WASHINGTON, DC – The country’s service members in uniform need to be equipped with the necessary tools to maintain positive relations and foresee potential situations at home and abroad. This includes proficiency in world languages.
Now, Congress has the opportunity to expand the educational opportunities for service members who graduate from the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center (DLIFLC), one of the premier foreign language institutions in the nation, by offering students a BA in world language study.
On June 10, Congressman Jimmy Panetta (D-CA) introduced the bipartisan Defense Language Improvement (DLI) Act (H.R.3185) which would authorize DLIFLC to confer a Bachelor of Arts degree in a world language upon any graduate who fulfills the degree requirements. Currently, DLIFLC may only award an Associate of Arts degree in world language study.
Expanding DLIFLC accreditation authority provides advanced learning opportunities, supports recruitment and reenlistment initiatives, and incentivizes higher level language learning to better support defense, intelligence, and law enforcement requirements.
The National Council for Languages and International Studies (NCLIS) and the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) recommends that members of the world language community stand with Rep. Panetta and and this bipartisan group of language advocates.
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