The Navy and Air Force SOF components are responsible for managing  their own language-training programs. The foreign language program provides training for more than 12,000 SOF  military personnel (about 28 percent of all 43,671 SOF personnel) who  are required to acquire some level of proficiency in one or more foreign  languages. These actions include consolidating all language training under a  single contractor, completing a long overdue assessment of language  requirements, improving communication and coordination with all  program stakeholders, developing a database to monitor language  proficiencies and training, and looking for ways to make use of other  foreign-language-training assets. Without such a cohesive management  framework, the program may lose its current momentum, and it may be  unable to meet the new language-training needs that SOF personnel are  likely to have as they take on expanded roles and responsibilities in  counterterrorism and other military operations. Approach Needed to Improve Access to Language-Training Resources

The SOF foreign-language-training program continues to face ongoing  challenges that limit the access that special operations forces have to take  advantage of language-training opportunities. In addition, Army Reserve and National Guard members face  further hurdles in getting access to training because of their geographic  dispersion and part-time status. These members also receive lower  monetary incentives for achieving required proficiencies and fewer  training opportunities than active-duty members. Greater reliance on  SOF personnel in combating terrorism may increase these challenges. But program officials are still at an early stage in  their evaluations. As a result, SOF personnel  need to have a wide range of options to gain access to language-training  resources at anytime and anywhere they are stationed or deployed. Conclusions

While the U.S. Special Operations Command has taken several recent  actions to begin improving the delivery of language training and the  management of its foreign language program, these actions have been  taken without the benefit of a cohesive management framework combined  with strategic planning tools. Recommendations for Executive Action

To strengthen the management and delivery of foreign language training  for special operations forces, we recommend that the Secretary of Defense  direct the Commander of the U.S. Special Operations Command to adopt a strategy for meeting special operations forces’ foreign language  requirements and develop the necessary strategic-planning tools (a  strategic plan with associated performance plan and reports) to use in  managing and assessing the progress of its foreign language program and  to better address future human capital challenges and  incorporate distance/distributive-learning approaches into the program to  improve the special operations forces’ access to language training, and if  additional resources are required, to request them. In identifying ways for the command to deal with challenges that limit  accessibility to its foreign language training resources, we interviewed  officials at SOFLO and the service component commands to understand  the training requirements and resources and determine the challenges  faced by SOF personnel in gaining accessing language training. 1.)
Why GAO Did This Study

Of the 44,000 special operations forces (SOF) that perform difficult, complex, and sensitive military missions on short notice anytime and anywhere in the world, more than 12,000 (28 percent) have a foreign language requirement to operate in places where English is not spoken. In the Senate Report on the Fiscal Year 2003 National Defense Authorization Act, Congress mandated that GAO review SOF foreign language requirements and training. In this report, we (1) assess the U.S. Special Operations Command's recent actions to improve the management of the SOF foreign language program and the delivery of training, and (2) identify ways for the command to deal with ongoing challenges that limit SOF personnel's access to language-training opportunities.

What GAO Found

Recent actions taken by the U.S. Special Operations Command are starting to address some long-standing problems with the management of the SOF foreign language program and the delivery of language training. In September 2002, the command consolidated all training under a single contractor to provide a universal, standardized curriculum and a range of delivery mechanisms for Army, Navy, and Air Force SOF components. Initial assessments suggest that the contractor's offerings are meeting contract expectations. In other actions, the program is completing an overdue assessment of SOF language requirements, developing a database of language proficiencies and training, and finding ways to take advantage of other national language-training assets. While promising, these ongoing actions are taking place without the benefit of a cohesive management framework incorporating a strategy and strategic planning to guide, integrate, and monitor its activities. Without such a framework, the program risks losing its current momentum and failing to meet new language-training needs that SOF personnel are likely to acquire as they take on expanded roles in combating terrorism and other military operations. The SOF foreign language program continues to face challenges, such as more frequent and longer deployments, that limit personnel's access to language training. Army Reserve and National Guard SOF members face additional difficulties in gaining access to centrally located training because of geographical dispersion and part-time status; they also have lower monetary incentives to acquire language proficiencies and fewer training opportunities. As a result, most SOF personnel have been unable to take needed training or required tests to qualify in their respective language(s). To address these challenges, program officials are looking into distance/distributive-learning approaches, which offer "anytime, anywhere" training that would be highly adaptable to SOF personnel needs, but they are still at an early stage in their evaluations.