Program Description
The Chief Master Sergeant Leadership Course (CLC) is a 160-hour professional military education course taught at Maxwell Air Force Base-Gunter Annex, Alabama, and is the pinnacle of the Enlisted Airmanship Continuum. The course equips chief master sergeants with strategic insight to bridge operational execution and enterprise-level leadership, and empowers to inspire, lead and mentor Airmen for current and future challenges.
A new CLC will start in late 2025, after a nine-month course pause for curriculum refinement. This new course integrates 40 hours of facilitated distance learning with 120 hours of in-residence instruction.
Guided by the U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff’s 2024 vision for transformative change to sustain air superiority, the new CLC focuses on four pillars: strategic leadership; joint, interagency, intergovernmental, and multinational (JIIM) operations; organizational functions and domains; and command leadership. This comprehensive framework prepares chiefs to navigate complex global warfighting environments. Through immersive training in mission command, joint operations and operational collaboration, chiefs sharpen critical thinking and enterprise-level decision making, enabling them to lead agile, resilient organizations capable of deterring and prevailing in high-end conflicts across all domains. The CLC fosters expertise in strategic leadership and JIIM operations, ensuring chiefs drive collaboration and apply command principles for mission success in a dynamic world.
The course was developed at the Thomas N. Barnes Center for Enlisted Education, with input from major command representatives, combatant command experts, Air University faculty, field leaders, subject matter experts and recent graduates.
Beta Course Schedule
- Facilitated Distance Learning: June 16–30, 2025
- In-Residence: July 14–Aug. 1, 2025
- Notifications: Once the selection process is complete, CLC students will receive an email from CLC faculty with their class date and information.
Duration and Structure
The CLC is a 160-hour virtual and in-resident program. It begins with 10 days (40 hours) of facilitated distance learning, combining self-paced modules with facilitated virtual sessions to deliver foundational leadership principles and strategic insights in a flexible format tailored to warfighters’ needs. This is followed by an immersive 15-academic-day (120-hour, excluding weekends) in-residence experience, combining hands-on training and advanced education to refine leadership expertise. There are eight courses each year with 72 to 84 carefully selected students.
Eligibility
"CLA is a senior level in-resident force development opportunity and is required for newly selected RegAF before 12 months TIG and AFR CMSgts. This course is optional for AFR/ANG CMSgts," per Department of the Air Force Instruction 36-2685, section 3.3.4.
Faculty
The CLC faculty comprises active duty and retired chief master sergeants, supported by civilian educators and staff. Instructors are rigorously selected based on their professional experience, academic credentials and faculty qualifications, ensuring unparalleled mentorship in this premier leadership program.