The English Language Needs of the Armed Forces Officers Using Task Based Language Teaching

The Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF), comprising the Army, the Navy and the Air Force, and entrusted with the important responsibility of national security, is also expected to project a positive image of Malaysia in the international arena as it (the MAF) engages in peace-keeping and relief operations with joint forces from various other countries. Like almost every other institution in the world, it has been impacted by globalisation, and is thus constantly engaging in efforts to upgrade itself in all aspects, especially those related to equipping itself with the necessary knowledge and expertise required to meet the demand for better services to the country and the people. The paper looks at the status quo of the English language in relation to the three Services (Army, Navy and Air Force), and the role played by the English language in the career development of an Armed Forces officer using Task Based Language Teaching focussing on Acquisition-Learning hypothesis and the Affective Filter hypothesis. The findings show that all four language skills, namely, listening, speaking, reading and writing are important to the MAF officers.