The Defense Department wants to establish a civilian organization comprised of volunteers and contractual employees who would provide language skills throughout the federal sector. The Pentagon plans to set up the pilot Language Corps over the next three years and expects to have “no fewer than 1,000 members drawn from all sectors of the US population,” according to a May 8 release. The effort would implement an element of the President’s National Security Language Initiative formerly labeled the Civilian Linguist Reserve Corps. In a second May 8 announcement, the Pentagon revealed that it has awarded grants totaling $2 million to Indiana University, San Diego State University, the University of Mississippi, and the University of Texas at Austin to develop a new ROTC Language and Culture Project. This effort would “expose ROTC cadets and midshipmen to the study of languages and cultures of the world critical to national security.”
The use of a military counter-drone laser on the southwest border this week—which prompted the Federal Aviation Administration to abruptly close the airspace over El Paso, Texas—will be a “case study” on the complex web of authorities needed to employ such weapons near civilian areas and the consequences of agencies…
