U.S. Military Educational Institutions by Michael Erbschloe - HTML preview

U.S. Army War College

The purpose of U.S. Army War College at this time in our Nation's history is to produce graduates from all our courses who are skilled critical thinkers and complex problem solvers in the global application of Land power. Concurrently, it is the duty to the Army to also act as a "Think Factory" for Commanders and Civilian Leaders at the strategic level worldwide and routinely engage in discourse and debate on ground forces' role in achieving national security objectives. We will accomplish this dual purpose along the following lines of effort:

• Provide high quality Professional Military Education at the strategic level that further develops accomplished officers and civilians, both graduates and faculty, who depart our institution armed with the right balance of theory, history, practice, and communication skills to clearly articulate options for solutions to complex strategic problems and immediately be of value to any organization.
• Aggressively Conduct Research, Publish, Engage in Discourse, and Wargame with the entire faculty, staff, students and fellows; generate ideas and test concepts as the Army's intellectual broken field runner for the application of Landpower at the strategic level.
• Conduct Strategic Leader Development through agile, constantly reviewed and updated courses of instruction and other products that advance strategic leadership skills and senior leader abilities in the Profession of Arms.
• Attract, Recruit, and Retain a high quality faculty and staff.

The College helps develop senior leader competencies necessary for success in the contemporary operation environment that contribute to the development of senior leaders.

• The only Senior Leader College that addresses the development and employment of land power
• Emphasis on strategic leadership
• The only Senior Leader College Distance Education Program that is certified for Joint Professional Military Education I [JPME-I]
• Resident Education Program is accredited for Joint Professional Military Education II
• Graduates more than 300 SLC JPME Phase I-certified, and 340 JPME II-certified

The Center for Strategic Leadership  - the Collins Center -- Develops and conducts strategic level political-military simulations

• Supports Army staff exercises, analysis and research
• Supports Joint Staff and Combatant/ Army Component Commander exercise and engagement programs
• Conducts interagency education, training, and development
• Hosts governmental/ military research and analysis and management activities
• Supports the Army leadership's strategic communications program.

The Strategic Studies Institute:

• Engages in research in support of Army, Joint, and OSD senior leaders
• Publishes books, monographs and special reports on U.S. national security, Army and Joint issues
• Sponsors conferences to define and debate critical national security, Army and Joint issues
• Directs analysis for the Army Staff and Joint Staff
• Engages in academic conferences linking the Army War College to the intellectual activity of leading universities and research institutes

The Peacekeeping and Stability Operations Institute serves as the U.S. military premier center of excellence for mastering stability, security, transition, reconstruction (SSTR) and peace operations at the strategic and operational level in order to improve military, civil agency, international and multinational capabilities and execution. PKSOI –

• Shapes U.S. government agency policy, concept and doctrine development
• Enhances senior leader proficiency
• Facilitates the coordination and integration of USG efforts with international organizations, multinational partners, and non-governmental organizations
• Supports planning, preparation and execution of stability and peace operations.

The Army Heritage and Education Center educates a broad audience on the heritage of the Army by acquiring, preserving and making available historical records, materials and artifacts including:

• 327 thousand books and 11 million manuscript pages
• 20 thousand maps
• 600 oral histories and 27 thousand veterans surveys
• 50 thousand artifacts
• 1.7 million photographs
• 500 General Officer collections

Nestled in the beautiful Susquehanna Valley, Carlisle Barracks is one of our nation's oldest military installations. Since 1757, Carlisle Barracks has witnessed pioneering concepts in military training and education, and innovative measures to prepare for a changing world. This page explores the Army War College history and the colorful history of the military installation, Carlisle Barracks.

The Army War College - the primary mission at Carlisle Barracks today is defined by its legacy of evolution in response to a changing environment.

The Army War College was created as a solution to the military failings uncovered during the Spanish-American War. On 27 November 1901, Secretary of War, Elihu Root established the Army General Staff and the Army War College to train staff officers by General Order 155. As an adjunct to the staff, the college would advise the President, devise plans, acquire information, and direct the intellectual exercise of the Army.

The first War College class of six captains and three majors of the Army and Marine Corps convened November 1st, 1904, as the first professional education beyond West Point. The students worked military issues of the day that were of interest to the General Staff while studying national defense, military science, and command.

In 1916, the official relationship between the General Staff and the college ended with the passage of the National Defense Act. Engagement in World War I followed and the school closed for two years.

Reopening in the fall of 1919, the focus shifted from preparing and mentoring the General Staff to the academic studies of war. The curriculum included historical studies, responsible command, and the effects of political, social and economic factors on national defense. During this period, the nation's key World War II leaders including Generals Dwight Eisenhower, George Patton, Omar Bradley and Admiral William Halsey further developed their knowledge and skills as Army War College students.

As trained and experienced officers were needed during World War II, the college closed its doors in the 1940's. In 1950, the school opened again to address the growing Army's need for more officers with an advanced education. The Chief of Staff, General J. Lawton Collins reestablished the Army War College at Fort Leavenworth for a single class year before moving to its new home at Carlisle Barracks in October, 1951. The college refocused to understand the lessons from World War II and prepare students for the bipolar environment of the Cold War.

New security challenges emerged with the fall of the Soviet Union and the information revolution of the 1990s. The Army War College curriculum evolved to focus on the strategic level of war. The college transformed from a military school preparing officers to work on the Army staff to a graduate-level college, accredited to award a master's degree in strategic studies to students. Today, the Army War College prepares the next generation of senior leaders.

(Link: http://www.carlisle.army.mil/history.htm)