DRAPER, Utah –
Utah National Guard’s 300th Military Intelligence Brigade will host the 34th annual Military Intelligence Language Conference on Saturday, Feb. 11. The theme of this year’s conference is “Setting the Theater—Modernizing the 300th MIB Linguist.”
This year’s keynote speakers include Brig. Gen. Aida Borras, assistant deputy chief of staff, Department of the Army G‐2; Brig. Gen. Gregory Hadfield, director, Joint Intelligence Directorate (J2), National Guard Bureau; Col. Cody Strong, commander, 300th Military Intelligence Brigade; and Dr. Robert Hamilton, a professor at the United States War College Strategic Studies Institute.
This year’s language conference is anticipated to draw more than 400 attendees, alongside 140 Polyglot Games competitors. At the end of the conference awards will be given for the Language Professional of the Year, the Control Language Program of the year, and Polyglot Games winners.
More than 140 competitors from 25 different organizations will participate in the Polyglot Games, making this the premier event of its kind across the Department of Defense. Polyglot Games competitors will follow every step of the intelligence cycle, from the Operations Order to a final Commander's Brief. Competitor’s will engage in multiple intelligence disciplines including HUMINT (human intelligence), SIGINT (signal intelligence), and OSINT (open-source intelligence). They will translate battlefield recordings and news reports, exploit documents to identify and destroy enemy equipment, and assess possible enemy courses of action. Sgt. Starr, this year’s gamemaster, has led a team of linguists to build a series of tests and events in seven languages.
In his welcome letter, Col. Cody Strong wrote, “Our field—military intelligence—calls for every Soldier down the chain of command to develop an intimate understanding of the geopolitical factors that influence the battlespace; please take advantage of this opportunity to determine how you, individually, will contribute to the modernization of our force.”
Our linguists produce interpretation, translation, and intelligence products that influence commanders and other high‐level decision‐makers around the globe. Our conference offers linguists an opportunity to see the strategic and operational‐level pressures that influence their leaders, enabling those linguists to produce ever more relevant products that will continue to affect the modern battlespace.
Media notes: Media desiring to attend should arrive no later than 9:30 a.m. The address of the Utah National Guard is 12953 South Minuteman Drive in Draper. RSVP by email at ng.ut.utarng.list.pao@army.mil or text 801-716-9261.
Keynote speakers abbreviated bios:
Brigadier General Aida Borras enlisted in the Army in 1985 before graduating from George Washington University’s ROTC program in 1994. Since then, she has earned two master’s degrees and served in an impressive variety of positions including Deputy Commanding General,
U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa, and Director of the Commander’s Action Group for the commanding General, United States Army Reserve Command. Brig. Gen. Borras
currently serves as the Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff, Department of the Army G‐2.
Brigadier General Gregory Hadfield has served in both active and Guard military positions during a distinguished career spanning more than 37 years. His assignments during that time have included Commander of the 300th Military Intelligence Brigade and Deputy Chief of Staff G2 for the Army National Guard. Brig. Gen. Hadfield holds and Master’s in Business
Administration and two Master of Science degrees, and currently serves as Director, Joint
Intelligence Directorate (J2), National Guard Bureau.
Colonel Cody Strong began his military career in 1989 as an enlisted Marine before transferring to the Utah Army National Guard and where he was directly commissioned as an MI second lieutenant in 2002. Since then, his assignments have included Regional Program Manager at United States European Command’s J5/8 in Stuttgart and Intelligence Programs Division Chief for the Army National Guard G2 in Arlington. Col. Strong holds advanced degrees from Brigham Young University and the United States Army War College and was a 2022 Seminar 21 Fellow at MIT. He is currently commander of the 300th Military Intelligence Brigade.
Dr. Robert Hamilton began his career with his graduation from the United States Military Academy and commission in Armor Branch in 1988. In 1996 he entered the Eurasian Foreign Area Officer program and, following his graduation from the George C. Marshal Center, Dr. Hamilton served in assignments including Deputy Chief of the Security Assistance Office at the Office of Defense Representative—Pakistan; DoD Russian Policy Advisor to the International Syria Support Group in Geneva; Chief of Assessments for the NATO Special Operations Component Command—Afghanistan; and as a civilian advisor to the Ministry of Defense of Georgia. Dr. Hamilton retired from the Army with the rank of brigadier general on July 1, 2018, and holds a PhD in International Relations from the University of Virginia. He is currently a professor at the United States War College Strategic Studies Institute.
PHOTOS / BOTH PHOTOS HAVE THE SAME CAPTION:
National Guard Soldier’s compete in the Polyglot Games as part of the 2018 Military Intelligence Language Conference hosted by the 300th Military Intelligence Brigade and held at the Utah National Guard Headquarters in Draper, Utah .
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