Air War College

The War Department established the Air War College (AWC) in 1946 at what was called Maxwell Field, Alabama—now it’s Maxwell Air Force Base. The AWC has operated continuously since then except for a six-month period during the Korean conflict. The AWC resident program class membership includes officers from each US military services, civilian employees of federal government agencies, and officers from the international community. All US students are dually enrolled in the AWC senior-level professional military education (PME) program and the Master of Strategic Studies degree program; therefore, they must meet admission requirements for the master’s degree. The AWC PME program is accredited for joint professional military education (JPME) phase II as defined for senior level colleges in the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Instruction (CJCSI) 1800.01E, Officer Professional Military Education Policy. International Fellows who qualify for entry in the AWC program are enrolled in the AWC senior level PME program and may choose to apply for admission to the Master of Strategic Studies degree program. As the senior Air Force PME school, AWC annually educates about 245 resident students from all US military services, federal agencies, and international fellows from 45 nations. The Air War College online program is part of the eGraduate School at Air University. **Key Tasks** 1. The AWC prepares senior officers to lead at the strategic level across the range of military operations, in joint, interagency, and multinational environments. 2. We develop senior joint leaders who can successfully master the cross-domains of air, space, and cyberspace and offer strategic contributions to national security. 3. We create strategic officers who can advance innovative thought on national security issues. **Mission** Educate senior military and civilian teammates to serve as critical and strategic thinkers able to serve as national security senior leaders. **Vision** The foremost college for air, space, and cyberspace education and thought–preparing the world’s best joint senior leaders.