Cultural, language center expands Air Force-wide Published Dec. 7, 2007 By Ashley M. Wright Air University Public Affairs MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. (AFPN) -- Air University's Culture and Language Center is beginning an evolutionary change toward becoming an Air Force-wide institution focusing on culture and language throughout the service. Beginning next year, the center's mission will expand to include service-wide responsibilities as it becomes the Air Force Culture and Language Center. Officials are developing a memorandum of agreement between Headquarters Air Force and Air University to initiate the transition, said Dr. Dan Henk, the director of Air University's Culture and Language Center. The center will then collaborate with other Air Force agencies working culture and language-related issues while adapting to new mission requirements. Preparing Airmen for visits to the Middle East, NCOs for temporary duty in Southeast Asia, and aircrew members to deploy to Central America is a sample of things to come for the center on a continuous basis, Dr. Henk said. Three primary focuses of the center are building cross-cultural competence, providing regional familiarity and facilitating language study. It does not seek to make every Airman a linguist, the doctor said. Cross-cultural competence curriculum affects the Air Force and the nation in times of peace and war, center officials said. Being able to understand how others think and act is vital to expeditionary Air Force operations ranging from combat to humanitarian aid missions. "We don't have all the answers yet to what constitutes cross-cultural competence," the doctor said. "It will become a set of tools that can be applied through education at all levels of service, to better equip folks to communicate, build relationships, negotiate and to influence others they deal with by understanding those culture-related (differences) of the people they work with." Air University's originally established its Culture and Language Center in March 2006 to begin the process of incorporating cultural education and language training into the professional military education continuum. Comment on this story (comments may be published on Air Force Link) View the comments/letters page