DTRA communicates for success

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Timothy Boyer
  • 60th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
TRAVIS AIR FORCE. Calif. --  The Defense Threat Reduction Agency has a vision of making the world safer by reducing the threat of weapons of mass destruction, said Army Staff Sgt. Michael San Juan, DTRA interpreter.

One of the key factors in reducing that threat is communication. When there are language barriers that could inhibit communication, the DTRA interpreters step in and keep processes moving forward.

"Russian interpreters from DTRA are known as the best Russian interpreters," said Tech. Sgt. Gennadiy Treyger, DTRA Russian interpreter. "When organizations have a need for a Russian interpreter, instead of hiring an expensive contractor, they come to DTRA. We call those 'ad-hoc' missions and do our best to support them."

One such mission was the recent Rim of the Pacific exercise hosted and administered by the Navy's Pacific Command in conjunction with the Marine Corps, Coast Guard and Hawaii National Guard, San Juan said. The U.S. invited allied military forces from the Pacific Rim nations to participate. Three interpreters from the Travis DTRA detachment and one from Defense Learning Institute answered the call.

"This year was the first time the Russian Federation took part as an active participant in the exercise," Treyger said. "Since communication is the key, the exercise organizers thought it would be a good idea to ensure there wouldn't be any miscommunications and requested DTRA interpreters to ride the Russian ship as well as the U.S. ships in the vicinity."

Someone told Treyger he had experienced more than many Sailors will in their entire careers, Treyger said.

"We did things like underway replenishment, refueling at sea and deployed with the ship's visit, board, search and seizure teams," he said. "There were also a lot of firsts, such as the first Russian helo landing on a U.S. aircraft carrier, the first towing exercise during which a Russian rescue tug was towing a U.S. ship and the first volleyball match on the deck of a Russian anti-submarine ship in the middle of the Pacific Ocean."

Providing support for international training events such as RIMPAC is a rewarding opportunity, Treyger said.

"RIMPAC provides a unique training opportunity that helps foster and sustain the cooperative relationships that are critical to ensuring the safety of sea lanes and security on the world's oceans," he said. "For the Russian Federation, this was a chance to learn how to operate with NATO naval forces."

Interpreters have opportunities not many Airmen get. However, becoming a member of this elite group of interpreters is not an easy process, Treyger said.

"I had to go through two different interview processes, one in English and one on Russian, write a narrative resume and provide numerous military records items," he said. "The 'fun' part was the Russian Arms Control Speaking Proficiency Course at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey. It is arguably the most difficult course offered by DLI."

While the job requires a lot of works and comes with special experiences, the difficulties of the job can sometimes be the simple things.

"The hardest part of our job is interpreting jokes," San Juan said.
For more information on DTRA, visit www.DTRA.mil.