"If you have a native language, you have the accent right, but more
importantly, you also have the culture right, and you know something about
the part of the world where your family's from, where you grew up for part
of your life," Ms. McGinn said. "And that brings a great advantage to you in
working with our forces."
In the first stage, the 09L program would train native Afghan and Iraqi
speakers in English and translation skills. The speakers would then serve in
combat and eventually receive U.S. citizenship.
"A lot of them have escaped persecution or have been wounded in combat
or fought in civil wars," Ms. McGinn said. "They've come to the United
States with their family, and there's a great sense that they would like to
pay something back."
The Pentagon plans to offer the program in both active-duty and reserve
units. Officials said the army intends to
prepare at least 250 native speakers per year for deployment in Afghanistan
and Iraq.
So far, the program has focused on potential Arabic-speaking recruits.
Later, officials said, the army would introduce Dari and Pashto, the two
main languages of Afghanistan.
Officials said commanders have encouraged the deployment of soldiers who
could serve as interpreters in combat operations. They said these soldiers
would be far more reliable than Iraqi nationals or private contractors.
"A soldier picks up a weapon and goes into combat with you and is there
right by your side and obeys your orders, and you can trust them," Ms.
McGinn said on May 22. "And [the soldier] really becomes a part of the team.
And I think that's what we're hearing from commanders, is the value that
they bring."
The Pentagon also plans to establish a so-called Language Corps, which
would mobilize Americans with foreign language skills in times of crisis.
The Pentagon, which intends to recruit 1,000 people, has been planning a
pilot program in Arabic and Chinese.
Officials said the Pentagon has also awarded four grants to universities
to establish language programs. They said 50 contracts would be awarded to
universities over the next five years.
"We have been trying to figure out how to get our military officers more
language capable, because we think it's important for interacting with
populations and for interacting with our allies, and it's part of the core
competency an officer should have," Ms. McGinn said.
