President Bush launched the National Security Language Initiative (NSLI), a plan to further strengthen national security and prosperity in the 21st century through education, especially in developing foreign language skills. The NSLI will dramatically increase the number of Americans learning critical need foreign languages such as Arabic, Chinese, Russian, Hindi, Farsi, and others through new and expanded programs from kindergarten through university and into the workforce. The President will request $114 million in FY07 to fund this effort.

An essential component of U.S. national security in the post-9/11 world is the ability to engage foreign governments and peoples, especially in critical regions, to encourage reform, promote understanding, convey respect for other cultures and provide an opportunity to learn more about our country and its citizens. To do this, Americans must be able to communicate in other languages, a challenge for which we are unprepared.

The National Security Language Initiative has three broad goals:

Expand the number of Americans mastering critical need languages and start at a younger age
Increase the number of advanced-level speakers of foreign languages, with an emphasis on critical needs languages
Increase the number of foreign language teachers and the resources for them