Congressman Henry Cuellar announced today a new financial incentive from the U.S. Army for recruiting college Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) cadets to take courses in critical foreign languages, including Arabic and Mandarin Chinese. To qualify for the incentive, cadets would have to commit to entering the Army, the Army Reserve or the Army National Guard as a commissioned officer.

Under the pilot program, new ROTC cadets who sign a contract to enter the Army are eligible to receive $100 a month for the first year of participation, $150 a month for the second year of language study, $200 a month for the third year, and $250 a month for the fourth year (maximum $3,000 over an academic year). The program will begin this fall.

“Through our engagements in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Army has discerned a critical need to expand its foreign language capabilities,” Congressman Cuellar said. “This incentive program prioritizes the most critical languages while helping to meet officer recruiting goals. This is a strategic step toward fighting global terrorism and increasing homeland security.”

Other languages covered by the program include Korean, Pashto (Afghanistan and Pakistan), Urdu (Pakistan and India), Indonesian, Swahili (east Africa), and Hausa (west and central Africa). In addition to standard classroom-based college language courses, the incentive program also covers participation in language immersion and study abroad programs.

The Critical Language Incentive Pay Program is part of an overall pilot program approved by Congress to help the Army recruit officers. The program's other components include $5,000 bonuses for students who complete the Army ROTC Leader's Training Course and agree to become an Army officer, and authorization for the Army to recruit experienced doctors and other medical professionals and chaplains, which are hard to fill specialties, age 43-60, and for them to serve only two years.

ROTC cadets and other interested students can contact their military science professors at their colleges or universities for more information and to sign up.