Language competence has long been recognized as a required skill in the collection and analysis of intelligence. Previous experience in coalition warfare and current efforts at multilateral defense reveal the need for facility in other languages in operating with allies. Command and control may be affected significantly by the ability to communicate successfully between units of various nations. As operations in foreign areas also entail dealing with a population whose cultural background may differ from ours, language skill may be of command interest for its contribution to civil-military cooperation. This study looks at the historical use by the armed forces of languages other than English and at the means by which these skills were acquired. As multinational experiences are well documented for World War II and Korea, the study concentrates on these two conflicts.

ADA 405568 Approved for public release; Distribution is unlimited. The opinions and conclusions expressed herein are those of the student-authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College or any other governmental agency. (References to these studies should include the foregoing statement.)