Global Officer (GO) Conference Overview

Background on your briefers

Laurie Wax - Program Officer for the ROTC Language and Culture, Institute of International Education

CPT Andy Chandler – Army ROTC, San Diego State University

Project GO Mission

To normalize, among ROTC cadets and midshipmen, the study of a variety of world languages and to normalize exposure to and experience in corresponding regions

Conference Objectives

1. Success - Define and share successful strategies for normalizing the study of critical languages (morning)

2. Sustainability – Use working groups to figure out ways to institutionalize these successful models, within universities and ROTC programs, so as to sustain advances and infrastructure beyond grant period (afternoon)

Importance

• We are all training front line leaders.• If we do not train them who will?• The war on terrorism will not be won based on the

number of enemy destroyed. It will be won based on the number of friends we make.

• The challenges of the future will not recognize national borders.

• We need to grow leaders for America and the global community in government, business, science and technology, environmental protection, and social progress.

We are all training front line leaders

How is this possible?

There is no front line..

If we do not train them who will?

Never allow a military officer to say “if only I had been trained.”

The war on terrorism will not be won based on the number of enemy destroyed. It will be won based on the number of

friends we make.

Hearts and Minds

It is easy to win a heart

Hearts and Minds

It takes intellect and communicative abilities to win over a mind

The challenges of the future will not recognize national borders.

- Global market - Global environment

We need to grow leaders for America and the global community in government, business, science and

technology, environmental protection, and social progress.

- Remembering the R in ROTC

Our Challenges…At and Among Universities/ROTC units

- Growing infrastructure within universities- Working with demanding cadet and

midshipmen schedules- Growing cadet demand- Encouraging participation from engineers

and science majors- Ensuring resources are available for

students to study at intermediate or advanced levels

Our Challenges…Systemic

- Changing self-defeating systems- Communication- Synchronizing processes among large

numbers of diverse organizations- Competition versus Collaboration at

universities and among services- Tradition versus Experimentation- Funding- Time

Project GO Opportunity

- Collaborative mission (university - university, military - university)

- Joint mission (all three services)- Bigger picture mission- We have an opportunity both to generate

new processes and also work the implementation strategies of successful processes

Conference Goals

• Introduce key players to each other• Bring all the key players up to date on

current language initiatives  • Identify and implement successful

strategies; we want people to leave with a sense of purpose and direction as well as some action plans for sustainability

• Identify areas for future growth and collaboration

Our Opportunity…Big Picture

- A generation of leaders who can provide leadership in diverse environments and overcome challenges around the world.

Questions?