The war college experience.

Abstract

The purpose of character development in the military officer corps is to produce a leader who can be trusted to bear arms in the name, and in the defense, of the democracy. Character development is the focus of Officer Professional Military Education, a process that ranges from pre-commissioning (undergraduate) to graduate level education at the War Colleges. War College students are talented, experienced adults and demanding, interesting students. They have as much to learn from each other as they do from the curriculum or the professors. They expect professors to be energized, and the curriculum to be relevant; they are quick to recognize fluff. This all has an impact on how they learn, how we should teach, how we select and develop faculty, and how we assign faculty responsibilities for curriculum development and research.

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The doctor, the lawyer, and the Indian chief go to graduate school--and they are all in your seminar. I am writing this article out of a passion for teaching. What is offered here is based entirely on practical experience in the arena of officer professional military education. Because I have no formal grounding in theories of "education," it is possible that what is presented in this piece cannot be generalized. However, I expect there are a few parallels in executive development, adult education, and perhaps professional graduate schools. In any case I appreciate the opportunity to write down these opinions and to hear back from those who read this article--whether they consider it drivel, dubious, or useful discourse.

The students. War College students are talented, experienced adults and demanding, interesting students. These are not "normal" graduate students in search of a career. These are mid-career high-performers, who have been carefully selected to spend a year in residence. [1]

War College students have between 17-24 years of active duty military service; many have commanded large organizations, a high-percentage come from staff positions in Washington, DC. A substantial number have been stationed overseas. Some come directly from Afghanistan or Iraq. All have Bachelor degrees, most have Masters, and a few have doctorate or professional degrees. They are competitively selected; promotion rates among these students are extraordinarily high. They attend alongside an equally well-qualified and upwardly mobile group of international officers. They arrive enthusiastic and ready to solve problems. They are quick to distinguish between what is useful and what is fluff. They expect to benefit from their academic year, and they expect their talents to be recognized and exploited. This all has an impact on how they learn, how we should teach, how we select and develop faculty, and faculty responsibilities for curriculum development and research.

How they learn. War College students already know a great deal; they often assume they know even more. Whatever new information the professor or the curriculum offers will be tested and tempered against the students' base of experience.