Secretary of the Air Force Speaks at DLI Anniversary Ball

  • Published
  • By Lt. Col. Donna O'Harren
  • 311th Training Squadron
GOODFELLOW AFB, Texas --     Airmen of the 517th Training Group were recently treated to a visit by the highest-level leader of our Air Force. The Honorable Michael B. Donley, Secretary of the Air Force, was the keynote speaker at the Defense Language Institute Anniversary Ball, held at historic Hermann Hall at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey on Saturday. 
   Secretary Donley was pleased to return to his "old stomping grounds," having graduated from DLI in 1973 as an Army Soldier in the Spanish program. The secretary remarked that as a Spanish student at DLI 36 years ago, he never dreamed he would one day be the Secretary of the Air Force, addressing other DLI alumni, faculty and staff at their anniversary ball.
   In emphasizing the critical role DLI plays in the current fight, Secretary Donley stated, "Your mission has taken on even greater importance since 9/11. After that fateful day, you've made great strides to surge your capabilities and capacity in languages like Dari, Pashto, and Uzbek, and I applaud you for your efforts. Your [24] language programs are rightly regarded as among the very best in the country."
   Speaking earlier in the day to a cadre and students from the 517th Training Group, 311th Training Squadron, and 314th Training Squadron, Secretary Donley emphasized how the Air Force is "all in" when it comes to supporting deployment requirements, whether in the field or through reachback across thousands of miles. Emphasizing this point during his speech later that evening, Secretary Donley stressed, "As we seek to better understand our partners, and they us, the need for increased language and cultural training is crystal clear. There is no doubt that we require these skills now, and that we'll continue to require them in the future. Our goal remains clear: provide the Combatant Commanders with Airmen who possess the language, cultural skills, and regional knowledge to enhance joint and coalition warfighting."
   Tech. Sgt. Angela Santos, a Military Language Instructor, asked what advice he would give to NCOs mentoring new Airmen throughout their language training process. Secretary Donley stressed that Airmen should be reminded how valuable and vital they are to the Air Force and our national security, and that they need to take their language training very seriously.
   Full text of the Secretary's speech may be found at the following link: http://www.af.mil/information/speeches/speech.asp?id=513