Established | 1954 (DLIELC) 1963 (DLIFLC) |
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Commandant | Jeffrey T. CooperCOL Phillip J. Deppert (DLIFLC) |
Location | Joint Base San Antonio - Lackland AFB Texas (DLIELC) Presidio of Monterey, California (DLIFLC), Texas, U.S. |
Campus | DLIELC, DLIFLC |
Website | English Language Center, Foreign Language Center |
The Defense Language Institute (DLI) is a United States Department of Defense (DoD) educational and research institution consisting of two separate entities which provide linguistic and cultural instruction to the Department of Defense, other Federal Agencies and numerous customers around the world. The Defense Language Institute is responsible for the Defense Language Program, and the bulk of the Defense Language Institute's activities involve educating DoD members in assigned languages, and international personnel in English. Other functions include planning, curriculum development, and research in second-language acquisition.
The two primary entities of the Defense Language Institute are the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center (DLIFLC) and the Defense Language Institute English Language Center (DLIELC). DLIFLC is located at the Presidio of Monterey in Monterey, California, and DLIELC is located at Joint Base San Antonio - Lackland Air Force Base, Texas.
The Commandant of DLIFLC is an Army colonel and the Assistant Commandant is an Air Force colonel. The leadership team includes an Army Command Command Sergeant Major and a civilian Chief of Staff.
The Institute offers foreign language instruction in more than two dozen languages to approximately 3,500 students on a schedule that extends throughout the year. Courses are taught six hours per day, five days a week, with the exception of federal holidays and training holidays. The duration of courses range between 26 and 64 weeks, depending on the difficulty of the language. DLIFLC has established itself as a national pacesetter in foreign-language, resident and non-resident education, using cutting-edge technology such as interactive whiteboards, the use of electronic-based lessons, the Internet, interactive video, and podcasts, which interact with audio digital devices and laptops issued to students.
The Defense Language Institute English Language Center manages the Department of Defense English Language Program (DELP). Designated the 637th Training Group in 2015, DLIELC is under the command of a dual-hatted US Air Force colonel Commandant; the Deputy Commandant is an Army lieutenant colonel; and the operations squadron commander/commandant of troops is an Air Force lieutenant colonel. Other military members consist of Army, Air Force and Navy personnel. The over 300 civilian members of the staff include the instructors who are qualified in the area of English as a second language.
DLIELC is accredited by the Commission on English Language Program Accreditation, which is certified by the US Department of Education.