DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY
OFFICE OF THE CHIEF OF NAVAL OPERATIONS
2000 NAVY PENTAGON
WASHINGTON DC 20350-2000
OPNAVINST 5400.46A
N13F
18 May 2021
OPNAV INSTRUCTION 5400.46A
From: Chief of Naval Operations
Subj: COMMAND LANGUAGE PROGRAMS AND AWARDS
Ref: (a) DoDI 5160.70 of 30 December 2016
(b) SECNAV M-1650.1 of August 2019
Encl: (1) Navy Individual Language Awards - Sample Nomination Package
1. Purpose.
a. To establish policies and procedures and to provide guidelines for planning, developing
and implementing Navy command language programs and awards.
b. This revision incorporates three instructions providing overall policy for command
language programs as well as Navy language awards for commands and individuals. The revised
title reflects the additional content.
c. This revision establishes the annual due date of 31 March for submission of nomination
packages for Command Language Program of the Year and individual language awards. The
change aligns Navy’s award submission deadline with that established annually by the Defense
Language Institute Foreign Language Center (DLIFLC) for Department of Defense (DoD)-level
awards.
d. This revision specifies the award level for military recipients of Navy individual language
awards and modifies the award for Navy civilian recipients. Additionally, it renames the Navy
Language Professional of the Year award in honor of Senior Chief Cryptologic Technician
Interpretive Shannon M. Kent, who was killed in action in January 2019.
2. Cancellation. OPNAVINST 5400.46, Command Language Program, OPNAVINST 1650.31,
Command Language Program of the Year and OPNAVINST 1650.32, Navy Language
Professional and Navy Linguist of the Year.
3. Scope and Applicability. This instruction applies to all Navy personnel, including the Active
Component (AC), Reserve Component (RC) and civilian workforce.
4. Policy. It is DoD and Navy policy that foreign language skills, regional expertise and
cultural capabilities are enduring critical competencies, which are mission-essential and must be
managed to maximize the accession, development, sustainment, enhancement and employment
of these vital skills.
