To provide for a report on the recruitment and retention of individuals with foreign language skills.

1. Adds SEC. 1107. REPORT ON HOW TO RECRUIT AND RETAIN INDIVIDUALS WITH FOREIGN LANGUAGE SKILLS at the end of title XI

   Adds a section

   In S. 2400 · Placed on Calendar Senate

   (b) Repeal of Superseded Law.--Section 349 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1995 (Public Law 103-337; 108 Stat. 2727; 10 U.S.C. 1587 note) is repealed.

   Inserted: SEC. 1107. REPORT ON HOW TO RECRUIT AND RETAIN INDIVIDUALS WITH FOREIGN LANGUAGE SKILLS.

   Inserted: (a) Findings.--Congress makes the following findings:

   Inserted: (1) The Federal Government has a requirement to ensure that the employees of its departments and agencies with national security responsibilities are prepared to meet the challenges of this evolving international environment.

   Inserted: (2) According to a 2002 General Accounting Office report, Federal agencies have shortages in translators and interpreters and an overall shortfall in the language proficiency levels needed to carry out their missions which has adversely affected agency operations and hindered United States military, law enforcement, intelligence, counterterrorism, and diplomatic efforts.

   Inserted: (3) Foreign language skills and area expertise are integral to, or directly support, every foreign intelligence discipline and are essential factors in national security readiness, information superiority, and coalition peacekeeping or warfighting missions.

   Inserted: (4) Communicating in languages other than English and understanding and accepting cultural and societal differences are vital to the success of peacetime and wartime military and intelligence activities.

   Inserted: (5) Proficiency levels required for foreign language support to national security functions have been raised, and what was once considered proficiency is no longer the case. The ability to comprehend and articulate technical and complex information in foreign languages has become critical.

   Inserted: (6) According to the Joint Intelligence Committee Inquiry into the 9/11 Terrorist Attacks, the Intelligence Community had insufficient linguists prior to September 11, 2001, to handle the challenge it faced in translating the volumes of foreign language counterterrorism intelligence it collected. Agencies within the Intelligence Community experienced backlogs in material awaiting translation, a shortage of language specialists and language-qualified field officers, and a readiness level of only 30 percent in the most critical terrorism-related languages that are used by terrorists.

   Inserted: (7) Because of this shortage, the Federal Government has had to enter into private contracts to procure linguist and translator services, including in some positions that would be more appropriately filled by permanent Federal employees or members of the United States Armed Forces.

   Inserted: (b) Report.--In its fiscal year 2006 budget request, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and the House of Representatives and the Select Committee on Intelligence of the Senate and the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence of the House of Representatives, a plan for expanding and improving the national security foreign language workforce of the Department of Defense as appropriate to improve recruitment and retention to meet the requirements of the Department for its foreign language workforce on a short-term basis and on a long-term basis.

   Original wording

   At the end of title XI, insert the following:

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As printed