United States provides English language training to Lao military officers
Twenty Lao People’s Army officers graduated from an eleven-week English language training course on Friday, September 23, 2011 at Vientiane College.
The course was sponsored by the U.S. Embassy and U.S. Pacific Command (USPACOM), in collaboration with the Ministry of National Defense. This is the first English training course conducted in Laos by the Defense Language Institute-English Language Center (DLI-ELC), from Lackland Air Force Base, Texas.
Mr. Mark Dowles, U.S. English Language Instructor from the Defense Language Institute English Language Center, addresses twenty graduates from the first American Language Course for the Lao People's Army, held at Vientiane College, Vientiane, Laos, on Friday, September 23, 2011. In attendance were the US. Ambassador to Laos Karen Stewart; Brig. Gen. Stanley Osserman, USPACOM Deputy J5; Lt. Col. Khampien Sitdaphone from the Foreign Relations Department, Lao Ministry of National Defense; Ms. Loan Pham, U.S. Office of the SEcretary of Defense, Southeast Asia Policy; and LTC James McAden, the U.S. Defense Attache to Laos.
The course was funded through the U.S. International Military Education and Training (IMET) Programme, and is part of a long-term programme to improve English language skills within the Lao People’s Army.
The graduation ceremony was held at Vientiane College on September 23, 2011, and was attended by the U.S Ambassador to Laos Karen B. Stewart; Brig. Gen. Stanley Osserman, Deputy Director and Mobilization Assistant, Directorate of Strategic Plans and Policy, USPACOM; Lt. Col. Khampien Sitdaphone from the Foreign Relations Department, Lao Ministry of National Defense; Ms. Loan Pham, U.S. Office of the Secretary of Defense, Southeast Asia Policy; and LTC James McAden, the U.S. Defense Attache to Laos.
Brig. Gen. Osserman gave remarks at the graduation, in which he noted that English language is one of the keys for the Lao People’s Army and the Government of Laos to increase their interaction and cooperation with their neighbors in ASEAN and the international community. He tasked the graduates to continue to improve their English language skills by practicing their English at every opportunity.
In addition to this eleven-week English language course, the U.S. Embassy and USPACOM have provided English language training materials to Lao People’s Army training institutions and trained five Lao People’s Army English Language Instructors over the last three years, as part of U.S. support to the Lao People’s Army English Language Training Programme.
During the 6th Bilateral Defense Dialogue earlier this week, Brig. Gen. Osserman and Brig. Gen. Onsy Senesouk, Deputy Permanent Secretary of National Defense, discussed ways to increase U.S.-Lao cooperation on English language training for the Lao People’s Army.
