[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 45 (Monday, April 22, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3012-S3013]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




FOREIGN LANGUAGE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM AND THE NATIONAL SECURITY EDUCATION 
            PROGRAM'S NATIONAL FLAGSHIP LANGUAGE INITIATIVE

 Mr. AKAKA. Mr. President, I rise today to request full funding 
for the Foreign Language Assistance Program, FLAP, which has been cut 
from the President's fiscal year 2003 budget and for the National 
Security Education Program's, NSEP, National Flagship Language 
Initiative. These two programs would enhance the foreign language 
capabilities of this Nation at a time when foreign language proficiency 
plays a critical role in maintaining our national security. The 
security, stability, and economic vitality of the United States depend 
on American citizens knowledgeable about the world. To become so, we 
need to encourage knowledge of foreign languages and cultures.
  Unfortunately, the United States faces a critical shortage of 
language proficient professionals throughout Federal agencies. The 
inability of law enforcement officers, intelligence officers, 
scientists, military personnel, and other federal employees to decipher 
and interpret information from foreign sources, as well as interact 
with foreign nationals, presents a threat to their mission and to the 
well being of the Nation. It is crucial that we invest in programs like 
the Flagship Initiative and FLAP in order to strengthen the security of 
the United States.
  While the General Accounting Office has highlighted the Federal 
Government's deficiency in personnel with foreign language proficiency, 
the entire country became aware of this problem after the events of 
September 11th, when FBI Director Robert Mueller called on English-
speaking Americans with professional level proficiency in Arabic and 
Farsi to help with the translation of documents for the ensuing 
investigation. To address this need, Senators Durbin, Thompson, and I 
introduced S. 1799, the Homeland Security Education Act, and S. 1800, 
the Homeland Security Federal Workforce Act. These proposals are 
designed to improve educational programs in science, mathematics, and 
foreign languages and then attract graduates possessing these critical 
skills to the Federal Government.
  However, these legislative initiatives cannot succeed if the 
foundations on which they are based are not supported. Moreover, while 
these initiatives go a long way to help agencies recruit those 
possessing these critical skills, we needs programs like FLAP and the 
Flagship Initiative to create a larger talented and proficient 
applicant pool to address the growing foreign language needs in the 
national security community.
  NSEP was created in 1991 by the David L. Boren National Security 
Education Act, P.L. 102-183, and administers three programs to enhance 
foreign language education: undergraduate scholarships for study 
abroad, graduate fellowships, and grants to U.S. institutions of higher 
education. As part of its grant program, NSEP intends to implement a 
National Flagship Language Initiative. The Flagship Initiative would 
establish national and regional language programs in universities 
throughout the Nation. These institutions would in turn educate 
significant numbers of graduates, across disciplines, with advanced 
proficiency levels in those languages critical to our national 
security.
  The Flagship Initiative is designed to address the urgent and growing 
need for higher levels of language competency among a broader cross-
section of professionals, particularly for those who will join the 
federal workforce. The goal is to produce students with professional 
proficiency in critical foreign languages. Professional proficiency is 
considered to be at least a level 3 proficiency in listening, reading, 
and speaking where an individual is capable of speaking with sufficient 
structural accuracy and vocabulary to participate effectively in most 
formal and informal conversations on practical, social, and 
professional topics.

  However, current foreign language programs in the United State, both 
Federal and academic, at best, aim toward `limited working proficiency' 
which is defined as level 2. This skill level includes the ability to 
satisfy routine social demands and limited work requirements and handle 
routine work-related interactions that are limited in scope. Level 2 
proficiency is generally insufficient for more complex and 
sophisticated work-related national security tasks.
  While programs like the Flagship Initiative would make significant 
improvements in the country's language capabilities, university-level 
training alone will not meet the challenge currently before us. We must 
also take steps to address what foreign language experts have 
recommended for years--start early. The Foreign Language Assistance 
Program, FLAP, initiates, through competitive grants, foreign

[[Page S3013]]

language study at the elementary and secondary level--when students 
have the best chances of developing the strongest language 
proficiencies as adults. Eliminating funding for FLAP would be a 
disservice to the nation. We would have contributed to the lack of 
foreign language proficiencies at a time when the government needs 
people with those skills the most.
  Both FLAP and NSEP have suffered from inadequate funding over the 
past few years. Funding for FLAP was $14 million in FY 2002, but the 
program has never received funding resembling that which was 
anticipated at its inception $35 million.
  NSEP receives funding from the National Security Education Trust 
Fund. Under the Department of Defense Appropriations Act for FY 1992, 
the NSEP trust fund received $150 million. Since then, more than $80 
million from the trust fund has been transferred to other federal 
projects and only $8 million has been appropriated for NSEP projects 
each year. The trust fund is now valued at $43 million. This amount 
alone cannot support both NSEP's current programs and the innovative 
Flagship Initiative.
  NSEP has conducted a survey of universities and has found a number of 
them willing and qualified to participate in this program. I am pleased 
to say that the University of Hawaii has been designated a likely 
flagship school due to the strength of its faculty and curriculum. 
However, in order to implement this program, approximately 10 national 
flagship programs and three regional flagship programs will be 
required. It is estimated that full implementation across a wide array 
of languages will require an investment of at least $20 million per 
year.
  I urge my colleagues to support full funding of FLAP and the Flagship 
Initiative.

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