More than 350 individuals participated in the 30th anniversary of the Advanced Command Language Program Manager Workshop held Sep. 10-12 at the Presidio of Monterey’s Weckerling Center.
During the Advanced Command Language Program Manager Workshop, held Sep. 10-12, at the Presidio of Monterey’s Weckerling Center, discussion panels, topical presentations and service breakouts provided attendees with a wealth of the most current information.
The Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center’s staff support CLPMs, located across the globe, through a 40-hour course, certifying roughly 350 CLPMs annually. The purpose of the Advanced CLPM Workshop is to update language program managers on the latest policies and share best practices. Discussion panels, topical presentations and service breakouts provide attendees with a wealth of the most current information.
The theme for the workshop, professionalizing the CLPM, was underscored by former DLIFLC senior enlisted leader Command Sgt. Maj. Ernesto Cruz, who provided the keynote address.
“The CLPM is a vital teammate throughout the lifelong journey of a linguist,” Cruz told the audience, “and it is past due we recognize this and put more emphasis on the professionalization of the CLPM.”
A highlight of the workshop is the bestowing of the DoD Language Professional of the Year and Command Language Program of the Year awards. The process involves the four services nominating their best linguists and language programs, and DLIFLC’s command sergeant major conducting a panel to select the best. This year, the Navy swept the awards.
Col. Christy Whitfield and Command Sgt. Maj. Theo DeHoyos present the DoD Language Professional of the Year award to Cryptologic Technician Interpretive 1st Class Deborah L Bower. Photo by Rocket Western.
DLIFLC Commandant Col. Christy Whitfield presented the DoD Language Professional of the Year award to Cryptologic Technician Interpretive 1st Class Deborah H. Bowers of the Information Warfare Training Command Monterey Detachment at Goodfellow Air Force Base. As the Navy Language Professional of the Year, Bowers also won the 2023 Shannon M. Kent Award for Language Professional Excellence, an award given in honor of Kent who was killed in action on Jan. 16, 2019, in Manbij, Syria.
As an Instructor at IWTCM Detachment Goodfellow, Bowers delivered 190 hours of instruction to one class of 13 joint-service personnel, resulting in three academic honors, two Letters of Commendation, one Letter of Appreciation, one Naval Enlisted Classification awarded and a I00% course pass rate with a 91% cumulative grade point average. She brought her knowledge and expertise in machine language translation and artificial intelligence to the classroom, integrating use of these tools into the next generation of Arabic linguists. Additionally, she was hand-selected to dual qualify in the Russian course, lending her expertise and knowledge to an additional 140 joint Russian course students.
The Naval Intelligence Operations Command Pacific Command Language Program team celebrate being named DoD Command Language Program of the Year with Col. Christy Whitfield and Command Sgt. Maj. Theo DeHoyos. Photo by Rocket Western.
The Naval Intelligence Operations Command Pacific was recognized as the 2023 DoD Command Language Program of the Year. NIOC Pacific’s CLP applied data-driven analysis and metrics to identify and close readiness gaps, promote continuous process improvement, and increase efficiencies in database management and CLP functions, empowering the CLP and command leadership to resolve current programmatic deficiencies while pivoting to the future by establishing new progressive milestones and goals.
Command Language Program support falls under DLIFLC’s Continuing Education’s Dean of Language, Regional Expertise, and Culture Operational Programs. DoD policy states that units with foreign language coded billets must establish a command language program and units that have a CLP must have a designated and certified CLPM. In addition to the annual Advanced CLPM Workshop, the office conducts four resident CLPM course iterations and roughly 25 Mobile Training Team classes per year.
