Do international military students need to speak English?

The language difficulties encountered by some IMSs continue to be a significant problem that hinders the effectiveness of training. It is imperative to recognize the need for an IMS to adequately understand English as most of the training that the U.S. provides is conducted in English. The exceptions to this are the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation, Inter-American Air Forces Academy, and the Naval Small Craft Instruction and Technical Training School, which conduct training in Spanish. Students who have insufficient proficiency with English may attend the Defense Language Institute English Language Center (DLIELC) located at Joint Base San Antonio to improve it before continuing to their follow-on course(s). Prior to attending DLIELC, the student must score at least a 55 on the English Comprehension Level (ECL) test unless DSCA (DSCU/IMTE), in consultation with the Executive Agent for English language training and DLIELC and with CCMD concurrence, has granted a waiver.

The SCO training manager is responsible for ensuring that IMSs meet all course prerequisites, including English Comprehension Level (ECL) requirements. ECL minimum requirements for all courses are identified in the Training-Military Articles and Services Listing (T-MASL). Students who cannot meet the minimum ECL requirement for a course would have great difficulty in successfully completing that course due to inadequate English proficiency.

Prior to attending a U.S. school, IMSs must be tested both in-country by SCO personnel and at the first direct-entry training location by the IMSO to determine their ECL rating. IMS from various native English-speaking nations are exempt from both in-country and CONUS English language testing. The requirement for in-country testing has also been waived for a number of other countries, although they will still be tested by the first CONUS training installation. IMS ECL test scores are documented on the ITO.

For in-country ECL testing, the SCO is responsible for appointing a Test Control Officer (TCO) to receive and safeguard the English language testing materials provided by DLIELC and to administer ECL tests to prospective IMSs. The TCO must be a U.S. citizen. In certain circumstances, a waiver to the ECL score may be granted if the prospective IMS is within a few points of the required ECL score and there is sufficient justification that the student really can comprehend English. These waivers are submitted by the SCO through the CCMD to the military service training activities, who will coordinate with the schoolhouse to determine if the waiver will be granted. Requests for waivers are discouraged, since some degradation of comprehension and retention is bound to occur.

An additional English language testing requirement has been established, primarily for flight training and public affairs courses among others, for an oral proficiency interview (OPI) to be conducted by DLIELC. This interview takes place via telephonic interview arranged by the SCO between the IMS and DLIELC. This interview is designed to determine the English speaking and comprehension ability of the prospective IMS. If applicable, the T-MASL will indicate the minimum OPI score required for a particular course. As in the case of ECL scores, OPI waivers can be requested but are discouraged.

In those countries where little or no English language training is available, the SCO can program the IMS for General English Training (GET) at DLIELC prior to follow-on training (FOT). The duration of GET depends upon the current ECL score of the IMS and the minimum score required for the training. The primary purpose of GET is to raise the ECL of an IMS who has at least a minimum ECL of 55 to meet the minimum ECL requirement for the course he or she will be attending. DLIELC, on its website, provides a tool called the E-Wheel to help estimate the length of time a student will need at DLIELC in order to meet a specified ECL score.

Besides providing IMSs with GET, DLIELC also has the capability to train language instructors and to assist in developing an in-country English language program. Assistance in support of English language training in-country may be obtained by requesting a DLIELC survey team or language training detachment to assist the country’s English language training staff and faculty. A survey team from DLIELC can help the SCO determine the status of a country’s English language training program and capabilities and assist in determining English language requirements.