The events of September 11, 2001 have driven home the lesson that, like it or not, U.S. citizens are connected with people the world over. The global transformations of the last decade have created an unparalleled need in the United States for expanded international knowledge and skills. However, the United States is not ready. There is a dangerous shortfall of individuals with global competence. The responsibility to reverse this trend lies with the U.S. educational system in partnership with government and the private sector. The United States must invest in an educational infrastructure that produces knowledge of languages and cultures and is able to train a sufficient and diverse pool of students to meet the needs of government agencies, the private sector, and education itself. This paper focuses on the partnership between the federal government and education institutions in international education. It calls for an urgently needed comprehensive national policy on international education that: (1) identifies national policy objectives for international education; (2) outlines specific strategies for meeting these objectives; and (3) provides the national programs, administrative structures, and resources required to implement these strategies. One appendix describes key federal programs promoting international education strategies, and another provides some facts and features of international education in the United States. (SLD)