---
kind: "section"
citation: "10 U.S.C. § 1596b"
title: "10"
title_heading: "Armed Forces"
number: "1596b"
heading: "Foreign language proficiency: National Foreign Language Skills Registry"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/10/1596b"
units:
  - "Subtitle A — General Military Law"
  - "Part II — Personnel"
  - "Chapter 81 — Civilian Employees"
---

# §1596b. Foreign language proficiency: National Foreign Language Skills Registry

- (a) **Establishment.—**
  - (1) The [Secretary](/usc/10/4951.md?p=3) of Defense may establish and maintain a registry of [persons](/usc/10/2700.md?p=2) who—
    - (A) have proficiency in one or more critical foreign languages;
    - (B) are willing to provide linguistic services to the [United States](/usc/10/101.md?p=a-1) in the interests of [national security](/usc/10/801.md?p=16) during war or a national emergency; and
    - (C) meet the eligibility requirements of [subsection (b)](#b).
  - (2) The registry shall be known as the “National Foreign Language Skills Registry” (in this section referred to as the “Registry”).
- (b) **Eligible Persons.—** To be eligible for listing on the Registry, a [person](/usc/10/2700.md?p=2)—
  - (1) must be—
    - (A) a national of the [United States](/usc/10/101.md?p=a-1) (as defined in [section 101(a)(22)](/usc/10/101.md) of the Immigration and Nationality Act ([8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(22)](/usc/8/1101.md?p=a-22))); or
    - (B) an [alien](/usc/10/948a.md?p=1) lawfully admitted for permanent residence (as defined in [section 101(a)(20)](/usc/10/101.md?p=a-20) of the Immigration and Nationality Act ([8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(20)](/usc/8/1101.md?p=a-20)));
  - (2) shall express willingness, in a form and manner prescribed by the [Secretary](/usc/10/4951.md?p=3)—
    - (A) to provide linguistic services for a foreign language as described in [subsection (a)](#a); and
    - (B) to be listed on the Registry; and
  - (3) shall meet such language proficiency and other selection criteria as may be prescribed by the [Secretary](/usc/10/4951.md?p=3).
- (c) **Registered Information.—** The Registry shall consist of the following:
  - (1) The names of eligible [persons](/usc/10/2700.md?p=2) selected by the [Secretary](/usc/10/4951.md?p=3) for listing on the Registry.
  - (2) Such other information on such [persons](/usc/10/2700.md?p=2) as the [Secretary](/usc/10/4951.md?p=3) determines pertinent to the use of such [persons](/usc/10/2700.md?p=2) to provide linguistic services as described in [subsection (a)](#a).
- (d) **Protection of Privacy.—** The [Secretary](/usc/10/4951.md?p=3) may withhold from public disclosure the information maintained in the Registry in accordance with [section 552a of title 5](/usc/5/552a.md).
- (e) **Designation of Critical Foreign Languages.—** The [Secretary](/usc/10/4951.md?p=3) shall designate those languages that are critical foreign languages for the purposes of this section. The [Secretary](/usc/10/4951.md?p=3) shall make such a designation for any foreign language for which there is a shortage of experts in translation or interpretation available to meet requirements of the [Secretary](/usc/10/4951.md?p=3) or of the head of any other [department](/usc/10/101.md?p=a-6) or [agency](/usc/10/3451.md?p=3) of the [United States](/usc/10/101.md?p=a-1) for translation or interpretation in the [national security](/usc/10/801.md?p=16) interests of the [United States](/usc/10/101.md?p=a-1).
- (f) **Linguistic Services Defined.—** In this section, the term “linguistic services” means translation or interpretation of communication in a foreign language.

## Source credit

(Added Pub. L. 107–314, div. A, title X, § 1064(a)(1), Dec. 2, 2002, 116 Stat. 2653.)