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(U) Now You're Speaking My Language: NSA's Linguistic Resources
(Part II)
FROM: SIGINT Communications and Renee Meyer, NSA/CSS Senior Language
Authority (SLA)
Unknown
Run Date: 07/06/2004
FROM: SIGINT Communications and Renee Meyer, NSA/CSS Senior
Language Authority (SLA)
Unknown
(S) In part one of this series, we noted that half of the cryptologic
missions lack the qualified linguists to do the job. Let's look at
these shortages a little more closely. Four-fifths of the entire
cryptologic language workforce is military . Currently, only
25% of them are at the operational standard (level 3/3) in the
languages they are working; only 51% of the civilians are 3/3. This
is the primary cause of the severe language deficiency. (This was
caused by a number of factors, such as the downsizing of the
military and civilian cadres over the last 10 years, high turnover
rates, etc.)
(U//FOUO) NSA/CSS has drawn up a comprehensive, long-term
plan -- worked jointly by all cryptologic military and civilian sectors
-- to remedy the situation, as described below:
(U//FOUO) Life-cycle learning/enhancement throughout
career. Training must be continuous and sustained, even beyond
level 3.
(U//FOUO) NSA Action to Date: The Language Analysis
Professional Health Program (PHP) aims to transform
military and civilian linguists into language analysts through
a concentrated program that develops language proficiency,
performance skills, and congruity judgment for cryptologic
language work. "Congruity judgment" is the crucial ability
to fit an English product to the content and context of the
original, critical to the intelligence process. It goes far
beyond a superficial word-for-word, machine-like
substitution of English words for target-language ones.
(U//FOUO) The National Cryptologic School (NCS) handles
the job of teaching languages at NSA/CSS. NSA/CSS has
also sponsored the addition of Defense Language Institute
(DLI) "language training detachments" at NSA Fort Meade
and all three NSA/CSS Regional Security Operating Centers
(RSOCs); these teachers provide high-quality training at the
very sites where the language analysts are working. Finally,
new Accelerated Cryptologic Language Programs are in
place and operational at two of the three RSOCs, with the
third to come on-line in early FY2005. These programs
blend upper-level cryptologic and global language.
(S) NSA/CSS has programmed a total of $395 million for
the years FY05-09 specifically to address higher-level
(beyond level 2) training for military and civilian language
analysts throughout their careers and around the world.
SERIES:
(U) Linguistic
1. Now You're Speaking
My Language: NSA's
Linguistic Resources
(Part I)
2. Now You're Speaking
My Language: NSA's
Linguistic Resources
(Part II)
3. Now You're Speaking
My Language: NSA's
Linguistic Resources
(Part III and Final)
4. Filling 'Critically
Needed Language'
Gaps
(U//FOUO) Systemic adjustments in career management .
Cryptologic language analysts must be assigned to language work
in order to minimize the decaying of their language skills. In a
study performed by the NSA/CSS Senior Language Authority (SLA),
the number one reason for military language analysts leaving the
career field or service was the fact that they were not assigned to
language work.
(U//FOUO) NSA Action to Date: NSA/CSS began
reorganizing the management of its language cadre into a
single component to enable maximum flexibility and agility
and optimal fit of language competence to mission need.
Deployment Services (S214) is the first big step. It
manages the deployment of language analysts throughout
S2 , based on mission requirements and priorities.
(U//FOUO) Comprehensive modernization of the Defense
Language Institute/Foreign Language Center (DLI/FLC) in
Monterey, California. While there are some excellent language
programs in existence at universities and colleges across America,
DLI is responsible for language training for all military. It is the
model for general language training in terms of methodology and
approach, incorporating a learner-centered, task-based curriculum
from the first day of class. In this decade, over 98% of DLI's
training has been devoted to the basic level, the outcome of which
is a level 2/2. There is virtually no existing curriculum in any
language at DLI above Level 2/2. In order to provide training to
the 3/3 level (NSA/CSS's operational standard), DLI will thus have
to substantially increase its resident and extended programs.
(U//FOUO) NSA/CSS Action to Date: NSA/CSS personnel
collaborated with DLI experts and then coordinated with the
US Army's Training and Doctrine Command, the Army's
Executive Agent for DLI, on "what it would take" for DLI to
offer upper level courses and curricula. Through DoD's Joint
Requirements Oversight Council process, NSA/CSS has
championed increased funding required for DLI to support
the 3/3 requirement. Additionally, NSA/CSS sponsored
three pilot Proficiency Enhancement Programs in Arabic in
2003. All three pilots proved conclusively that 12 additional
weeks of training at DLI to high aptitude, high potential,
level 2/2+ military language analysts resulted in at least a
plus point increase in proficiency, plus additional skills in
Iraqi.
(U//FOUO) Higher level language and advanced cryptologic
skills curriculum development. While 3/3 is the operational
standard, 3/3 language proficiency alone is not sufficient to handle
the SIGINT factors regularly encountered by the CLA. The NCS, as
Responsible Training Authority for intermediate and advanced
cryptologic language training, has for years led the Intelligence
Community and DoD in providing upper level work-related and jobspecific language training. NCS will work with the Language
Analysis Skill Community, DLI and the Services to ensure that 3/3level CLA have not only the required general language proficiency,
but the SIGINT language skills as well.
(U//FOUO) NSA/CSS Actions to Date: Over the past three
years alone, NSA/CSS has given almost $10 million to DLI
for training expansion and test development. At the same
time, the NCS continues to increase the cryptologic focus
throughout its curricula in order to more effectively reflect
job requirements. Finally, General Quirk has declared that
language training is mandatory for all civilian and military
CLAs.
(U) Watch for the conclusion of this series next!
"(U//FOUO) SIDtoday articles may not be republished or reposted outside NSANet
without the consent of S0121 (DL sid_comms)."
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DERIVED FROM: NSA/CSSM 1-52, DATED 08 JAN 2007 DECLASSIFY ON: 20320108