What are the 3 most sought after languages in the Military?

What are the most highly sought after foreign languages in the military, other then Spanish? For example, is Russian a good language to learn? Arabic? Any other languages would be great, especially if there is a shortage of speakers.

Even so, where are the best online, book, or apps to learn them?What are the 3 most sought after languages in the Military?ArabicWhat are the 3 most sought after languages in the Military?actually Spanish is NOT sought after at all.. too many native speakers.



Farsi, Pashtun and Dari, followed by Mandarin and Cantonese.What are the 3 most sought after languages in the Military?My guess is Arabic, Pashtun, and Dari.What are the 3 most sought after languages in the Military?
Hello Robert,



The languages that the military wants to train people to be linguists to speak are those of the countries that they are currently engaged in combat with; those who speak those languages and where the tensions between nations indicates a possibility of future combat.



You don't go learning any language on your own unless you are a native speaker through your parents.



Once in the military you take a language aptitude test to see if you have the innate ability to learn another language other than English. It's fine if you speak Spanish. It is useful in the USA in daily life. Do you see any possibility of going to war with Spain? Maybe if you are a DEA agent and going down to Mexico or Central/South America!



Right now, the Middle Eastern languages such as Arabic and Farsi are highlighted. Also Korean, Chinese, Russian and Japanese.



You can't learn a language on-line or through books. If books were that great everyone in high school would have passed Spanish or French or German! Apps? There are no such things. Apps is short for a program application. You must be taught by someone who actually is a fluent speaker and understands the culture of the country.



The military will send selected people to the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California for a year to be "immersed" into a new language that they want to train you to speak. You will never be spoken to in English. You will be treated like a small child who is first learning to speak the language with his native speaking parents. Forget about speaking English anymore. You will be speaking Arabic like an infant first learning to speak the language of the "mother tongue."



And if you don't wash out of school you will find yourself being a "technical spy" translating what you hear others from that country say, politically and culturally.



Best wishes,



Larry Smith

Senior Master Sergeant, USAF (Ret.)

First Sergeant



P.S. I didn't pass the language exam to be selected to study another language. And, not everybody does get selected.