Educing Information: Interrogation - National Intelligence University

Bringing a beginning student to the needed levels of operational proficiency
requires considerable time. With respect to challenging languages such as Arabic,
the Department of Defense projects that at least a year of training is required to
bring the student to Level 2 on the proficiency scale, termed “Limited Working”
capability (“sufficient capability to meet routine social demands and limited job
requirements; can deal with concrete topics in past, present, and future tense”).
Given the exponential nature of this proficiency scale, it should come as no
surprise that substantial training and field experience are necessary for the student
to progress to higher levels of proficiency.
To support EI operations adequately, a linguist-interrogator or an interpreter
must be able to function at Level 4 — “Advanced Professional” (“able to use the
language fluently and accurately on all levels normally pertinent to professional
needs; has range of language skills necessary for persuasion, negotiation, and
counseling”). 638 How quickly might U.S. foreign language training centers produce
a functional linguist of this quality According to Dr. Richard Brecht, Director of
the National Foreign Language Center, a student would require approximately
6,000 hours of study to reach Level 3 or 4 proficiency in Arabic — obviously a
relevant strategic language in the current war on terror. 639
In recent years, the National Security Agency (NSA) changed its longstanding
policy on the competence expected of its linguists. To fulfill the NSA’s
operational responsibilities, linguists must attain a Level 3 or 4. As noted above,
this is a significant qualitative advance from the previously acceptable proficiency
of Level 2. In a similar vein, the Central Intelligence Agency has expressed the need
for interpreters to function at Level 4 (or higher), specifically to “understand the
intricacies of vernacular speech: colloquialisms, slang, and multiple dialects.” 640
Linguist-Interrogators vs. the Use of Interpreters
To overcome the linguistic barrier to success, an interrogator must either
possess near-native-level mastery of the source’s language or be aided by an
interpreter with the requisite level of ability. While the former would present the
most attractive option under ideal circumstances, it may not be possible, given
real-world constraints. Identifying the best approach in this critical area remains
a major challenge in planning for the training of interrogators to meet future
strategic requirements.
The set of countries, organizations, and personalities that may present
substantial threats to U.S. national security interests is geographically — and
linguistically — diverse. Given the complexity involved in educing information
from uncooperative sources and the time-intensive nature of foreign language
training outlined above, the difficulty of developing (through both training and
638
GAO, Foreign Language, 5.
639
Richard Brecht, Ph.D., “The Language Crisis in the War on Terror,”
address to the Eisenhower Institute, Washington, DC, 24 October 2002, URL:
http://www.eisenhowerinstitute.org/programs/democracy/homelandsecurity/Whitman4report.pdf,
accessed 15 November 2005. Cited hereafter as Brecht, 2002 Eisenhower Institute presentation.
640
Brecht, 2002 Eisenhower Institute presentation.
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