COMMAND LANGUAGE PROGRAM OF THE YEAR. Instructions to Service Program Managers (SPMs)

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1 Instructions to Service Program Managers (SPMs) 1. The Command Language Program of the Year (CLPOTY) Program is designed to recognize outstanding CLPs and reward them for their accomplishments. 2. In order to make the CLPOTY program as effective as possible, we recommend that you use the following guidelines to evaluate the nominations: a. The rating period will be for the fiscal year from 1 October 2012 to 30 September Announce the program to all of your units with registered CLPs as soon as possible. This will give the CLP Managers (CLPMs) the chance to collect data to support their nominations. In addition, the CLPMs will benefit by having an end-of-year roll-up of their CLPs. b. Because of comments from CLP Managers and commanders, Joint Language Centers will be not allowed to compete for the award. However, units subordinate to the JLCs may submit nominations. Forward nomination packets to any other interested CLPMs/commanders. The nomination packets will also be available directly from DLIFLC. c. Emphasize that the nomination packets must be forwarded to the SPMs and not to DLIFLC. Nominations sent directly to DLIFLC will be returned to the unit. d. The SPMs must select a finalist for their branch of service and forward that nomination by to DLIFLC NLT 31 December The only portion that the DLIFLC selection panel will consider in assessing the finalists are the 12 pages that make up the nomination packet. The panel will not consider any supporting documentation. You may, however, request additional documentation from nominated units for your own use if you are unable to verify the information included in the nomination packets. e. Incomplete nominations, nominations received after the 31 December deadline, or duplicate nominations from one branch of service will not be considered. g. POC at DLIFLC is Ms. Anna Kordecki, DSN The commercial prefix is (831) 242-XXXX. anna.j.kordecki.civ@mail.mil.

2 S: 31 December 2013 MEMORANDUM FOR ALL SERVICE PROGRAM MANAGERS (SPM): 1. Purpose. To announce the Department of Defense (DoD) Language Professional of the Year competitions for FY Background. The DoD Language Professional of the Year (formerly the Linguist of the Year) competitions are designed to identify and recognize outstanding military language professionals and their accomplishments, as well as recognize the critical role that military linguists play in supporting the warfighter missions. This is the eleventh year that the senior enlisted leadership from all services at the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center (DLIFLC) will select the DoD Language Professional of the Year. 3. Nomination Criteria. Each service may nominate one military Language Professional of the Year for consideration. Criteria for nominees include: - Must be E6 or below and a member of the active or reserve component. - Must have achieved a score of at least 2/2 on the Defense Language Proficiency Test (DLPT) or achieved at least a level 2 proficiency in an Oral proficiency Interview (OPI) in their control/primary language. - Must meet height and weight standards IAW service regulations. - Must meet service physical fitness standards, documented IAW with service regulations. 4. Nomination Packet. Commanders must prepare a nomination packet and forward it through their MACOM/MAJCOM to the service proponent. The packet will consist of the following: - Unit commander's nominating memorandum, endorsed by subsequent members of the chain of command. The memorandum should detail the linguist s mission accomplishments, training contributions, and personal self-improvement. - An 8 x 10 head and shoulders photo of the nominee. - Copy of the nominee's current DA Form 330 or similar documentation of DLPT for each language tested. - An essay written by the nominee, not to exceed five double spaced typewritten pages, addressing the following topic: As a linguist, what are your "best practices" for maintaining or raising your language proficiency?" 5. Submission Procedures, Suspense: SPMs will their nomination packet(s) to: Ms.Anna Kordecki. Nomination packets must arrive at the above address NLT 31 December POC for this action is Ms. Anna Kordecki, CLP Support, DCSOPS, at DSN or COMM (831) , anna.j.kordecki.civ@mail.mil. /signed/ Anna Kordecki CLP Support Continuing Education

3 NOMINATION PACKET Instructions to Commanders/ Command Language Program Managers (CLPMs) 1. The Command Language Program (CLP) of the Year program is designed to recognize outstanding CLPs, and to reward them for their accomplishments. The program will be based on the fiscal year accomplishments/activities within the CLP. 2. Complete the nomination packet and forward it to your Service Program Manager (SPM) by the service-established due date. Nominations sent directly to DLIFLC will be returned. 3. The basic document which will be used to evaluate the nominations, and the CLPs, is DLIFLC Pam 351-1, Evaluation Guidelines for DoD Command Language Programs, June A sample nomination packet follows. Adhere to the suggested format when completing your nomination packets. Each nomination packet will be limited to 12 pages total.

4 COMMANDER S DESCRIPTION OF THE UNIT S PROGRAM Write no more than two pages describing your program, highlighting why the unit should be selected for this award. Include in your assessment the personnel involved in the program, significant accomplishments throughout the fiscal year, awards received, the importance of language to your unit s mission, how the unit s leadership supports the language training mission, etc. Example: During the past fiscal year, the number of linguists in our battalion increased from 78 to 125. To upgrade the Command Language Program, I have directed that the CLP Manager position be a full-time position. SSG John Doe filled the position on 31 March SSG Doe has two administrative NCOs to assist him with scheduling classes and maintaining records. SSG Doe completed the CLPM Course at DLIFLC on 28 July Dedicated training time for language sustainment/enhancement has increased from 10 hours per month to 10 hours per week. Language training is now included in the S3 training plans. The number of linguists completing refresher/sustainment training increased from 22% to well over 50%. On 31 March 2012, our battalion received the Outstanding Unit award for SSG Doe was recognized as the battalion s NCO of the Year. As an OCONUS MI battalion, our operations tempo is extremely high since we are constantly on deployment. At any given time, 30% of our linguists will be in the field. Despite this, the percentage of linguists in the battalion at or above L2/R2 has increased from 52% to 68%. Our battalion is composed of HUMINT as well as SIGINT linguists. In addition to maintaining their technical skills, the linguists must maintain their global language skills. For the linguists of our unit, language is their weapon.

5 COMMAND LANGUAGE COUNCIL Pages 3 through 12 should be no more than 1 page for each of the 10 content areas. Each page should include any information relevant to the content area. Describe each of the ten content areas using a bullet listing of significant events covering, at a minimum, the suggested questions provided in each category. Submissions over a page in any of the 10 content areas will not be considered. 1. In what ways do Council meetings enhance the training effort? 2. Do Council meetings result in action items which are implemented to improve the training program? (Give examples) The Command Language Program Council (CLPC) develops language training plans which are incorporated into the S3 s master training schedule. The CLPC is authorized to allocate $16,000 in general purpose training funds per year, representing 30% of the overall language training budget. The CLPC develops and implements the training plan for the battalion s 125 linguists. During the past fiscal year alone, the CLPC recommendations resulted in the implementation of a new immersion course for Spanish (QB) linguists in Costa Rica, at a total cost of $6,500 for 5 linguists.

6 REGULATORY GUIDANCE 1. In what ways are regulations and other guidance integrated into the training program? 2. What advances has your CLP made to further refine/guide the training effort? The CLP Manager (CLPM) has written and implemented a new Standard Operating Procedure for language training which has been accepted as the model for the entire brigade. In accordance with AR 11-6, the battalion CLPM developed a refresher training program for subproficient linguists. Regulations, mission statements and MTOE lists are all incorporated into the development of the master language training schedule.

7 LINGUIST DATABASE AND RECORD KEEPING 1. Describe the database/record keeping system your unit has in place, and how you use it to track the linguists progress. 2. How does the record keeping system you have in place support the language training effort? Monthly reports from the CLP database are submitted as part of AR220-1 reporting requirements. The CLP database includes the following: last three years DLPT scores, current proficiency levels for all linguists, duty station, etc. The CLPM uses information in the database to track trends in training - which DLPT scores are improving, which scores are decreasing, etc. This information is used to modify training schedules and increase training opportunities as appropriate. The CLPM has implemented an Individual Linguist Training Plan (ILTP) record keeping system for all linguists in the battalion. This provides each linguist with a customized training plan.

8 TRAINING RESOURCES 1. What kinds of training resources does your unit employ in the CLP? 2. How are the training resources used to further the training effort? The unit has the following training options available to the linguists: A two-week immersion course in Costa Rica for up to 10 linguists per year Goosepond training in North Carolina for 20 linguists per year Contract instruction, 10 hours per week, one-on-one training on a walk-in basis Evening classes at the local community college for up to 20 linguists per quarter. Training resources are organized as follows: An intensive four-week course for all linguists who are subproficient upon arrival in the unit Ten hours of maintenance training per week for all linguists who are at or above L2/R2 Training to become mentors or training leaders for all 2+/2+ and higher linguists

9 INSTRUCTIONAL METHODOLOGY AND DLPT RESULTS 1. Which instructional methods are employed in your CLP? What are the goals for training? What drives your training program? 2. Describe the system you have in place to evaluate the linguists standing with respect to global and technical (job-related) skills. The unit has a two-fold training mission - global and mission-related. The battalion test control officer maintains a regular testing schedule. The CLPM schedules testing for all linguists during the testing windows of Jan - March and October- December. All personnel take the DLPT every year. For technical skills, the CLPM administers National Cryptologic School (NCS)-developed exercises, including progress tests.

10 TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES 1. List the training opportunities available to the unit s linguists. What are your criteria for selecting both the training opportunities and the linguists who participate? 2. Explain why you have the particular mix of training programs you have, and how they contribute to your particular mission. The following issues affect our selection of training opportunities: Opstempo Global vice technical skills Available funding Availability of personnel for training 50 percent of the unit s training funds are spent in support of subproficient linguists who are just below L2/R2. Fully qualified linguists attend immersion programs, mentor training, and instructor training courses. Others attend intensive training programs with the contract instructors upon their arrival, followed by 10 hours of training per week in a maintenance program. The weakest linguists attend training full time until they qualify at L2/R2.

11 PROGRAM EVALUATION 1. What tools do you employ to evaluate the overall effectiveness of your CLP? 2. Describe briefly how you conduct your program evaluations. Our CLPC conducts an evaluation of the CLP using DLIFLC Pam The CLPC, S3, and battalion commanders conduct the evaluation. The following areas are evaluated during the annual evaluation: The testing program Instructional programs The INSCOM Language Office conducts an annual inspection of the battalion s CLP. Recommendations from that inspection are incorporated into the CLP s policy decisions.

12 LINGUIST RETENTION AND INCENTIVES What incentive programs do you have in place for the unit s linguists? The CLP has the following incentive programs in place: Linguist of the Quarter Program, with a weekend pass for the recipient Linguist of the Year Program, with a three-day pass for the recipient Immersion training programs for a select number of linguists at or above L2+/R2+ In-country immersion courses for advanced linguists

13 MARKETING THE CLP 1. List how and to whom you market your CLP. 2. List significant marketing events which occurred during the rating period. The battalion has a quarterly Linguist Newsletter. Language training initiatives are announced at formations and Commanders briefings. The CLPM briefs RMO and PAO monthly on unit training initiatives.

14 THE CLP MANAGER 1. Describe the importance of the CLP Manager in the CLP. 2. Briefly list the responsibilities of the CLP Manager in your CLP. Example: Our CLP Manager, SSG Doe, completed the CLPM Course on8 July He is also the REDTRAIN fund manager and our training NCOIC. He is responsible for the overall training plan, monitoring contract instruction, and monitoring the mentor program. He is an invaluable asset.