National Security Education Program: Cultivating Expertise for a Secure Future
The National Security Education Program (NSEP), established through the David L. Boren National Security Education Act (NSEA) of 1991, represents a significant federal initiative aimed at fostering a strategic relationship between the national security community and higher education in the United States. Codified in 50 USC, NSEP addresses the critical national need for experts in languages and regions vital to U.S. national security, competitiveness, and overall security. It is one of the most important efforts in international education since the 1958 passage of the National Defense Education Act (NDEA).
The Genesis and Purpose of NSEP
Congress established NSEP to cultivate a strategic alliance between the national security apparatus and higher education institutions within the United States. This partnership is designed to address the country's need for professionals proficient in critical languages and possessing in-depth knowledge of regions crucial to national security interests. NSEP stands out as the only federally sponsored program that comprehensively integrates language proficiency, national security concerns, and the language-related requirements of the federal government.
The NSEP programs complement DLNSEO’s broader strategic initiatives, ensuring that the lessons learned in one program inform the approaches of the others.
Key Components and Structure
National Security Education Board (NSEB)
The 14-member National Security Education Board (NSEB) plays a crucial role in NSEP. Established as part of NSEP, the NSEB provides strategic input and advice, as outlined in the David L. Boren National Security Education Act of 1991. Composed of six Presidential appointees and representatives from eight Cabinet-level departments, the NSEB ensures that NSEP programs remain focused on serving the broad national security interests of the United States. The Presidentially appointed members include former Government officials and experts from non-profit organizations and academia. While NSEP falls within the Department of Defense, it has additional federal stakeholders, many of whom are represented on the NSEB. The NSEB provides advice to meet broad national needs, rather than the needs of a single agency.
Program Offerings
NSEP offers a range of programs, including grants to institutions of higher education and scholarships/fellowships for students. These programs support the study of critical languages, disciplines, and area studies.
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The NSEP distinguishes itself from Title VI programs through its funding and administration, as well as its support for international travel by American undergraduate students. The intelligence reform bill (P.L. 1042) also includes the Intelligence Community Scholarship Program (ICSP) that is quite similar to the NSEP (§1042).
Individual Grants
Individual grants under the NSEP support U.S. citizen undergraduate students for study abroad, as well as graduate students pursuing advanced language and area studies. These awards aim to increase student experience in language and foreign area studies of the world outside Europe, Scandinavia, and Canada. The NSEP staff notes that the choice of student candidates will be peer-reviewed in regional and national panels.
Boren Awards, the scholarships and fellowships that bear his name, are administered by the Institute of International Education (IIE) on behalf of NSEP. IIE is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to building international goodwill through educational and cultural exchange among nations.
Institutional Grants
Institutional grants are generally oriented to establish and/or improve programs in international education. These grants support institutions of higher education (IHEs) to provide excellent foreign language instruction in languages critical to national security.
Service Requirement
A key feature of NSEP is the service requirement for scholarship and fellowship recipients. This requirement mandates that recipients work in a federal agency in a position related to their area of study for which the scholarship or fellowship was awarded. The current service requirement provision was adopted under P.L. Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1997, and amended by P.L. The NSEB determines the length of education) in the area of study for which the scholarship or fellowship was awarded.
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Financial Aspects
NSEP is funded through a dedicated trust fund held in the U.S. Treasury. An initial amount of $150 million was appropriated to the Fund for FY1992. While the fund was initially supported by earnings of a trust fund, with the possibility of additional appropriations being provided to the fund afterward, the balance remaining in the Fund has steadily declined.
Program Outcomes and Impact
NSEP provides clear measures of performance and accountability for its programs, including detailed monitoring of the performance of award recipients, language proficiency testing, and federal job placement assistance.
Building a Critical Base of Future Leaders
The program aims to build a critical base of future leaders, both in government service and in higher education, who have cultivated relationships with foreign experts. Within two to three years of earning their degrees, recipients must secure a position in the federal government, working in the general area of national security.
Developing Language and Cultural Expertise
Another objective of NSEP is to develop a pool of professionals who have significant expertise in a geographic area’s language and culture. This expertise is invaluable in making sound decisions concerning national security.
Addressing National Security Needs
The NSEP staff notes that the choice of student candidates will be peer-reviewed in regional and national panels: however, the strategic choices of priority countries, languages, and study topics to be targeted in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the CIS countries, and the Middle East remain totally at the discretion of the Department of Defense staff and the Secretary of Defense.
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Additional Programs and Initiatives
English for Heritage Language Speakers (EHLS) Program
The EHLS Program is designed to enhance the English language proficiency of U.S. citizens and native speakers of critical languages. Participants receive scholarships to participate in the EHLS program at Georgetown University, which provides eight months of instruction. This training allows participants to achieve professional-level proficiency in the English language and prepares them for specific federal job opportunities.
Language Training Centers (LTC)
Language Training Centers (LTC) aim to increase training capacity in critical and strategic languages and regional area studies for DoD personnel.
Regional Flagship Language Initiatives (RFLIs)
The Regional Flagship Language Initiatives (RFLIs) are designed to help meet the need for specialists in a range of academic and professional fields who are able to operate effectively in certain regional languages. RFLI currently offers study in African languages, (Akan/ Twi, French, Swahili, Wolof, Zulu), Indonesian, South Asian languages (Hindi, Urdu), Thai, Vietnamese, and Turkish.
Criticisms and Concerns
Transparency and Public Input
Some critics have raised concerns about the transparency of NSEP and the lack of public input in setting priorities. Unlike the US/ED Title VI language, area, and international studies programs must seek public comment on their intent in the Federal Register and Commerce Business Daily, over the three years of its planning the NSEP has sought public comment, criticism, and revision of their goals, priorities, or the regulations implementing those goals for allocating NSEP funding to programs.
Military Influence
Another area of concern is the perceived military influence on NSEP goals, principles, and administration. The program is operated directly by the military, taking advice from six other federal agencies, including the CIA, and six members from outside government, not necessarily from the scholarly community.
Service Requirements
Some have criticized the “national service requirements” of the program which ask undergraduates who receive funds to work for an equivalent number of months in either some branch of the federal government or in education. Graduate students must work in similar agencies for one to three times the number of months they are supported.
Addressing Criticisms
In response to criticisms, NSEP has made alterations in the program, which they hope will answer these concerns. The NSEP staff notes that the choice of student candidates will be peer-reviewed in regional and national panels.
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