The Air Force needs more language proficient Airmen than ever before, yet it does not optimally manage its language training programs to ensure their success. Reliance on contract linguists and the constant recall of Guard and Reserve linguists (to the point of their exhaustion) clearly highlight the lack of internal language skills. Despite these realities, language education is left to the individual Airman, who must decide what is appropriate or necessary for his/her professional advancement. The calls for increased attention to language in Department of Defense's (DOD) Language Transformation Roadmap will likely lead to more downward-directed emphasis on language training and education in the near future. Adding to this new emphasis, the FY 06 National Defense Authorization Act (FY 06 NDAA) calls for the Secretary of Defense to " ... support the acquisition of language skills among cadets ... in the Reserve Officer's Training Corps ... including special emphasis for Arabic, Chinese, and other strategic languages ..." (Section 542, FY 06 NDAA). The Air Force is squandering opportunities to create and maintain language proficient officers and enlisted personnel by continuing its fragmented approach to language training and education.