The South Asia Panel of the National Council on Foreign Languages and International Studies reports on the need for specialists in the languages and cultures of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, and the Maldives. Two categories of specialists are discussed: (1) individuals in government, mission, etc., in mission-oriented occupations, who spend a substantial portion of their professional time dealing with one or more of the countries in South Asia; and (2) "knowledge producers," largely academics who specialize in the countries of South Asia and who bring their knowledge to the attention of practitioners and the general public. This paper first describes types of jobs that require expertise about South Asia, and then considers the kinds of knowledge now being produced by American scholars. Types of competencies needed to create and sustain the knowledge required by U.S. national interest is specified. A long-term goal is recommended for a complement of fully trained language and area-competent people in various mission-oriented occupational roles. Short- and mid-term goals for language and area proficiency are also identified. Using language ability as a surrogate for these combined linguistic, social, and cultural skills, the Panel sets up four categories: maximum (Foreign Service Institute levels 4 and 5), high (Level 3), medium (level 2), and low (levels 1 and 0). For example, an agronomist doing village work would require maximum language and area skills. Difficulties with attrition in the field are addressed, and the need for a better overall correlation between specialist development and occupational placement is examined. Two appendixes provide charts describing the distribution of work by subdiscipline and geographic area. (Contains 13 tables.) (LB)