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Statement of Subcommittee Chairman Vic Snyder Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Hearing on Defense Language and Cultural Awareness Transformation: To what end? At what cost?

July 9, 2008

"Good afternoon, and welcome to the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations' hearing on Department of Defense efforts to improve its language and cultural awareness capabilities.

"Not only is this a historic challenge, but this is an area with profound implications for our success at adapting to the new realities of war in the 21st Century, with the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan as prime exhibits. But our goal here is not to hash over what has or has not been done in those theaters, or what steps DOD has or has not taken. Instead, my expectation is that we can look ahead and consider the larger question of what capabilities our military needs to have and to sustain for its role in national security - to take advantage of opportunities and to respond to threats.

"Before I turn to our witnesses, I have two examples of the enduring need for this capability - both from World War II.

"The first is from a film called the Untold True Story of Guy Gabaldon, which depicts Marine PFC Gabaldon's single-handed success in persuading over 1,500 Japanese soldiers to surrender on Saipan in 1944. This is followed by an audio-only excerpt from a from a news report originally broadcast on NPR's Morning Edition on April 25, 2008.

"The second segment is from Ken Burns' film The War and an interview with Senator Daniel Inouye about his wartime experiences in Europe.

"We are joined today by:

  • Dr. Richard Brecht, Executive Director at the University of Maryland's Center for Advanced Study of Language, who has extensive experience in the best ways to acquire and sustain language skills.
  • Dr. Amy Zalman, who is an expert in how cultural awareness factors into successful strategic communications.
  • Dr. Montgomery McFate, who has worked to develop a framework for employing anthropologists and other social scientists to support deployed forces.
  • And, Dr. Andrew Krepinevich, the President of the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments who will discuss the capabilities our future military force will require.

    • "Welcome to all of you and thank you for being here. After Mr. Akin's opening remarks, I'll turn to each of you for a brief opening statement. Your prepared statements will be made part of the record.

    "On an administrative note, I'll remind our members that we will use our customary five-minute rule today for questioning, proceeding by seniority and arrival time.

    "With that, let me turn it over to our ranking member, Mr. Akin, for any statement he would like to make."



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