General Dynamics Awarded $17 Million to Support National Language Service Corps

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General Dynamics Information Technology

Jun 26, 2012, 11:00 ET

FAIRFAX, Va., June 26, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- General Dynamics Information Technology, a business unit of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD), has been awarded a contract by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) to manage and expand the National Language Service Corps (NLSC), a civilian corps of volunteers with certified proficiency in diverse languages. The value of the 33-month contract is $17.3 million.

General Dynamics will work closely with the Defense Language and National Security Education Office (formerly Defense Language Office) to expand NLSC operational capabilities and to meet the unique language-support needs of the Defense Department and other federal agencies. The NLSC was established to provide a surge capability in the full range of language service needs both in the United States and abroad. General Dynamics will provide materials and briefing support to build awareness and understanding of NLSC among government agencies and the DoD, as well as assist agencies in identifying and fulfilling their language and cultural needs.

"Having supported the NLSC since its inception in 2007, we understand the unique nature of this program," said Ken Slaght, vice president and general manager of Navy and Marine Corps Services for General Dynamics Information Technology. "We have helped the DoD take the NLSC from a concept to a reality and we look forward to expanding the NLSC into a permanent, large-scale program to ensure that members are properly trained and can respond rapidly to mission needs."

As part of the contract, General Dynamics will help the NLSC establish regional membership organizations, develop program requirements for each organization and select and prepare members for assignments. Member-based support includes recruiting and maintaining a cadre of members with diverse language backgrounds and abilities as well as developing mission and language proficiency training programs including translation and interpretation skills. The company will also support the development of commercial standards in language services.

The NLSC provides more than 3,400 linguists skilled in 242 languages to support a variety of DoD and federal agency missions. It provides a surge capability to the U.S. government by leveraging U.S. citizens who speak hundreds of languages and prepares these members for unique cultural elements in an immersive learning environment before they deploy for missions around the world. For more information about the NLSC, please visit http://www.nlscorps.org.

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SOURCE General Dynamics Information Technology