State Department Language Deficiencies Leave U.S. Blind in Crucial Areas

By Douglas Farah

A new study by the GAO has found serious language deficiencies in the State Department, as well as career tracks that make it difficult for those with specific language skills to get ahead in their careers.

The study found that in critical postings such as Cairo and Sana'a, Yemen, 60 percent of the people in positions that should be filled with language proficient officers are not. In China, 71 percent of the "specialists," including those with security functions, do not meet the required language standards. In the Arab world, 75 percent of the specialists do not meet the language requirement that in theory must be met before the person can take the job.

This means that, as far as public reporting and sensitive diplomatic jobs, the United States is largely blind in the two regions where our interests are most challenged. The situation is as bad or worse in the Intelligence Community and the FBI. And there is not likely to be any improvement soon.

It takes years to learn these languages proficiently, and there are only a trickle of people in the pipeline. They will not be emerging as proficient for several more years. This means that, even if recruitment were ramped up and qualified people were attracted to the State Department (or IC), it would take at least 10 years for their presence to make an impact. My full blog is here.

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