MISSOULA –

Don Loranger, director of the Defense Critical Language and Culture Training Program at The University of Montana’s Maureen and Mike Mansfield Center, was appointed to the National Security Education Board by President Barack Obama on July 5.

The National Security Education Board oversees the National Security Education Program, which aims to enhance national security by increasing the United States’ capacity to deal effectively with foreign cultures and languages.

The Defense Critical Language and Culture Training Program works with the Department of Defense to provide U.S. troops with the critical language and culture training needed to complete their missions. Language courses include Arabic and Mandarin Chinese, and the program also offers cultural competency courses for Arab countries, Afghanistan, Iran and China. The Mansfield Center at UM houses programs that embody the core interests and characteristics of Sen. Mike Mansfield’s career, including U.S. relations with Asia and ethics and public affairs.

Loranger is a Bigfork resident and a retired U.S. Air Force major general. He served in the Air Force from 1966 until 1996. Loranger also is a UM alumnus and was commissioned through the University’s Air Force ROTC program.

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