MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. -- The Air Force Culture and Language Center here seeks presenters and proposals for the 4th annual Air University Language, Regional Expertise and Culture Symposium.
The symposium will be held March 27-29, 2019, at Maxwell. It provides a platform for academic exchange on topics specific to culture and language education in the military.
This year, AFCLC will be addressing and exploring the theme of "Inter{cultural}operability."
“Interoperability, in the military context, usually brings to mind the technical and procedural means for cooperating with joint and coalition partners. Cultural knowledge and skills are also an essential element of interoperability, yet they are often not emphasized in military planning,” said Dr. Patricia Fogarty, the symposium’s co-founder.
“Military personnel regularly face hurdles of a cultural nature when coordinating efforts at tactical, operational and strategic levels. Therefore, participants at next year's symposium are asked to focus on how culture, regional expertise and language are at the heart of interoperability,” she said.
The theme is pulled in part from the 2018 National Defense Strategy. The document focuses on interoperability, especially when it directs the U.S. military to "strengthen alliances and attract new partners.”
So, how to enable inter-culturally operable Airmen? Presentations at the symposium might address the following questions:
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How do effective communication skills reinforce partnerships and defuse tensions?
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What can we learn from our historical alliances?
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What are our regional partners doing well, and how might we apply their lessons learned?
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How are linguistic, regional and cultural knowledge integral to key areas of professional military education, such as leadership, strategy, planning and international relations?
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How can the same knowledge be integrated into skill sets used during exercises and operations?
The deadline to submit a proposal is Jan. 15, 2019. Symposium registration begins Dec. 1, 2018.
To download the call for proposals, abstract template and optional symposium presentation template and for contact information, go to http://culture.af.mil/symposium/index.html.