The Command and General Staff College (CGSC) is one of the 33 schools under the US Army’s Combined Arms Center (CAC), each of which is responsible for training specific branch skills and serving as the Army’s functional expert in that area. The CGSC, as an Army educational and training facility, focuses on the areas of infantry and cavalry. CAC is under the guidance of the US Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC). TRADOC is a military command of the United States Army that oversees training of Army forces, the development of operational doctrine, and the development and procurement of new weapons systems.
The CGSC is the umbrella college for five constituent schools. The
Command and General Staff School (CGSS) focuses on educating and training intermediate level Army officers as field grade commanders and staff officers. The School has five programs: the Center for Army Tactics, the Department of Joint and Multinational Operations, the Department of Logistics and Resource Operations, the Department of Military History, and the Leadership Instruction Division through the Center for Army Leadership. Additionally, the CGSS supervises the CGSC Command to the Nation program; the program involves community outreach to promote the understanding and appreciation of the Armed Forces as civilians in their communities, and as military professionals.
CGSC is also head of the
Department of Distance Education (DDE) which develops, distributes, and administers CGSC’s distance learning programs to active and reserve officers. According to their website, these programs are intended to teach leaders “to execute full-spectrum joint, interagency, and multinational operations through non-traditional means” (“non-traditional means” are methods of warfare other than combat between two or more national armed forces). While founded for the Army, DDE also provides this training to active and reserve officers in the US military’s other branches through its
sister services.
The
School for Advanced Military Studies is a graduate program that educates officers in military art and sciences. The program primarily focuses on military history, military theory, and execution-based practical exercises in order to develop cognitive-solving skills. The School also has a two-year
Advanced Operational Art Studies Fellowship to prepare senior officers for colonel-level command and for operational planning assignments to combatant and service component commands.
CGSC’s
School for Command Preparation is aimed at preparing command selects, command sergeant major selects, and their spouses for effective command team performance when the Army is at war. Additionally, the School provides simulation enhanced tactical training for students and faculty members of CGSC.
The
Army Management Staff College (AMSC) became a subordinated school in 2005. Its primary goal is to prepare Army civilian and military leaders to assume leadership and management responsibilities. The College acts as the lead agent for the Civilian Education System curriculum.
Other US military branches are also affiliated with the Army’s CGSC and they have their own organizations to support the education and training received at the different schools. The
Air Force Element works to educate future senior leaders in the CGSC on principles and applications of air and space power as well as strategic, operational and tactical use of military force. The
Navy Element began with the first Navy liaison officer in 1931. The Element provides a connection between the Combined Arms Center, the Command and General Staff College, and the activities and personnel of the US Navy.
The
Combined Arms Research Library is a military science research center for CGSC, as well as the post library for Fort Leavenworth. Not only does the library provide resources for the officers, the community library is open to their families and includes a children’s section and story time. Their
links section provides links for each US military branch, military history, and information on current issues such as Iraq, Iran, and Somalia.
CGSC also has a
Quality Assurance Office that does evaluations on the procedures within the College. The office looks at paper and web surveys, telephone surveys, focus groups, structured interviews conducted in person, and observations.
Schools
Organizations