United States General Accounting Office

GAO Briefing Report to Congressional

Requesters

September 1993 MILITARY

EDUCATION

Information on Service

Academies and

Schools

GAO/NSIAD-93-264BR

GAO United States

General Accounting Office

Washington, D.C. 20548

National Security and

International Affairs Division

B-254314 

Letter Date Goes Here

The Honorable Patricia Schroeder

Chairwoman, Subcommittee on Research

 and Technology

Committee on Armed Services

House of Representatives

The Honorable Joel Hefley

House of Representatives

In response to your request and subsequent discussions, we have

examined the feasibility of relocating professional military education

institutions to the various military academies. We reviewed officer

professional military education to determine (1) how the services define

professional military education, (2) where professional military education

courses are conducted, (3) how many students participate in these

courses, and (4) what are the costs associated with them.

We have briefed your office on the results of our review. We agreed to

expand our review and include various information on officer training

activities, in addition to professional military education, performed by the

services. This report presents the results of our work.

Background The Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff, established policies, programs,

guidelines, and procedures for coordinating, among other things, the

professional military education of members of the U.S. Armed Forces. The

Chairman’s Memorandum 1618-93, Military Education Policy Document,

issued in March 1993, contains this guidance.

The guidance defines professional military education as the education that

provides individuals with the skills, knowledge, and understanding that

enable them to make sound decisions in progressively more demanding

command and staff positions within the national security environment. It

addresses the military, political, economic, social, and psychological

dimensions of national security with varying degrees of emphasis. These

include planning and conducting war, organization of the services, joint

and combined operations, force employment and deployment concepts,

and military leadership. Military departments are required to incorporate

the Chairman’s guidance into their own education systems.

Page 1 GAO/NSIAD-93-264BR Professional Military Education
B-254314 

Each of the three military departments has a military academy. They are

the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York; the U.S. Naval

Academy in Annapolis, Maryland; and the U.S. Air Force Academy in

Colorado Springs, Colorado. As table 1 shows, the Army, the Navy, the Air

Force, and the Marine Corps also each have one professional military

education intermediate and one senior service school.

Table 1: Name and Location of Service

Professional Military Education

Intermediate and Senior Service

Schools

Service Name of school Location of school

Intermediate schools

Army Command and General

Staff College

Fort Leavenworth, Kansas

Navy College of Naval Command

and Staff

Newport, Rhode Island

Air Force Air Command and Staff

College

Maxwell Air Force Base,

Montgomery, Alabama

Marine Corps Command and Staff College Quantico, Virginia

Senior schools

Army Army War College Carlisle Barracks,

Pennsylvania

Navy College of Naval Warfare Newport, Rhode Island

Air Force Air War College Maxwell Air Force Base,

Montgomery, Alabama

Marine Corps Marine Corps War College Quantico, Virginia

Results in Brief With the exception of the Air Force Academy, the opportunity to absorb

additional professional military education institutions at the military

academies is limited by physical, financial, and environmental constraints.

All three academies are at or over capacity for classroom and dormitory

facilities. The U.S. Military and U.S. Naval academies have very little land

available to build additional facilities.

The services differ in how they interpret the definition of professional

military education as defined in the Military Education Policy Document.

For example, the Army considers an officer’s basic course in a warfare

specialty such as infantry or logistics as part of professional military

education, while the Air Force does not. Therefore, because of how the

services define this education, the Army has more professional military

education schools that could be consolidated than the Air Force.

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B-254314 

We identified 32 different schools involved in conducting 60 different

courses. During academic year 1992-93, over 36,000 students were enrolled

in these schools.

About $123 million was the projected cost for providing professional

military education in fiscal year 1993. This cost includes salaries for the

instructors and support staff, but the total cost of this education is

incomplete because it does not factor in such costs as student salaries.

Opportunities for

Relocating

Educational Activities

to the Service

Academies Are

Considered Limited

Although each of the academies will be reducing the number of

appointments, officials stated that the reduction will not increase the

space available for classrooms or dormitories, but will ease the current

overcrowding. They also noted other physical, financial, and

environmental constraints that restricted their ability to absorb additional

functions and activities.

U.S. Military Academy at

West Point

This Academy is located on rather mountainous terrain. The 16,080 acre

campus is surrounded by the town of Highland Falls, New York, land

owned by a major university, and the Hudson River. The undeveloped land

within the campus is primarily on mountains and is composed primarily of

granite. Academy officials stated that the cost to level the mountains or to

construct facilities on them would be enormous.

In addition, some parts of the mountains (about 9,500 acres) have served

as firing ranges in the past. Unexploded ordnance would have to be

removed as part of any construction project. Further, Academy officials

said that environmental laws prevent filling in the river to increase the

usable land mass.

An Academy official told us that the 1992 enrollment of 4,320 cadets

resulted in 3 to 4 people per dormitory room. These rooms were designed

to accommodate two per room. Officials estimated the cost to reconfigure

the academic, cadet, and faculty facilities to address existing deficiencies

in space, laboratories, and classrooms at over $1 billion.

Academy officials also pointed out that any construction to the facilities

must comply with the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 since the

Academy is on the national historical register. Even some of the mountain

Page 3 GAO/NSIAD-93-264BR Professional Military Education
B-254314 

vistas (scenic views) are historic and no obstructions are allowed. This

restriction also applies to parts of the Hudson River that border the

Academy.

U.S. Naval Academy at

Annapolis

The biggest constraint facing any potential relocation of education

activities to the Naval Academy is the lack of land suitable for

development at the main academic quadrant. The Academy is bordered on

one side by the historic district of the City of Annapolis, Maryland, and on

the remaining three sides by the Severn River and Spa Creek. According to

the officials, the Chesapeake Bay Critical Area Act and the National

Environmental Policy Act make expansion in any direction extremely

limited.

Like the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, the main site of the

Academy has been designated as a National Historic Landmark District. Its

buildings, property, and certain open spaces and vistas are subject to

protection of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966. Officials said

that all buildings are in full use. They also stated that preliminary findings

of an ongoing academic space study—scheduled for issuance in

March 1994—indicate a deficiency in existing laboratory space and faculty

offices.

U.S. Air Force Academy at

Colorado Springs

The Air Force Academy is the newest of the three academies and was built

about 40 years ago. Unlike the two older academies, this Academy is not

on the national historical register and is not constrained by preservation

requirements. It has about 18,000 acres and about half of it could possibly

be used to accommodate additional educational facilities. However, an Air

Force official stated that the cost of new construction projects for

relocating the Air Force intermediate and senior service schools may be

prohibitive. That is, the cost to build at the Academy might be more than

the expected savings anticipated through consolidation or relocation.

The official also said that space deficiencies exist in the current faculty

and student facilities, and Congress appropriated $36 million in fiscal

years 1991-92 for an expansion project to overcome these identified

deficiencies. The Department of Defense (DOD) released these funds on

August 21, 1993.

Page 4 GAO/NSIAD-93-264BR Professional Military Education
B-254314 

Services Interpret

Military Education

Definition Differently

As the Military Education Policy Document points out, professional

military education has five progressive levels: precommissioning, primary,

intermediate, senior, and general/flag.1

 Each level is designed to provide

the officer with the necessary skills and knowledge to function effectively

and to assume additional responsibilities. For example, at the primary

level the education provides basic and advanced instruction in selected

areas, called branch specialties.

Instruction at the intermediate level is designed for promotable captains or

majors or their equivalents in the other services. Instruction at the senior

levels is intended for lieutenant colonels or colonels or their equivalents.

The Army, the Navy, and the Marine Corps consider primary level

education in a warfare specialty as part of the officer’s professional

military education process. The Air Force, on the other hand, considers

such courses as specialized training.

At the primary level, the basic and advanced courses provide instruction in

warfare specialties, such as infantry or armor in the Army and air or

surface warfare in the Navy. The Squadron Officer School in the Air Force

is designed to improve the professional competence of captains. At the

intermediate and senior levels, the components of each service’s

professional military education process are similar.

Services’ Schools

Providing

Professional Military

Education

The services had 32 schools providing 60 courses for over 36,000 students

during academic year 1992-93. Tables 2, 3, 4, and 5 provide the breakdown

for each service. Our inventory of courses and their locations in this report

is not all-inclusive. For courses, we included the most common ones

offered primarily to active-duty personnel. No electives or reserve-specific

courses were included. For locations, the primary locations where the

courses were taught were used. We did not include the thousands of

satellite facilities where courses are offered.

1

Precommissioning includes the education received at the military academies, or the education

received through the Reserve Officer Training Program, or Officers Candidate Schools. Primary

includes the education in warfare specialties, such as infantry, logistics, surface warfare, or subsurface

warfare. Intermediate includes education in theater operations, while senior education is oriented

toward national military strategy. General/flag education is designed to prepare such officers for

employment of large bodies of troops in pursuit of national security interests.

Page 5 GAO/NSIAD-93-264BR Professional Military Education
B-254314 

Table 2: Summary Showing the

Number of Air Force Schools

Providing Professional Military

Education Along With the Number of

Different Courses Taught at Various

Levels During Academic Year 1992-93

Professional military education

Item Primary Intermediate Senior

Schools 1 1 1

Courses 1 1 1

Graduates 3,000 495 250

Locations 1 1 1

The Air Force has located its primary school—Squadron Officer School, its

intermediate school, and its senior school at Maxwell Air Force Base in

Montgomery, Alabama. At each level, the schools focus on one course of

instruction, such as the command and staff college course at the

intermediate school. (See app. I for additional details on the courses

taught at each location.)

Table 3: Summary Showing the

Number of Army Schools Providing

Professional Military Education Along

With the Number of Different Courses

Taught at Various Levels During

Academic Year 1992-93

Professional military education

Item Primary Intermediate Senior

Schools 19 1 1

Courses 43 1 1

Graduates 26,190 1,200 386

Locations 17 1 1

The Army’s primary level includes instruction in 18 different warfare

specialties, such as infantry and logistics. The Army’s intermediate school

is located in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, and the senior school is located in

Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania. The instruction for all three levels is

provided at 19 different locations in the United States. (See app. II for

additional details on the courses taught at each location.)

Table 4: Summary Showing the

Number of Navy Schools Providing

Professional Military Education Along

With the Number of Different Courses

Taught at Various Levels During

Academic Year 1992-93

Professional military education

Item Primary Intermediate Senior

Schools 3 1 1

Courses 5 1 1

Graduates 3,444 273 261

Locations 4 1 1

The Navy’s primary schools are located in San Diego, California; Newport,

Rhode Island; New London, Connecticut; and Pensacola, Florida. The

Page 6 GAO/NSIAD-93-264BR Professional Military Education
B-254314 

Navy’s intermediate and senior schools are both in Newport, Rhode Island.

(See app. III for additional details on the courses taught at each location.)

Table 5: Summary Showing the

Number of Marine Corps Schools

Providing Professional Military

Education Along With the Number of

Different Courses Taught at Various

Levels During Academic Year 1992-93

Professional military education

Item Primary Intermediate Senior

Schools 1 1 1

Courses 3 1 1

Graduates 512 211 9

Locations 1 1 1

All of the above Marine Corps schools are located in Quantico, Virginia.

(See app. IV for additional details on the courses taught at this location.)

Costs Associated With

Professional Military

Education Not

Available

The services and the Office of the Secretary of Defense collect data on the

costs associated with professional military education and training.

However, the existing cost systems are not designed to isolate the costs

associated solely with professional military education.

The projected cost provided us for professional military education in fiscal

year 1993 is about $123 million. This cost includes salaries for instructors

and support staff, but excludes the salaries of the students. The figure

does not include other costs such as family housing, permanent change of

station for students, and other miscellaneous costs. Including such costs

and combining them with primary level education costs would provide a

more accurate measure of the total costs associated with professional

military education, but current accounting systems do not accumulate

costs this way.

Scope and

Methodology

In conducting this review, we collected and analyzed pertinent documents,

interviewed cognizant DOD personnel, and visited the three military

academies. We reviewed engineering plans for expansion where available,

discussed expansion constraints with Academy officials, and collected and

analyzed information on student capacity figures at the three service

academies.

We obtained cost data from the Office of the Secretary of Defense and the

various services comptrollers. Cost reports and other data were also

obtained from the academies and reviewed to attempt to determine the

total cost of professional military education.

Page 7 GAO/NSIAD-93-264BR Professional Military Education
B-254314 

We performed our work from July 1992 through June 1993 in accordance

with generally accepted government auditing standards. We did not obtain

written comments from DOD, but we discussed the information developed

with agency officials and they generally agreed with its contents.

We are sending copies of this report to the appropriate congressional

committees; the Director, Office of Management and Budget; the

Secretaries of Defense, the Army, the Navy, and the Air Force. Copies will

also be made available to others on request.

Please contact me at (202) 512-5140 if you or your staff have any questions

concerning this report. The major contributors to this report are George E.

Breen Jr., Assistant Director; Frank Bowers, Senior Evaluator; and Meeta

Sharma, Senior Evaluator.

Mark E. Gebicke

Director, Military Operations

 and Capabilities Issues

Page 8 GAO/NSIAD-93-264BR Professional Military Education
Page 9 GAO/NSIAD-93-264BR Professional Military Education
Contents

Letter 1

Appendix I 

Air Force Professional

Military Education

12

Appendix II 

Army Professional

Military Education

15

Primary Level Professional Military Education 15

Intermediate Level Professional Military Education 17

Senior Level Professional Military Education 18

Appendix III 

Navy Professional

Military Education

19

Primary Level Professional Military Education and Training 19

Intermediate and Senior Level Professional Military Education 19

Appendix IV 

U.S. Marine Corps

Professional Military

Education

21

Primary Level Professional Military Education 21

Intermediate and Senior Level Professional Military Education 21

Tables Table 1: Name and Location of Service Professional Military

Education Intermediate and Senior Service Schools

2

Table 2: Summary Showing the Number of Air Force Schools

Providing Professional Military Education Along With the

Number of Different Courses Taught at Various Levels During

Academic Year 1992-93

6

Table 3: Summary Showing the Number of Army Schools

Providing Professional Military Education Along With the

Number of Different Courses Taught at Various Levels During

Academic Year 1992-93

6

Table 4: Summary Showing the Number of Navy Schools

Providing Professional Military Education Along With the

Number of Different Courses Taught at Various Levels During

Academic Year 1992-93

6

Page 10 GAO/NSIAD-93-264BR Professional Military Education
Contents

Table 5: Summary Showing the Number of Marine Corps Schools

Providing Professional Military Education Along With the

Number of Different Courses Taught at Various Levels During

Academic Year 1992-93

7

Table I.1: Schedule Showing Air Force Schools Providing

Professional Military Education and Training, Length of Program,

Frequency Taught Along With the Maximum Class Size

12

Table I.2: Schedule Listing the Career Fields in the Air Force and

the Primary Locations Where the Training Is Given

13

Table II.1: Army Branch Specialties 15

Table II.2: Schedule Showing Army Branch Specialty Courses,

Length of Courses, Frequency Taught, Along With the Maximum

Class Sizes

16

Table II.3: Schedule Showing the Army Course Comprising

Intermediate Level Professional Military Education, Length of

Program, Frequency Taught, and Enrollment Data

18

Table II.4: Schedule Showing the Army Course Comprising Senior

Level Professional Military Education, Length of Program,

Frequency Taught, and Enrollment Data

18

Table III.1: Schedule Listing the Locations of Navy Schools

Providing Professional Military Education and Training, Course,

Course Length, Frequency Taught, Along With Enrollment Data

19

Table III.2: Schedule Listing the Navy Schools Providing

Intermediate and Senior Level Professional Military Education,

Course, Course Length, Frequency Taught, Along With

Enrollment Data

20

Table IV.1: Schedule Showing the Components of Marine Corps

Primary Level Professional Military Education, Length,

Frequency Taught, Along With Enrollment Data

21

Table IV.2: Schedule Showing the Components of Marine Corps

Intermediate and Senior Professional Military Education, Length,

Frequency Taught, Along With Enrollment Data

21

Figure Figure I.1: Air Force Training Primary Teaching Locations in the

U.S.

14

Abbreviations

DOD Department of Defense

Page 11 GAO/NSIAD-93-264BR Professional Military Education
Appendix I 

Air Force Professional Military Education

This appendix contains additional information on the Air Force

professional military education and training programs. We included

training information, as requested, to supplement the services’

professional military education activities.

The schools associated with the three professional military education

levels—primary, intermediate, and senior—are located at Maxwell Air

Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama. The following table shows the

schools associated with each level, the length of the program, the

frequency the program is provided during each academic year, along with

enrollment data for academic year 1992-93.

Table I.1: Schedule Showing Air Force

Schools Providing Professional

Military Education and Training,

Length of Program, Frequency Taught

Along With the Maximum Class Size

Professional military

education level School

Length

(weeks)

Frequency

taught (times

each year)

Maximum class

size (each course)

Primary Squadron

Officer

School 7 5 3,000

Intermediate Air

Command &

Staff College 40 1 495

Senior Air War

College 40 1 250

The remainder of this appendix discusses training activities. The Air Force

differs from the other services in its interpretation of the components of

professional military education. The Air Force classifies instruction in

career fields, such as finance or logistics, as training. The Air Force has 

21 such training career fields. We have listed these career fields in the

following table along with the primary locations where the instruction is

given.

Page 12 GAO/NSIAD-93-264BR Professional Military Education
Appendix I 

Air Force Professional Military Education

Table I.2: Schedule Listing the Career

Fields in the Air Force and the Primary

Locations Where the Training Is Given

Career field Location

Operationsa Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi

Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida

Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado

Logistics (Missiles & Aircraft) Chanute Air Force Base, Illinois

Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi

Logistics (Other) Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio

Communications Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi

Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado

Lackland Air Force Base, Texas

Civil Engineering Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio

Finance Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi

Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas

Personnel Keesler Air Force, Mississippi

Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama

Public Affairs Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indiana

Intelligence Goodfellow Air Force Base, Texas

Bolling Air Force Base, Maryland

Security Police Fort McClellan, Alabama

Lackland Air Force Base, Texas

Legal Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama

Chaplain Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama

Medical Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas

Brooks Air Force Base, Texas

Lackland Air Force Base, Texas

Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi

International PoliticoMilitary AffairsForeign Service Institute,

Washington, D.C.

Disaster Preparedness Lowry Air Force Base, Colorado

Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico

Visual Information Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi

Lowry Air Force Base, Colorado

Scientific & Development

Engineering

Chanute Air Force Base, Illinois

Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi

Program Management Fort Belvoir, Virginia

Cartography Fort Belvoir, Virginia

Special Investigations Bolling Air Force Base, Maryland

Bandb

aIncludes pilot, navigator, air traffic controller, air weapons controller, missile operator, operations

manager, and space operator.

bNo initial skills training are offered since the Air Force assumes that individuals are already

qualified when they are recruited.

Page 13 GAO/NSIAD-93-264BR Professional Military Education
Appendix I 

Air Force Professional Military Education

The previous table shows that some installations are the primary teaching

locations for more than one career field. To provide more clarification,

figure I.1 groups the career fields by their primary teaching locations.

Figure I.1: Air Force Training Primary Teaching Locations in the U.S.

Page 14 GAO/NSIAD-93-264BR Professional Military Education
Appendix II 

Army Professional Military Education

The following information is presented in three separate sections that

correspond to the three levels of professional military

education—primary, intermediate, and senior. We also included training

information, as requested, to supplement the Army’s professional military

education activities.

Primary Level

Professional Military

Education

At the primary level, the Army provides basic and advanced instruction in

18 branch specialties. Table II.1 lists the branch specialties along with the

location where the instruction occurs.

Table II.1: Army Branch Specialties

Branch specialty Location

Aviation Fort Rucker, Alabama

Ordnance Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland

Quartermaster Fort Lee, Virginiaa

Signal Fort Gordon, Georgia

Finance Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indiana

Adjutant General Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indiana

Intelligence Fort Huachuca, Arizona

Military Police Fort McClellan, Alabama

Legal Charlottesville, Virginia

Chaplain Fort Monmouth, New Jersey

Medical Washington, D.C.

Chemical Fort McClellan, Alabama

Field Artillery Fort Sill, Oklahoma

Infantry Fort Benning, Georgia

Armor Fort Knox, Kentucky

Air Defense Fort Bliss, Texas

Engineering Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri

Transportation Fort Eustis, Virginia

aThe Aviation Logistics School is located at Fort Eustis, Virginia; the Army Logistics Management

College is located at Fort Lee, Virginia.

Table II.2 shows the branch specialty courses, their length, frequency

taught during an academic year, and enrollment data.

Page 15 GAO/NSIAD-93-264BR Professional Military Education
Appendix II 

Army Professional Military Education

Table II.2: Schedule Showing Army

Branch Specialty Courses, Length of

Courses, Frequency Taught, Along

With the Maximum Class Sizes

Branch specialty/course

Length

(weeks)

Frequency taught

(each year)

Maximum class

size (each course)

Aviation

Basic 9 6 85

Advanced 20 4 128

Chemical

Basic 19 9 42

Advanced 20 5 36

Engineering

Basic 17 6 160

Advanced 20 6 65

Field Artillery

Basic 19 10 150

Advanced 20 4 160

Infantry

Basic 16 9 210

Advanced 20 4 210

Academy of Health Sciencesa

Basic 10 6 80

Advanced 20 3 320

Ordnance/missiles

Basic 16 4 25

Advanced 20 4 32

Ordnance/maintenance

Basic 18 12 25

Advanced 20 16 14

Quartermaster

Basic 17 10 60

Advanced 20 6 64

Signal

Basic 19 6 96

Advanced 20 10 42

Finance

Basic 15 2 42

Advanced 20 2 30

Adjutant General

Basic 13 7 50

Advanced 20 2 60

(continued)

Page 16 GAO/NSIAD-93-264BR Professional Military Education
Appendix II 

Army Professional Military Education

Branch specialty/course

Length

(weeks)

Frequency taught

(each year)

Maximum class

size (each course)

Chaplain

Basic 11 1 60

Advanced 20 3 60

Armor

Basic 16 13 80

Advanced 20 3 172

Judge Advocate General

Basic 10 2 85

Advanced 42 1 90

Military Police

Basic 15 10 54

Advanced 20 4 48

Intelligence

Basic 23 8 42

Advanced 20 9 63

Air Defense

Basic 10 4 120

Advanced 20 4 60

Transportation

Basic 17 5 125

Advanced 20 16 102

aWithin the medical branch specialty, there are nine different basic courses provided. These

courses range from 4 to 14 weeks. The maximum class size in each course ranges from 20 to

250 students.

Most of the schools have developed similar courses for the reserve

components. Such courses are frequently provided in phases to

accommodate the schedules of reserve component personnel.

Intermediate Level

Professional Military

Education

The Command and General Staff Officer’s course is the intermediate level

professional military education. This course is taught at the Command and

General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. The mission of this

college is to educate selected officers in the values and attitudes of the

profession of arms and in the conduct of military operations in peace,

conflict, and war with emphasis at corps and division level. Table II.3

shows the course, its length, the frequency taught during each academic

year, along with enrollment data.

Page 17 GAO/NSIAD-93-264BR Professional Military Education
Appendix II 

Army Professional Military Education

Table II.3: Schedule Showing the Army

Course Comprising Intermediate Level

Professional Military Education,

Length of Program, Frequency Taught,

and Enrollment Data

Course Length (weeks)

Frequency taught

(times each year)

Maximum class

size (each course)

Command and General

Staff Officer 40 1 1,200

Senior Level

Professional Military

Education

Senior level professional military education in the Army consists of one

program. The Army conducts this program at the Army War College

located at the Carlisle Barracks in Pennsylvania. Table II.4 provides data

similar to that provided on the courses at the primary and intermediate

levels.

Table II.4: Schedule Showing the Army

Course Comprising Senior Level

Professional Military Education,

Length of Program, Frequency Taught,

and Enrollment Data

Course

Length

(weeks)

Frequency taught

(times each year)

Maximum class

size (each course)

War College 40 1 289

Page 18 GAO/NSIAD-93-264BR Professional Military Education
Appendix III 

Navy Professional Military Education

The following information is on the Navy professional military education

and training programs.

Primary Level

Professional Military

Education and

Training

At the primary level, the Navy provides education and training in three

separate warfare specialties—surface warfare, submarine warfare, and air

warfare. For surface and submarine warfare, the Navy program has two

components—one for pilots and one for naval flight officers. Table III.1

provides additional information on the different activities. We also

included in the appendix training information, as requested, to supplement

the services’ professional military education activities.

Table III.1: Schedule Listing the Locations of Navy Schools Providing Professional Military Education and Training, Course,

Course Length, Frequency Taught, Along With Enrollment Data

Type of warfare/location School/course

Length

(weeks)

Frequency taught

(times each year)

Maximum class size

(each course)

Surface

San Diego, California Surface Warfare

Officer School (basic) 15 6 505

Newport, Rhode Island Surface Warfare

Officer School (basic) 15 6 660

Surface Warfare

Officer School

(department head or

advanced) 24 5 444

Submarine

New London, Connecticut Submarine Officer

Basic Course 12 8 550

Submarine Officer

Advanced Course 22 9 160

Air

Pensacola, Florida Pilot Pipeline 49 - 69 Varies 1,054

Naval Flight Officer

Pipeline 36 - 58 Varies 395

Intermediate and

Senior Level

Professional Military

Education

Navy intermediate and senior level professional military education is

conducted at Newport, Rhode Island. The Navy has located its College of

Naval Command and Staff and its College of Naval Warfare at this one

location. Table III.2 provides data associated with each of these schools.

Page 19 GAO/NSIAD-93-264BR Professional Military Education
Appendix III 

Navy Professional Military Education

Table III.2: Schedule Listing the Navy

Schools Providing Intermediate and

Senior Level Professional Military

Education, Course, Course Length,

Frequency Taught, Along With

Enrollment Data

School/course

Length

(weeks)

Frequency taught

(times each year)

Maximum class

size (each course)

College of Naval Command and

Staff (intermediate) 40 1 273

College of Naval Warfare (senior) 40 1 261

Page 20 GAO/NSIAD-93-264BR Professional Military Education
Appendix IV 

U.S. Marine Corps Professional Military

Education

The following information is provided in separate sections to correspond

to the levels of professional military education. The Marine Corps has

located all of its professional military educational facilities at Quantico,

Virginia.

Primary Level

Professional Military

Education

At the primary level, the Marine Corps has a basic course and two different

advanced courses. Marine Corps officers would normally attend one of the

two advanced courses—one in amphibious warfare the other in

communications. Table IV.1 provides information on the components of

primary level education.

Table IV.1: Schedule Showing the

Components of Marine Corps Primary

Level Professional Military Education,

Length, Frequency Taught, Along With

Enrollment Data

School

Length

(weeks)

Frequency taught

(times each year)

Maximum class

size (each course)

Basic 23 6 190-250

Amphibious warfare (advanced) 40 1 204

Communication officers

(advanced; taken instead of

amphibious warfare) 40 1 58

Intermediate and

Senior Level

Professional Military

Education

Marine Corps intermediate and senior level professional military

education is also conducted at Quantico, Virginia. Both its Command and

Staff College and its War College are at this location. Table IV.2 provides

information on the components of intermediate and senior level

education.

Table IV.2: Schedule Showing the

Components of Marine Corps

Intermediate and Senior Professional

Military Education, Length, Frequency

Taught, Along With Enrollment Data

School

Length

(weeks)

Frequency taught

(times each year)

Maximum class

size (each course)

Command and Staff College

(intermediate) 40 1 191

War College (senior) 40 1 9

(391210) Page 21 GAO/NSIAD-93-264BR Professional Military Education
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