War Colleges

Six U.S. institutions of higher education that offer professional military education to senior officers, defense department civilians, and foreign military officials. Four of the institutions—the Army War College (AWC) at Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania; the Naval War College (NWC) at Newport, Rhode Island; the Air War College at Maxwell Air Force Base in Alabama; and the Marine Corps War College (MCWAR) at Quantico in Virginia—are linked to their respective service branches.

The concept of joint military leadership training grew from concern about the difficulties of coordinating land, sea, and air attacks during World War II. Although their student bodies vary according to their missions, the colleges share similar goals: improving the professional education of the highest levels of military leadership and applying lessons learned during war.

National Defense University (NDU)

The National Defense University (NDU), established in 1976 and headquartered at Fort McNair in Washington, DC, includes the National War College and the Industrial War College, which were created after World War II to provide leadership education for members of different service branches. The NDU also includes the Joint Forces Staff College and the Information Resources Management College. The NDU serves as the primary research and policy development institution for the Department of Defense as well as providing a joint educational program for senior military leadership. NDU centers provide outreach to the leadership of countries on every continent. In 1994, the NDU began granting a master of science degree in National Resource Strategy to graduates of the Industrial War College and a master of science in National Security Strategy to graduates of the National War College.

Naval War College (NWC)

The oldest military institution in the United States is the NWC, which was established in 1884 on Coasters Harbor Island, Newport, Rhode Island, to offer an advanced course of professional study for naval officers. The founding president, Commodore Stephen B. Luce, viewed the college as a place for senior officers to study strategy, tactics, and operations based on the examination of history. He expanded a one-month course for junior officers into a full-year program integral to a naval officer's career pattern.

The school gained international notoriety when Luce's successor, Alfred Thayer Mahan, published The Influence of Seapower Upon History in 1890. Mahan's writings and lectures greatly influenced Theodore Roosevelt, Henry Cabot Lodge, and other world leaders, including Kaiser Wilhelm II, shaping global policy based on sea power at the beginning of the 20th century.

In 1887, the NWC introduced an elaborate program of war-gaming. The college soon emerged as an internationally recognized laboratory for war planning and military operations. Tactical, operational, and even technical problems were routinely submitted to the college for solution.

[Page 802]World War I interrupted studies at the NWC, and when the college reopened in 1919, its program focused on four major subjects: command, strategy, tactics, and policy. Since 1949, the NWC has published a journal currently titled Naval War College Review and hosted the annual Current Strategy Forum.

Army War College (AWC)

The AWC, established in 1903, traces its roots to the aftermath of the Spanish-American War. Although the United States easily defeated the Spanish, the American military was criticized in the media and political arenas.

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