DLI/Foreign Exchange

[nycam12]

I've heard about opportunities for military officers to work with allied nations as part of an exchange program. Just have a few questions about it:

1) Can navy pilots take part in an exchange? If so, where?
2) How would I go about getting into DLI?
3) Have any of you been to DLI, and if so, what is it like?

I'd appreciate any insight you might have.

 

[Sapper!]

http://www.marines.mil/unit/aviation/Pages/PersonalExchangePrograms.aspx

http://www.marines.mil/news/messages/Pages/MARADMIN279-10.aspx

http://www.bryanweatherup.com/gouge/PEP-Germany/

http://www.bryanweatherup.com/gouge/DLI/index.shtml

 

[HvrNavy]

Haven't been to DLI, but have received some language training from them. I thought the training they provided was excellent and very structured. Level of difficulty depends on the language and your motivation level. You must put in the required time in order to do well. If you already know a different language, supposedly that helps because you are more open minded towards different sentence structures that other cultures use.

Overall, I think learning a language is the same anywhere. All languages have certain rules you should follow to develop a sentence. Learn that structure, memorize a million vocab words, and there you go.

 

[helolumpy]

I've heard about opportunities for military officers to work with allied nations as part of an exchange program. Just have a few questions about it:

1) Can navy pilots take part in an exchange? If so, where?
2) How would I go about getting into DLI?
3) Have any of you been to DLI, and if so, what is it like?

I'd appreciate any insight you might have.

There are a few exchange opportunities available, but it depends on what you fly. I know helos have one with the UK among others. Used to be exchange tours with Australia, Canada and going to Chile to fly armed T-34's. Since it's been a long time since my contemporaries were doing exchange tours, I really can't tell you what's out there right now.

I do know that if you go on an exchange tour or as a student war college in a country that does not speak English as a first language you can expect to go thru DLI enroute.

 

[NightVisionPen]

I've heard about opportunities for military officers to work with allied nations as part of an exchange program. Just have a few questions about it:

1) Can navy pilots take part in an exchange? If so, where?
2) How would I go about getting into DLI?
3) Have any of you been to DLI, and if so, what is it like?

I'd appreciate any insight you might have.

I only know about the ones for jet guys and my info may be a little out of date.

1. Yes. UK, France, Spain, Switzerland, Canada, Australia. That's about it for fighter guys I think.
2. As a pilot you will not go to DLI unless you need it for a job such as an exchange tour. I know a WSO who got DLI because of a ground job he was getting in the Stan. But you can't just go "hey, I want to go to DLI and learn French." It doesn't work like that.
3. I have not, but Monterey is pretty sweet. I hear the course is challenging, but anyone who makes it through four years of college and flight school should be able to hack it. I hear it is like an immersion course - they are speaking the language from day 1.

 

[Flying Toaster]

This site typically has a giant list of the available opportunities on the upper right side, although it would appear to be down now.

http://www.public.navy.mil/bupers-n.../FAO/Pages/PersonnelExchangeProgram(PEP).aspx

 

[Uncle Fester]

PEP opportunities come and go. Partly it depends on the status of agreements between the countries, partly what the communities want/have money for. Generally, we have agreements with countries that have the same platform (Aussie Hornets, UK Harriers when they had them, French Hawkeyes, etc) or mission (e.g., E-2 NFOs have gone to Brit AWACS and Sea King AEW). There are opportunities to go work with other militaries that aren't technically PEP tours; NATO AWACS, for example, or teaching at a foreign military academy.

As mentioned, DLI is to teach you a language you need for a job, not just an opportunity to learn a language. It's a full-immersion course that's designed to make you functional in as short a time as possible.

 

[Reconjoe]

How do these foreign exchanges make you look for promotion boards? Something that makes you stand out or possible coffin?

 

[helolumpy]

How do these foreign exchanges make you look for promotion boards? Something that makes you stand out or possible coffin?

It depends. Most exchange tours will result in either a 1 of 1 or a NOB FitRep, so the exchange tour is not exactly career enhancing.
Most exchange tours are during your first shore tour when your contemporaries (who are you competition for promotion and selection of command) are at the RAG or flight school.

If your FitReps from your first tour are strong enough and you do well on your DH tour then doing an exchange tour won't kill you.

So it's not a death sentence but at the same time it may make you less competitive if you are a "pack player" during your other tours.

That being said, I've only heard one guy who didn't enjoy an exchange tour but that was because it was with the USAF and he did 3 rotations into the sand box during his "shore duty"

 

[Uncle Fester]

PEP tours probably won't hurt you, but definitely won't help. Too much time with 'non-competitive' paper.

Technique only: passing up an opportunity for some new and different flying because of how it might look to some future board is poor headwork. As with any shore job, my philosophy is to go for the jobs that appeal to you and let the BuPers chps fall where they may. Plenty of dudes jumped through all the requisite hoops and checked the fashionable blocks, and still wound up non-selecting.

 

[zab1001]

... Chile to fly armed T-34's.

Chile had T-34Bs for trainers, they weren't armed, and there was no exchange program. They do still have the P-3 exchange, which has been around since about 1993.

DLI is a pain in the ass, 0730-1630/1700 daily. Challenging but not impossible. They will not send you to the resident course unless you are going to a job that requires the language.