U.S. Department of Defense institution providing English and foreign language training to military and international personnel.
DLIELC offers intensive English language training organized into three resident academic sections: General English (up to 52 weeks), Specialized English (9+ weeks), and Instructor Development. DLIFLC provides accelerated foreign language instruction in Modern Standard Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), French, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Spanish, and other languages, with courses ranging 24–64 weeks depending on language difficulty. Both centers employ native speakers and specialized instructors. DLIFLC has offered Associate of Arts degrees since 2001 and Bachelor's degrees since 2022 to qualified graduates of intermediate and advanced courses.
DLIELC occupies a 16-acre permanent resident campus at Joint Base San Antonio–Lackland, established in 1993, featuring state-of-the-art classrooms, library, dining hall, and housing for officer and enlisted personnel. DLIFLC is located at the Presidio of Monterey, California. Both centers serve international students from over 100 countries, with training funded by host countries (Foreign Military Sales) or U.S. grant programs such as International Military Education and Training. Small, technology-enhanced classrooms foster student-centered learning environments.
International students at DLIELC must be sponsored by a Department of Defense agency and commonly include NATO personnel. DLIFLC serves military service members from all four branches, federal agency personnel, and international military students. Annually, DLIELC enrolls students from over 100 countries. Admission is merit-based and contingent on DoD sponsorship and security clearance requirements.
DLIELC traces its formal beginning to May 1954 as the 3746th Pre-Flight Training Squadron (language), originally teaching English to Allied pilot candidates. DLIFLC's roots extend to November 1941, when the U.S. Army established a secret Japanese language school at the Presidio of San Francisco with 60 students and four instructors. The two entities were consolidated under a unified Defense Language Institute headquarters in 1963. Today, DLI supports U.S. Department of War and Security Cooperation objectives through worldwide English and foreign language training.