Afghan commander visits DLIELC Published May 27, 2010 By Patrick Desmond 502nd Air Base Wing OL-A Public Affairs LACKLAND AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- Maj. Gen. Mohammad Dawran, commander of the Afghan National Army Air Corps, visited the Defense Language Institute English Language Center May 21 to get an up-close look at the English training Afghan students are receiving at Lackland AFB. "The main reason for the trip was to make contact with the Defense Language Institute in the United States," General Dawran said through an interpreter. "(I'm visiting) to see them (the Afghan students) up close and understand their situation," he added English Language Training for Afghans is part of a larger Department of Defense partnership building mission, overseen by Air Education and Training Command, which began in 2003 and includes resident ELT programs at Lackland and nonresident training sites throughout Afghanistan. Training programs for the ANAAC students include General English Training, Specialized English Training and Instructor Development Training to develop Afghan English Language instructors. General Dawran said learning English is important for the air corps as they transition to a new technology system. "There is an urgent need to learn English because we are learning new tactics and making new relationships in new countries," he said. "The pilots can speak English whenever they are flying, whenever they are in operations." General Dawran said the ELT program, which has graduated 298 Afghans in the past two years, has been successful. "Based on the short time scale, we have made strides in achievement and in performance. From my outlook, it's an initiative toward a good future in Afghanistan," the general said. DLI's nonresident training sites in Afghanistan include 134 students in intensive courses across Afghanistan and 68 army air corps students in a non-intensive course. Fifty-nine Afghan students that have completed SET programs are now in follow-on-training programs throughout the United States; 18 of those are ANAAC students. More than English language acquisition, General Dawran said ELT is essential to building relationships in an increasingly connected world. In addition, DLIELC students are provided a link to the rest of the world. "More than 80 countries today are here learning English at this center," he said. And while it's important to learn English, the general said it's also a great opportunity to learn about the traditions and issues in other countries. "It is a way to share knowledge and understanding between different people." During the visit, the general met with Afghan students for lunch at the Amigo Inn and discussions at the campus' headquarter's auditorium. In the future, the general said he is 100 percent convinced the partnership between ANAAC and DLIELC will expand. The next step is to review the successes and shortcomings of the ELT program for Afghan students, the general said. "The governments of Afghanistan and the United States are making long-term plans," he said. "That is our specific goal and we are moving toward that."