Government agencies are investing in MT to boost production, but the future funding picture is uncertain. Decision makers (Congress, OMB, IC leadership) want evidence (quantitative/qualitative) of value for investments. Agencies can use positive ROIs to defend MT investment budgets, plans, and programs, but the information needs to be more than anecdotal.

In today's post 9/11 world, the need for qualified linguists to process all the foreign language materials that are collected/confiscated overseas and at home has grown considerably. To date, a gap exists in the number of linguists needed to process all this material. To fill this gap, the government has invested in the research, development and implementation of Human Language Technologies into the linguist workflow. Most of the current DOMEX workflows incorporate HLT tools, whether that is Machine Translation, Named Entity Extraction, Name Normalization or Transliteration tools. These tools aid the linguists in processing and translating DOMEX material, cutting back on the amount of time needed to sift through all the material. In addition to the technologies used in workflow processes, we have also implemented tools for intelligence analysts, such as the Broadcast Monitoring System and Tripwire. These tools allow non-language qualified analysts to search through foreign language material and exploit that material for intelligence value. These tools implement such technologies as Speech-to-text and machine translation. Part of this effort to fill the gap in the ability to process all this information has been collaboration amongst the members of the Intelligence Community on the research and development of tools. This type of engagement allows the government to save time and money in eliminating the duplication of efforts and allows government agencies to share their ideas and expertise. Our presentation will address some of the tools that are currently in use throughout DoD; being considered for use; some of the challenges we face; and how we are making best use of the HLT development and research that is supporting our needs.

The DoD already makes extensive use of machine translation and language support tools in a many environments to address a variety of communications, training, and intelligence challenges, and has done so for over 30 years. Mr. Bemish draws on his personal experience deploying MT, as well as his broad exposure to how translation technology is used in the branches of service and in military intelligence, to describe current uses of translation technology across a range of organizations within the DoD. He also addresses the technical issues that slow deployment and the cultural challenges involved in setting expectations and introducing technology that changes the way people work.