Air Force Launches Mandatory Language Survey

How badly do the armed forces need translators? Check out this story from the Air Force Times:

"The Air Force will begin requiring airmen to take an online survey designed to identify foreign language skills among the service’s personnel, officials said Monday."

Chief of Staff Gen. T. Michael Moseley, obviously aware of how critical translators are to the success of military operations abroad, observed that "An important lesson we continue to learn is that the ability to speak a foreign language is a critical war-fighting skill. We found that many airmen have foreign language skills that have not been documented, so we are canvassing the force to more accurately determine our resident foreign language capability."

So why does the government continue to force out perfectly qualified and well-trained linguists who happen to be gay? According to the Government Accountability Office, more than 300 language specialists have been dismissed under "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," including dozens who specialize in Arabic.

The military may have learned "an important lesson," but there's another lesson they need to learn soon: the gay ban isn't just a bad idea; it's a counterproductive one, too.

(The image above, by the way, is an actual help wanted ad for a government contractor looking for Arabic speakers.)

- Steve Ralls