Source: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2015/02/24/2015-03567/national-language-service-corps-nlsc
Timestamp: 2018-04-22 01:11:23
Document Index: 123456990

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 251', 'art 251', 'art 310', 'art 304', '§\u2009251', 'art 304', 'art 310', 'art 304', 'art 310']

Federal Register :: National Language Service Corps (NLSC)
A Proposed Rule by the Defense Department on 02/24/2015
9669-9673 (5 pages)
0790-AJ28
DOD-2014-OS-0058
Existing OMB Control Number: 0704-0449, “National Language Service Corps.”
List of Subjects in 32 CFR Part 251
https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2015-03567 https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2015-03567
This rule establishes in the Code of Federal Regulations the National Language Services Corps (NLSC) by describing the program and its responsibilities per the January 2013 National Defense Authorization Act which authorized the Secretary of Defense to establish the NLSC as a Start Printed Page 9670permanent organization. The NLSC responds to federal agencies' needs for language skills in emergencies or surge requirements. Once a federal agency identifies a need, NLSC members are advised of the potential assignment. If an individual is interested and available, they go through a screening and selection process as discussed in the rule. The decision to use NLSC rests with the requesting agency and support agreements must be established before work can begin.
John Demboski, 571-256-0654.
a. Purpose. NLSC may support DoD or other U.S. departments or agencies, in need of foreign language services, with requirements of less than 1 year. The NLSC will provide capable, federally-hired individuals to rapidly respond to critical national needs and assist DoD and other U.S. departments and agencies with surge or emergency requirements.
Authority: Applicable authorities include: 5 U.S.C. 3109 which authorizes the employment of experts and consultants on a temporary or intermittent basis; 18 U.S.C. 202 which defines “special Government employee;” 31 U.S.C. 1535 which authorizes the head of an agency or major organizational unit within an agency to place an order with a major organizational unit within the same agency or another agency for services; 50 U.S.C. 1913 which authorized the Secretary of Defense to establish and maintain the National Language Service Corps.
The major provisions of this regulatory action include:
a. Outlining NLSC membership criteria, member recruitment, appointment, and activation.
b. Describing eligibility requirements for federal employees to participate in NLSC.
The Department of Defense and other federal departments and agencies have benefited from NLSC support utilizing high-level language skills of members not otherwise available to meet their organizations' short-term, immediate needs. The NLSC has established a means to access and maintain contact with citizens who are highly skilled in foreign languages. Since initial efforts in fiscal year 2007, the average annual cost to build, pilot and fully operationalize the NLSC has been $6.3 million. Current membership includes more than 5,000 members with skills in 315 foreign languages and dialects ready to serve national needs when called upon. Members hired to support missions have included the self-employed, retirees or students just entering the workforce, who proudly want to serve their nation. NLSC provides an opportunity to earn wages using their high-level language skills. As of June 2014, NLSC members have provided more than 28,000 hours of highly skilled foreign language support to 34 federal agencies and departments and their components.
In 2003, Congress tasked the Defense Language and National Security Education Office (DLNSEO), then known as the National Security Education Program (NSEP), with exploring the feasibility of establishing an organization of Americans with skills in critical languages that would serve in times of emergency or national need. NSEP prepared a feasibility study and follow-up planning that led to Congressional action in 2006. In the 2007 National Defense Authorization Act, the U.S. Congress included language directing the Secretary of Defense to initiate a pilot program that established a Civilian Linguist Reserve Corps. The government has since renamed that organization as the NLSC.
In January 2013, President Barack Obama signed the National Defense Authorization Act which authorized the Secretary of Defense to establish the NLSC as a permanent organization. The NLSC operates under this authority with DLNSEO as its parent agency. DLNSEO provides strategic direction and programmatic oversight to the Military Departments, Defense field activities and the Combatant Commands on present and future requirements related to language, regional expertise, and culture.
The NLSC does not offer permanent full-time or part-time jobs. The NLSC responds to federal agencies' needs for language skills in emergencies or surge requirements. For this reason, the NLSC does not maintain any postings or offer any job location services. Once a federal agency identifies a need, NLSC members are advised of the potential assignment. If an individual is interested and available, they go through a screening and selection process as discussed in this rule. The decision to use NLSC rests with the requesting agency and support agreements must be established before support can begin.
The NLSC's charter is to provide short-term surge capability or to fill short term recurrent support that other existing capabilities cannot reasonably fill. Members have filled requirements that range from 15 minutes on the phone to 60 days in the field. If needed/desired, it is possible for members to provide recurrent, short term support, such as for periodic exercises for up to approximately six months (130 work days or 1,040 hours, whichever comes first) in the member's service year.
The NLSC uses the Federal Interagency Language Roundtable Proficiency Guidelines (http://govtilr.org/​Skills/​ILRscale1.htm) (the “ILR Scale”) in speaking, reading, and listening as a basis for determining eligibility for Membership. The NLSC's goal is 3/3/3 proficiency (speaking/reading/listening) in at least one foreign language and in English.
Initial non-English language proficiency is assessed by asking all NLSC applicants to complete a series of self-assessments to provide an indication of where they fall on the ILR scale. Members of the NLSC will normally undergo formal proficiency testing to verify the self-assessments prior to participating in an assignment. Several factors may require formal proficiency testing, including the need for the NLSC and requesting agencies to Start Printed Page 9671have formally-tested members available for assignments.
Initial English language assessment will not normally be conducted for applicants who graduated from an accredited high school and spent at least three years in the US while attending high school. If an individual did not do so, he or she may be asked to undergo the same self-assessment process as for non-English language skills. Finally, a number of members may be asked to undergo formal proficiency testing in English.
Section 251.6(c)(1)-(c)(3) of this proposed rule contain information collection requirements. DoD has submitted the following proposal to OMB under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35). Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of DoD, including whether the information will have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the estimate of the burden of the proposed information collection; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the information collection on respondents, including the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology.
Title: DD Form 2932, “National Language Service Corps Application”
Annual Burden Hours: 450 hours.
Needs and Uses: Verification and mission-related use.
Title: DD Form 2933, “National Language Service Corps (NLSC) Detailed Skills Self-Assessment”
Title: DD Form 2934, “National Language Service Corps (NLSC) Global Skills Self-Assessment”
Title: Phone call to review responses on forms
Total annual respondents: 1,000.
Total burden hours: 167 hours.
Written comments and recommendations on the proposed information collection should be sent to Ms. Jasmeet Seehra at the Office of Management and Budget, Desk Officer for DoD, Room 10236, New Executive Office Building, Washington, DC 20503, with a copy to the National Language Service Corps, P.O. Box 12221, Arlington, VA 22219. Comments can be received from 30 to 60 days after the date of this notice, but comments to OMB will be most useful if received by OMB within 30 days after the date of this notice.
To request more information on this proposed information collection or to obtain a copy of the proposal and associated collection instruments, please write to John Demboski, National Language Service Corps, P.O. Box 12221, Arlington, VA 22219; phone number (703) 588-0868.
Accordingly 32 CFR part 251 is proposed to be added to read as follows:
(c) Assigns responsibility to the National Security Education Board (NSEB) to oversee and coordinate the activities of the NLSC (as provided and determined by the Secretary of Defense pursuant to 50 U.S.C. 1903 and 1913 with policy and funding oversight provided by the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness (USD(P&R)) in accordance with DoD Directive 5124.02, “Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness (USD(P&R))” (available at http://www.dtic.mil/​whs/​directives/​corres/​pdf/​512402p.pdf).
(c) The NLSC is exempt from DoD Instruction 5160.71, “DoD Language Testing Program” (available at http://www.dtic.mil/​whs/​directives/​corres/​pdf/​516071_​2009_​ch1.pdf), such that the NLSC may use tests of the Defense Language Proficiency Testing System or may use and develop other tests to assess language proficiency for the purpose of employing NLSC members as language consultants.
(2) Comply with DoD Instruction 8910.01, “Information Collection and Reporting” (available at http://www.dtic.mil/​whs/​directives/​corres/​pdf/​891001p.pdf), Volume 2 of DoD Manual 8910.01, “DoD Information Collections Manual: Procedures for DoD Public Information Collections” (available at http://www.dtic.mil/​whs/​directives/​corres/​pdf/​891001m_​vol2.pdf), and 32 CFR part 310.
(f) Qualified and available members with requested language skills hired in accordance with 5 U.S.C. 3109 and 5 CFR part 304 and Administrative Instruction 2, “Employment of Experts and Consultants” (available at http://www.dtic.mil/​whs/​directives/​corres/​pdf/​ai002p.pdf) will be temporarily assigned to government agencies pursuant to reimbursable agreements described in 31 U.S.C. 1535.
(b) Under the authority, direction, and control of the USD(P&R), the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Readiness and Force Management (ASD(R&FM)):
(1) Through the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Readiness:
(iii) Oversees, and monitors compliance with the NLSC programs and processes on behalf of the Secretary of Defense to include the procedures in § 251.6 of this part.
(iv) Ensures that functions needed to support the accomplishment of the NLSC mission are executed including engagement with DoD Components, federal agencies, and State and local governments, to identify language needs, assessment of language proficiency of its members, and skill sustainment training.
(c) Under the authority, direction, and control of the USD (P&R), the Director, Department of Defense Human Resources Activity (DoDHRA):
(3) Provides administrative support to the NLSC, including actions related to Start Printed Page 9673intra- and inter-agency agreements, the intra- and inter-agency transfer of funds, personnel actions, and travel requirements.
(a) NLSC purpose. (1) The purpose of the NLSC is to identify and provide U.S. citizens with foreign language skills to support DoD or other U.S. departments or agencies, in need of foreign language services, for requirements of less than 1 year.
(c) NLSC member recruitment. The NLSC program manager will oversee recruitment of members. NLSC maintains a registry of individuals who have applied or been accepted for membership and responds to requests for foreign language services by searching the registry to identify individuals who can provide support. NLSC collects applicant information through electronically available DD forms (located at the DoD Forms Management Program Web site at http://www.dtic.mil/​whs/​directives/​infomgt/​forms/​formsprogram.htm.) or comparable web-based applications:
(1) For Federal hiring, members follow excepted service hiring policies in accordance with 5 U.S.C. 3109, 5 CFR part 304, and 32 CFR part 310, and are appointed as language consultants in advance of participating in a support request, in accordance with AI 2.
(3) NLSC members will be appointed on an annual basis pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 3109, 5 CFR part 304, and 32 CFR part 310 to perform duties as language consultants. If serving less than 130 days in a consecutive 365 day period, they will be considered SGEs as defined in 18 U.S.C. 202. Concurrent appointments as an SGE may be held with other DoD Components or in another federal agency.
(4) The NLSC program manager will track the number of days each NLSC member performed services and the total amount paid to each NLSC member within the 365 day period after the NLSC member's appointment.
(3) If duty requires issuance of DoD identification (e.g., Common Access Card), such identification will be issued to and maintained by activated NSLC members in accordance with Volume 1 of DoD Manual 1000.13, “DoD Identification (ID) Cards: ID Card Life-Cycle” (available at http://www.dtic.mil/​whs/​directives/​corres/​pdf/​100013_​vol1.pdf). Upon completion of the assignment, the identification will be retrieved in accordance with Volume 1 of DoD Manual 1000.13.
[FR Doc. 2015-03567 Filed 2-23-15; 8:45 am]