ef Air Force Academy Eyes English-Friendly Campus
By Jung Sung-ki
Staff Reporter
The chief of the Air Force Academy has laid out his vision for building an English-friendly campus by 2010 as part of efforts to produce the world's most elite air force officers.
``People have 10 years of English education in Korea normally, but that doesn't work in real life,'' Lt. Gen. Hwang Won-dong, 55, superintendent of the academy, said in an interview with The Korea Times here Feb. 14. ``We need a dramatic turning point in terms of English education now.''
As for Air Force officers, the general stressed, English is an essential tool for combined operations with other allied forces.
``Modern warfare requires joint or combined operations of allied forces, which are proven to be the most effective as seen in the Iraq War,'' said the superintendent. ``So foreign language ability is the key to success in such international operations, most of which are restricted by time. In most cases, the air force plays a leading role in that kind of operation.''
Hwang initiated the school's five-week intensive English program for all years of cadets, which began Jan. 28, the first and most extensive of its kind among intensive programs at the country's military academies.
The Army and Navy academies have similar immersion programs in winter, but they are only for first or second years of cadets.
In an effort to create an English-friendly campus environment, the air force academy plans to develop the current ``English Only Zone'' program to an ``English Only Campus'' in three or four years, the superintendent said.
That means all cadets and academy officials must use English only in all places on campus, not just the current three areas of the faculty building, mess hall and dormitory, during the five weeks intensive program, he said.
``I'm sure we will be able to go up a level when the current first-grade cadets become seniors in three or four years, if this immersion program is implemented as scheduled,'' Hwang said, stressing the importance of other foreign languages such as Chinese and Russians, too.
``I want to lay the groundwork for building a foreign language-friendly environment,'' he said.
Securing enough infrastructure and supply of qualified English instructors, however, is one of the challenges the academy will face, he said.
In the short-term, the academy will request the Air Force to assign translators and enlisted airmen fluent in English to the school to help teach cadets English, he said.
This year, a total of 16 translators officers and airmen are supporting the program.
In addition, the academy has invited 12 U.S. officers of the 7th Air Force based in Osan, some 70 kilometers south of Seoul, as guest instructors for classes on military terminology, U.S. military culture and others. Also, cadets will be given opportunities to visit U.S. camps for language study, Hwang said.
``The ultimate goal is to nurture the world's most elite personnel fit for the future of aerospace warfare,'' he said.