UNITED KINGDOM
CULTURE & LANGUAGE IN DEFENCE
Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff (Personnel & Training)

MOD London – Strategic Headquarters
Christine Adamson, MOD Culture & Language Policy Desk Officer
Member of The Chartered Institute of Linguists

Language Training – Challenges

Language Training – Challenges
 MOD budget deficit
 Adverse financial climate
 Unpalatable choices
 No stones unturned
 Re-validating the requirement for C&L capability

Re-validating the requirement
“The ability to communicate effectively is a pre-requisite for the successful application of military and diplomatic influence.”
Defence Language Capability Policy (DLCP)

Re-validating the requirement
“Culture & Language should support current & contingent operations in support of UK foreign policy in a timely and responsive manner”
2010 Study ‘The Future of Defence C&L Capability

Emerging C&L Governance
MOD
Senior Responsible Owner for C&L
Other Government
Departments
Joint Forces Command
Unifying Joint User
Academic & Commercial Partners
Training Requirements &
Assurance (DOLSU)
Training Delivery
(DefAc/DSL)
Army
Force Generation
Linguists & Cultural
Advisors (DCSU)

Challenges & Opportunities
 Need to develop a new delivery model to deliver the requirement with reduced financial resource
 Implementation by the end of Financial Year 2013/14

C&L Training – Future Delivery Project
PROJECT AIM
“To develop and implement a coherent and cost-effective delivery model in order to meet Defence and Security Culture & Language training and education requirements.”

“ Language training includes per se a degree of cultural training.
All personnel engaged in Defence Missions overseas and with allies will require a degree of training for cross-cultural working, although not all posts will require foreign language skills. Cultural education and training may, therefore, be delivered independently of language training.” DLCP

Cross Government initiatives
 Language skills in Diplomatic Excellence initiative
 Foreign & Commonwealth Office lead
 MOD, DfID, HMRC, UKBA, Metropolitan Police all engaged
 E-Learning
 Face to Face training
 Blended learning

CULTURAL CAPABILITY
The Defence Cultural Specialist Unit (DCSU)

DCSU
 Established in April 2010
 Mission – to improve Cultural Capablity across Defence
 Main effort – support to Operation HERRICK (Afghanistan)
 To date, 34 linguistically & culturally trained Cultural Advisors
(CULADS) generated by DCSU have deployed to Helmand
Province to help shape operations at Brigade and Battlegroup level
 Collect, Plan, Advise, Influence

Cultural Advisors
Understanding of the local population and local nuances of an area
 Cultural knowledge
 Ability & tools to develop their understanding
 Linguistic skills
 Primary role that focuses on the people

CULAD Training Model
DCSU
1 2
DSL
4 3 2 3 2
DCSU Def Ac
3 4
DCSU integrated course
40 weeks
15
Months
1 - Induction
2 - Language Training (40 weeks DSL course then integrated to mitigate skills fade)
3 - Military combat and staff skills
4 - Culture Training delivered by Cranfield University

“Our wider regional engagement is critical to the
UK’s influence in a part of the world which is essential to the UK’s own security and prosperity.
To have someone on my team who understands the culture and speaks the language has been absolutely invaluable.”
COS COMUKTG

DCSU Broadening Scope
 2011 the first maritime CULAD, an Officer of the Royal Navy
Reserve, deployed with the COMUK Task Group’s Flag Ship,
HMS ALBION, to the Middle East & Persian Gulf

Maritime CULAD contribution
 Advise Commander and his staff
 Low level cultural briefs to ship’s company – particularly prior to “Runs-ashore”
 Receiving & hosting VIP and military from the host country
 Key leadership engagement

Cultural Capability - Key Challenges
 Meeting Op HERRICK requirements through Transition
 Reinforcing the training and force generation pipeline
 Refocusing to meet contingency
 Meeting the wider Defence requirement for cultural capability;
Defence Diplomacy, training tasks, working with allies
 Developing relevant, robust and coherent training at all levels
 Address career implications, recognition and reward