Air War College
Encyclopedia
The Air War College is a part of the United States Air Force's Air University, headquartered at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama. Air University's higher headquarters is Air Education and Training Command
Air Education and Training Command
Air Education and Training Command was established July 1, 1993, with the realignment of Air Training Command and Air University. It is one of the U.S. Air Force's ten major commands and reports to Headquarters, United States Air Force....

 (AETC) headquartered at Randolph Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas. The Air War College emphasizes the employment of air, space, and cyberspace in joint operations. The Army War College, Naval War College
Naval War College
The Naval War College is an education and research institution of the United States Navy that specializes in developing ideas for naval warfare and passing them along to officers of the Navy. The college is located on the grounds of Naval Station Newport in Newport, Rhode Island...

, Marine Corps War College
Marine Corps War College
The Marine Corps War College , is the senior school of the Marine Corps University, providing Joint Professional Military Education to selected United States military officers, civilian Government officials, and international military officers...

, National Defense University
National Defense University
The National Defense University is an institution of higher education funded by the United States Department of Defense, intended to facilitate high-level training, education, and the development of national security strategy. It is chartered by the Joint Chiefs of Staff, with Navy Vice Admiral...

, and Industrial College of the Armed Forces
Industrial College of the Armed Forces
The Industrial College of the Armed Forces is a U.S. military educational institution tasked with preparing military officers and civilian government officials for leadership and executive positions in the field of national security...

 are other War Colleges within the Department of Defense's Joint Professional Military Education (JPME) Phase II Education Program.

History

The Air War College was founded in 1946 by the United States War Department (now the Department of Defense
United States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...

) at what was then Maxwell Field. The college has operated continuously since its founding except for a period of six months during the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...

.

Professional Military Education

The Air War College (AWC) curriculum has been certified as Joint Professional Military Education (JPME)Joint Professional Military Education
Joint Professional Military Education
Joint Professional Military Education is a form of Professional Military Education in the United States that emphasizes a multiservice approach. Joint Professional Military Education was established following greater awareness during World War II of a need for effective cooperation between the...

 Phase II by the Joint Chiefs of Staff. According to the most recent posting on the official Air War College webpage "The AWC resident program class membership includes senior officers [lieutenant colonel or USN/USCG commander (O-5) and colonel or USN/USCG captain (O-6) level] from each US military service, civilian employees of federal government agencies at grade GS-14/GM-14 or GS-15/GM-15, and equivalent rank military officers from the international community of nations."

The AWC resident program consists of ten (10) months of graduate level courses for a total of 36 credit hours. Graduates receive a Master of Strategic Studies consisting of 4 credit hours in electives, 5 credit hours in research, 3 credit hours in Joint Strategic Leadership, 3 credit hours in National Security Decision Making, 5 credit hours in Foundations of Strategy, 6 credit hours in Warfighting, 4 credit hours in Regional and Cultural Studies, 3 credit hours in Global Security, and 3 credit hours from the capstone Global Challenge Wargame. The AWC Website curriculum page at http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/curriculum.htm contains details on admission, graduation requirements, and descriptions of core and elective courses.

Course description

The Air War College is the senior professional military education school of the US Air Force. It emphasizes the development of joint knowledges, skills and attributes required of all Air Force, Sister Service, and international senior officers as well as Department of Defense and other National Security civilians, with special focus on their application to large organization and institutional leadership responsibilities. The resident course is ten months long. The school also offers a non-resident program that is typically completed in 20 months or less.

The Air War College's Mission is to:
"prepare students to lead in a joint, interagency and multinational environment at the strategic level across the range of military operations; to develop cross-domain mastery of joint air, space, and cyberspace power and its strategic contributions to national security; and to advance innovative thought on National Security, Department of Defense and Air Forces issues."

The AWC curriculum focuses on five learning areas of emphasis:
Learning Area 1: Profession of Arms Emphasis. Graduates are capable of leading in a joint environment at the strategic level across the range of military operations.
Learning Area 2: Warfare Studies Emphasis. Graduates make sound judgments on the cross-domain use of joint air, space and cyberspace power to maintain national security.
Learning Area 3: Leadership Studies Emphasis. Graduates are prepared to exercise transformational leadership at group/wing command and above levels in service, joint, and coalition settings.
Learning Area 4: International Security Studies Emphasis. Graduates are equipped to advance innovative thought on national security, Department of Defense and Air Force issues.
Learning Area 5: Communication Studies Emphasis. Graduates can communicate complex information in a clear, concise and logical manner in both written and oral formats.

See Also

  • National War College
    National War College
    The National War College of the United States is a school in the National Defense University. It is housed in Roosevelt Hall on Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C., the third-oldest Army post still active. It was officially established on July 1, 1946, as an upgraded replacement for the...

  • Army War College
  • Naval War College
    Naval War College
    The Naval War College is an education and research institution of the United States Navy that specializes in developing ideas for naval warfare and passing them along to officers of the Navy. The college is located on the grounds of Naval Station Newport in Newport, Rhode Island...

  • Marine War College

External links

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