in his language program, the better his unit is able
to conduct missions. More support from commands usually means more
personnel released for language training, more fiscal resources to pay for the
best available means of training, and also an instilled ethos of training that
becomes more of a way of life than a resource-draining chore. Supportive
commanders and dedicated language learners are the main ingredients in
the recipe for success in a unit’s language program.
According to 5th Special Forces Group language manager, Master Sgt.
Joseph Spear, the 5th Group language program, is a top-notch program
because it is deemed important to the Group Commander Col. Mark
Mitchell. “I don’t think there is a more supportive command in the Army
22
in regards to the language program.
To be honest, we get as much
support as we need,” Spear said.
Language programs are judged
by language experts in the Pentagon
G2 (Intelligence Staff ) shop, which
has special interest in the DoD
language community.
According to Mark Getzin, a
G2 staff member in the Pentagon,
packets are received each year for
the contest and each Army CLPM
is looked at and given points in
various categories such as linguist
database and record keeping,
Defense Language Proficiency
Test results, training opportunities,
linguist retention incentives and
marketing. “This is the way the
Army chooses a program over
another. We tally all the points and
the highest score wins,” Getzin said.
The 5th Special Forces Group
plans to continue their dedication
to enhanced language program
management with a new function
called Command Language Initiative.
CLI is a program that places 72
Special Forces Operatives in an
intensive six-month learning program.
The goal is to enhance the overall
language capabilities of 5th Group.
“Language training is taken very
seriously. For the guys here, the
language classroom is their place of
duty while training,” said Spear.
The proof is in the pudding.
According to Spear, 5th
Group Command has delayed
deployments for some Special
Operatives so they can focus on
sharpening their language skills.
Currently, language program
managers across the Armed Forces
are working on building the best
program they can with resources
available. The winner for the 2010
Language Program of the Year will
be announced at the next CLPM
Conference in Monterey, Calif.,
which will take place 3-6 May.