The United States Army War College is a United States Army school located in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, on the 500 acre (2 km²) campus of the historic Carlisle Barracks, a military post dating back to the 1770s. It caters to high-level military personnel and civilians and prepares them for strategic leadership responsibilities. It is the U. S. Army's most senior military educational institution.
The War College is a split-functional institution. While a great deal of emphasis is placed on research, students are also instructed in leadership, strategy, and joint-service/international operations.
Approximately 600 students attend at any one time, half in a two-year-long Internet-based program, and the other half in an on-campus program lasting ten months. The college grants its graduates, both civilian and military, a Master's degree in strategic studies.
The Army handpicks most of the students who participate in the residential program, but the student body always includes officers from the other military branches, civilians (from the Pentagon, State Department, and the National Security Agency), and several dozen senior officers from foreign countries. For example, the residential Class of 2004 included:
268 officers from the Army (active, reserve, National Guard), Navy (active, reserve), Air Force (active, reserve, National Guard), Marine Corps (active, reserve) and U.S. Coast Guard;
30 senior civilian employees of the federal government; and
According to U. S. Army regulation 10-44, the mission of the War College is to "To prepare selected military, civilian, and international leaders for the responsibilities of strategic leadership; educate current and future leaders on the development and employment of landpower in a joint, multinational and interagency environment; conduct research and publish on national security and military strategy; and engage in activities in support of the Army’s strategic communication efforts."
The first president of the Army War College was Gen. Tasker H. Bliss and the first students attended the College in 1904. The College remained at Washington Barracks until 1940, when it was closed due to World War II. It reopened in 1950 at Fort Leavenworth, and moved one year later to its present location.
Peacekeeping and Stability Operations Institute
The Peacekeeping and Stability Operations Institute (PKSOI) is located at the United States Army War College.
PKSOI's mission is to serve as the U.S. Military’s Center of Excellence for Stability and Peace Operations at the Strategic and Operational levels in order to improve military, civilian agency, international, and multinational capabilities and execution.
Strategic Experiential Education Group The College's Strategic Experiential Education Group, researching, developing and acquiring models, games, and simulations to augment the learning environment at the US Army War College