ALCOAST 220/20 - JUN 2020 COMMAND AND STAFF POST-GRADUATE PROGRAM SOLICITATION MESSAGE

R 041400 JUN 20
FM COMDT COGARD WASHINGTON DC//CG-5R//
TO ALCOAST
UNCLAS//N01524//
ALCOAST 220/20
COMDTNOTE 1524
SUBJ: COMMAND AND STAFF POST-GRADUATE PROGRAM SOLICITATION MESSAGE
A. COMCOGARD FORCECOM NORFOLK VA 131157 MAY 20/ALCOAST 173/20
B. Performance, Training and Education Manual, COMDTINST M1500.10 (series)
1. This message solicits applicants for postgraduate opportunities at the Department
of Defense's Command and Staff Colleges.
2. Overview. Each year the Coast Guard sends officers to the Air Command and Staff
College, the Army Command and General Staff College, the College of Naval Command
and Staff, Maritime Advanced Warfare School, and the Marine Corps Command and Staff
College. These year-long resident programs offer outstanding opportunities for
professional development. All graduates earn a Master's Degree and Joint Professional
Military Education Level 1 (JPME-1) credit.
    a. Air Command and Staff College (ACSC) (1 Quota). Information is available at:
http://www.airuniversity.af.mil/ACSC/. ACSC, located at Maxwell Air Force Base,
Montgomery, AL, is the intermediate Air Force professional military school. Annually,
ACSC prepares over 500 resident and over 9,000 nonresident students from all U.S.
Military Services, federal agencies, and 65 partner nations to lead in the operational
environment, emphasizing the employment of air power in joint operations. ACSC
endeavors to develop bold air power leaders who think, communicate and collaborate in
the joint environment to strengthen national security. Graduates go on to provide
significant contributions in developing, employing, sustaining and commanding air,
space and cyberspace power in joint and combined operation's throughout the world.
    b. Army Command and General Staff College (CGSC) (1 Quota). Information is available
at: http://usacac.army.mil/organizations/cace/cgsc/. Located in Fort Leavenworth, KS,
the CGSC educates and trains intermediate level Army Officers, International Officers,
Sister Service Officers and Interagency leaders prepared to operate in full spectrum
Army, joint, interagency, and multinational environments as field grade commanders and
staff officers. The CGSC curriculum is designed to educate field grade leaders on the
uses of military power at the operational and tactical levels in small collaborative
seminars. Students are expected to meet all requirements to earn their Master of
Military Art and Science (MMAS). CGSC grants MMAS degree based upon the candidate’s
successful completion of the Command and General Staff School Intermediate Level
Education course, an oral comprehensive exam, and a thesis based on original research.
    c. College of Naval Command and Staff (CNCS) at the Naval War College (NWC) (4 Quotas).
Information is available at: www.usnwc.edu/college-of-naval-command-and-staff. Located
in Newport, RI, this professional graduate-level education institution was established
to provide mid-grade military officers a chance to study their profession. The CNCS
(intermediate level) is a multidisciplinary program designed for Navy, Coast Guard,
Marine Corps, Army, and Air Force officers in the paygrade of O-4, and civilians of
equivalent seniority from various federal agencies. Its curriculum is based upon three
core courses offered by the Strategy and Policy, National Security Affairs, and Joint
Military Operations Departments. Students are expected to meet all requirements to earn
their JPME I accreditation and receive a master’s degree in National Security and
Strategic Studies degree.
    d. Maritime Advanced Warfighting School (MAWS) (1 Quota). Information is available
at: www.usnwc.edu/college-of-naval-command-and-staff. MAWS is a resident program
completed in conjunction with the CNCS curriculum. This course will develop strategic
and operational leaders with the skills required to plan, execute, and assess combined,
joint, and naval operations. It also educates students on effective decision-making and
leadership, focusing primarily at the theater strategic level. Students will receive
an introduction to MAWS and the Navy Planning Process, students will also review Joint
and Navy Planning documents. As well as, receive an introduction to the Joint Force
Maritime Component Commander Environment concept, command and control, and force employment
considerations for planners. The 13 month curriculum for resident students is divided
into three trimesters including a summer practicum, and is taught at NWC in Newport, RI.
Students in this program are awarded additional credit on top of the master’s degree in
Defense and Strategic Studies and JPME I credit.
    e. Marine Corps Command and Staff College (CSC) (1 Quota). Information is available
at: www.mcu.usmc.mil/csc/SitePages/Home.aspx. Located in Quantico, VA, the CSC provides
graduate level education and training in order to develop critical thinkers, innovative
problem solvers, and ethical leaders who will serve as commanders and staff officers in
service, joint, interagency, and multinational organizations confronting complex and
uncertain security environments. It is a 10 month program for majors, lieutenant
commanders, and U.S. government civilian professionals that fulfills JPME Phase I
requirements. Additionally, students are expected to meet all requirements to earn their
Master of Military Studies degree.
3. Eligibility. These programs are open to all operational specialties. Ideal candidates
are those officers just completing an operational tour. These programs offer opportunities
in the Defense Operations career field, which values officers able to maintain an
operational career path. In addition to the application guidelines set forth in REFs (A)
and (B), applicants:
    a. Must be in the grade of 0-4. Selected for promotion to the grade of 0-4. 0-4s in
zone for O-5 in promotion year 2021 (summer 2020) are also encouraged to apply;
    b. Should have an established operational career path;
    c. Should apply from an operational assignment, or one that otherwise allows enough
time to complete the program and likely follow on staff assignment in enough time to meet
operational currency requirements;
    d. Possess the requisite academic aptitude to earn a Master's degree. If selected,
students will complete all of the requirements to earn a Master's degree. (Standardized
tests are NOT required for this program.)
4. Follow on Tours. Graduates of the Command and Staff programs can expect follow on
assignments in locations that involve execution of Defense Operations, to include:
Headquarters Office of Counterterrorism and Defense Operations Policy (CG-ODO),
Area Staffs, various liaison and staff positions in the Pentagon, liaison assignments
with the Navy, and assignments to Combatant Commands. Tour lengths range from two to
four years.
5. Additional information is available on school websites. Students do not apply directly
to the school and should not contact them for application information or instructions.
For additional information, prospective students are encouraged to contact LCDR Simon
Greene at simon.c.greene@uscg.mil or (202) 372-2112.
6. RDML S. W. Clendenin, Assistant Commandant for Response Policy, sends.
7. Internet release is authorized.