General and Flag Officer Course

PURPOSE: Prepare Service Chief-selected general officers from all six Services and International partners for theater-level functional and/or service command, and provide potential CFACCs with a broad perspective of the operational level of war.

TARGET AUDIENCE: Approximately 17 one- and two-star officers in the following mix: six US Air Force/US Space Force, two US Army, two US Navy, two US Marine Corps, and five allied flag officers from the selected region of focus. Six-day course offered three times per year in residence.

BACKGROUND: Present course evolved from the Joint Force Air Component Commander Course. Four Services signed the initial Memorandum of Understanding in March 1997. The first class was conducted in February 1998. This course receives significant aid from the 505th Command and Control Wing at Hurlburt Field, FL to include curriculum coordination and lesson instruction.

CURRICULUM: Focus is on basic organization and processes internal to a Combined Air Operations Center (CAOC) and working in a joint and coalition environment. Course content includes: senior level leadership, warfighting, military doctrine, and application of joint and combined air combat forces designed as preparation for future crises. Instruction for the course comes from senior national-level civilian and military representatives, combatant commanders and retired battle-tested officers. Since October 2021, each course has a different regional focus: Pacific, Europe, and Middle East.

METHODOLOGY: 70% lecture, 30% discussion; approximately 40 speakers.

Point of Contact:
LeMay Center Flag Officer Division
Phone: (334) 953-5101

PURPOSE: Prepare Service Chief-selected general officers of all Services for theater-level joint and combined command at the task-force level and above.

TARGET AUDIENCE: 1- and 2-star officers; 22 flag officers (3 Army, 5 Navy, 3 Marine, 7 Air Force, 1 Space Force, 1 Coast Guard, 2 Interagency/DoD Senior Civilian).

CURRICULUM: 

- Sponsored by the CJCS/J7, owned and controlled by the four Service Chiefs. Course development and execution delegated to Service executive agents: the Commandant, Army War College; President, Naval War College; President, Marine Corps University; and the Commander, Air University.

- Foundation of the course is CJCS Instruction 1800.01G, Officer Professional Military Education Policy (OPMEP).

- The focus of this course is exposure to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Service Chiefs, Combatant Commanders (or their designated representatives) and senior officers with Joint Task Force Command experience across the range of military operations.

- Instruction for the course comes from senior national-level civilian and military representatives, combatant commanders, and retired battle-tested officers to include senior mentors at the 3-star level.

- Course content includes warfighting, synchronization of interagency operations, military doctrine, and the application of unified, joint, and combined combat forces.

- 5-day course offered twice per year in residence at Maxwell AFB, AL.

METHODOLOGY: 75% lecture, 25% discussion; approximately 30 speakers.

Point of Contact:
LeMay Center Flag Officer Division
Phone: (334) 953-5101

PURPOSE: Prepare Service Chief-selected general officers from all Services to understand the complex issues dealing with Cyberspace policy and national strategy including joint, combined, interagency, congressional, academic, and private industry perspectives.

TARGET AUDIENCE: : Once annually for three- and four-star officers; ~12 (2 Army, 2 Navy, 2 Marine Corps, 5 Air/Space Force, 1 Coast Guard/DoD Senior Executive) and once annually for one- and two-star officers; ~19 (3 Army, 4 Navy, 2 Marine Corps, 8 Air/Space Force, 1 Coast Guard, and 1 DoD Senior Executive). Services may exceed allocation if quotas are unfilled by other Services.

CURRICULUM: 

• In-residence course conducted at the TS/SCI classification level.
• Facilitated by 2 or more Senior Mentors/Advisors/SMEs (not AU staff members), and instruction for the course comes from guest speakers followed by discussion: senior national-level civilians, industry, academic and military experts (USCYBERCOM/CC, Cyber National Mission Force/CC, DASD for Cyber Policy, JS/J6, CISA, NSA, FBI, and academia/industry SMEs).
• Course content includes: Cyber Policy, Defining Cyberspace, Offensive/Defensive Capabilities/Vignettes, Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning, Inter-Agency, Industry and Academic perspectives, Information Assurance, and Legal Implications.
• Originally designed for Air Force Professional Military Education, the course has evolved and is now fully joint.  Defined in the CJCSI 1800.01G Officer Professional Military Education Policy, dtd 15 Apr 2024. Hosted and administered by Air University at Maxwell Air Force Base, AL.
• 2-day course offered twice per year (once at the 3- and 4-star level and once at the 1- and 2-star level).

METHODOLOGY: 50% lecture, 50% discussion; approximately 13 speakers.

Point of Contact:
LeMay Center Flag Officer Division
Phone: (334) 953-5101

PURPOSE: Prepare Service Chief-selected GO/FOs from all services and senior executive civilians to develop planning and execution skills in IO as a core military competency. This course enables the joint force to apply informational power across the competition continuum by deliberately leveraging the inherent informational aspects of operations, activities, and investments. It also enables the planning and execution of operations in the information environment.

TARGET AUDIENCE: One- and two-star GO/FOs and SES equivalents preparing for or currently serving in a joint operational staff tour in the Intelligence, Operations, Planning or other directorate; ~18 flag officers (5 Army/ARNG, 5 Air Force/ANG/Space Force, 3 Navy, 2 Marine Corps, 2 Inter-agency & 1 Coast Guard, though numbers vary).

  CURRICULUM:

• Course is focused on how the joint force considers and uses information to support achieving its objectives at the operational and strategic levels. Some time is allotted to understanding the DoD’s information role in a whole-of-government approach.
• Course content includes: the Joint Warfighting Concept; doctrine and policy; information in joint operations; information forces; adversarial use of the information environment; and application of joint, combined, and inter-agency operations in the information environment.
• Instruction for the course comes from senior, national-level military and civilian experts, combatant commanders, and retired, battle-tested officers, to include senior mentors at the three-star level.
• Five-day course offered twice per year in residence at Maxwell AFB, AL.

METHODOLOGY: 50% lecture, 50% discussion; approximately 30 speakers.

Point of Contact:
LeMay Center Flag Officer Division
Phone: (334) 953-5101