by Karen Harrison
Air Force Language, Region and Culture Program Office
2/7/2012 - WASHINGTON (AFNS) -- The Air Force Senior Language Authority recently announced the 480th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Group at Fort Gordon, Georgia as the Command Language Program of the Year awards recipient for 2011.
"This group of Airmen has demonstrated excellence and discipline as language analysts" said Barbara Barger.
The CLPOY award recognizes the Air Force program that best supports linguists enabling them to provide vital assistance to strategic and tactical commanders world-wide. The ISRG will next represent the Air Force at the Department of Defense award level at the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center.
The 480th ISRG Airmen provide direct intelligence support to U.S. and coalition forces actively engaged in conflicts around the globe. The group provides a significant amount of the nation's military language capabilities supporting efforts overseas, said Col. Michael Meyer, 480th ISRG commander.
In January 2010, the 480th ISRG hired two civilian command language program managers to bring continuity to a complex program to emphasize the importance of language training that ensured Airmen are ready for all possible scenarios in today's rapidly changing world.
"Consistent language training is essential to keeping those skills needed to support U.S. and coalition forces that are actively engaged in war-fighting, 24/7/365 across USCENTCOM (U.S. Central Command), EUCOM (European Command), SOCOM (Southern Command), and AFRICOM (Africa Command) theatres of operations ...," said Meyer
Today, the 480th ISRG oversees the training of nearly 400 active duty Airmen in more than 29 languages. While the core languages consist of various dialects from the Middle East and Central Asia, Airmen are proficient in a myriad of languages with all of the languages being a challenge to learn. As a result, 480th ISRG Airmen have improved upon their ability to read, write and speak some of the most difficult languages in the world.
"I am exceptionally proud of the way the 480th has not only worked with groups and squadron leaders to motivate and educate our superb Airmen to maintain their language skills but also built innovative solutions that increased Airmen's contextual knowledge of the serious national security issues upon which they work," said Meyer.
