Mr. AKAKA. Mr. President, today I rise to introduce the National Language Coordination Act of 2005 which provides a framework for leading and coordination the learning of foreign languages and cultures, with my good friends Senators Cochran and Dodd.

The National Foreign Language Coordination Act would create the position of a National Language Director and a National Foreign Language Coordination Council to develop and oversee the implementation of a foreign language strategy. The proposed Council, chaired by the National Language Director, would identify crucial priorities, increase public awareness of the need for foreign language skills, advocate maximum use of resources, coordinate cross-sector efforts, and monitor the foreign language activities of the federal government.

The genesis of this legislation is a report entitled, "A Call to Action for National Foreign Language Capabilities," issued by the National Language Conference held in June 2004 under the auspices of the Department of Defense. This conference was an extraordinary gathering of government, industry, academia, and language association representatives. The mission of this meeting was twofold: to discuss and deliberate initial strategic approaches to meeting the nation's language needs in the 21st century, and to identify actions that could move the United States toward a "language-competent nation." It was hosted by the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness and by the Center for Advanced Study of Language (CASL) at the University of Maryland at College Park.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that a copy of the report, "A Call to Action for National Foreign Language Capabilities," be included in the Record following my remarks.

I believe the recommendations of this report speak eloquently to the need for this legislation. As Dr. David Chu, Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, notes in his forward to the report, "improving the nation's foreign language capability requires immediate and long-term engagement."

The intent of this legislation is to ensure that immediate and long-term engagement.

The establishment of a National Language Director and the creation of a National Foreign Language Coordination Council will ensure that the key recommendations of the Department of Defense sponsored conference will be implemented, which include:

• developing policies and programs that build the nation's language and cultural understanding capability;
• engaging federal, state, and local agencies and the private sector in solutions;
• developing language and cultural competency across public and private sectors;
• developing language skills in a wide range of critical languages;
• strengthening our education system, programs, and tools in foreign languages and cultures, and
• integrating language training into career fields and increase the number of language professionals.

The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, showed how much more was needed to improve education in these critical areas. The investigations surrounding the attacks have underscored how important foreign language proficiency is to our national security. The Joint Intelligence Committee inquiry into the terrorist attacks found that prior to September 11th, the Intelligence Community was not prepared to handle the challenge of translating the volumes of foreign language counter-terrorism intelligence that had been collected. Agencies within the Intelligence Community experienced backlogs in material awaiting translation and a shortage of language specialists and language-qualified field officers in the most critical terrorism-related languages used by terrorists.

America needs people who understand foreign cultures and who are fluent in locally-spoken languages. The stability and economic vitality of the United States and our national security depend on American citizens who are knowledgeable about the world. We need civil servants, including law enforcement officers, teachers, area experts, diplomats, and business people with the ability to communicate at an advanced level in the languages and understand the cultures of the people with whom they interact.

Experts tell us we should develop long-term relationships with people from every walk of life all across the world, whether or not the languages they speak are considered critical for a particular issue or emergency.

They are right.

As then-Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz noted at the National Language Conference, "The greater our ability to communicate with people, the easier the burden on our troops and the greater the likelihood that we can complete our missions and bring our people home safely. Even better, the greater our linguistic skill, the greater the possibility that we can resolve international differences and achieve our objectives without having to use force."

I am proud of my own state of Hawaii, whose language patterns reflect that we are a mixing pot of varying cultures. According to the 2000 Census, more than 300,000 people or about 27 percent of those five years and older spoke a language other than English at home. This is compared to about 18 percent nationwide. Language education offerings to improve conversational proficiency with formal training in non-English languages are working to keep pace with increased demand. In addition, enrollments in foreign language courses at the University of Hawaii have been markedly increasing -- a trend that I am gratified to see happening across the country. But more needs to be done both in Hawaii and the rest of the country.

I am a passionate believer in beginning these programs at the earliest age possible. Americans need to be open to the world; we need to be able to see the world through the eyes of others if we are going to understand how to resolve the complex problems we face.

The need to hear and understand one another is timeless and essential.

An ongoing commitment to developing language and cultural expertise helps prevent a crisis from occurring and provides diplomatic and language resources when needed. We cannot afford to seek out foreign language skills after an event like 9/11 occurs. The failures of communication and understanding have already done their damage. We must provide an ongoing commitment to language education and encourage knowledge of foreign languages and cultures.

The answer is simple. If we are committed to maintaining these relationships and creating a language proficient citizenry, we must have leadership. The National Foreign Language Coordination Act will provide this leadership and ensure that we are aware and involved in the world around us.

I urge my colleagues to support this important legislation.