Distance learning: understanding Intermediate Level Education: how it differs from the former command and general staff officer course

Military Intelligence Professional Bulletin, Oct-Dec, 2003 by Neal Bralley, Jim Danley, Dan French, Chuck Soby, Paul Tiberi

[] Understand full spectrum operations in today's environment.

[] Know how to think.

[] Understand complex problem solving.

[] Be able to balance focus between current and future operations.

[] Understand staff principles and concepts.

[] Know how to synchronize effects on the battlefield.

[] Understand performance-oriented training and education.

The 7-month AOWC that follows is designed to develop Operations Career Field officers with a warfighting focus for battalion and brigade command who are capable of conducting full spectrum operations in joint, multinational, and interagency environments and who have the requisite competencies to serve successfully as division through EAC staff officers. Students complete the AOWC with a deeper understanding of full spectrum operations in the contemporary operating environment, including battlespace appreciation, component roles and responsibilities, shaping, decisive and enabling operations at the tactical level, asymmetric operations, and urban operations.

Four blocks of instruction comprise the 3-month ILE common core: Foundations of Critical Reasoning and Leader Assessment and Development, Strategic Fundamentals, Operational Fundamentals, and Tactical Fundamentals. Three parallel courses are integrated into the instruction: Leadership, History, and Force Management.

A series of exercises are used to evaluate the students' mastery of the concepts taught during the ILE Common Core Course and AOWC. These exercises are conducted at section level; so 64 students do all the planning and execution, as well as man the opposing forces and white cell for each exercise. The scenario places them in a joint, combined, highly complex environment with numerous opportunities to identify and solve problems.

The benefit here is that instead of waiting for an end-of-year exercise, students plan and execute multiple operations and receive feedback in order to improve themselves during the 10 months.

AOWC replaces Term II and Term III classes offered in the former CGSOC. It is focused on educating officers as command-capable brigade and battalion level commanders with advanced competencies as staff leaders to serve at all levels up to EAC.

AOWC studies are divided into three blocks of instruction; each block includes an application exercise. Students will demonstrate mastery at LCC, division level, and brigade level operations. This is done on a competitive basis between student groups, providing the opportunity for students to both study and perform in the multiple command and staff roles, as well as in threat force roles. The driving theme is enabling and executing division and brigade fights.

AOWC retains an elective program from the former course to provide the students with opportunities to pursue additional, focused studies.

Instructional Method

Team teaching is the third domain shift differentiating ILE from the former CGSOC. It represents the "way" in which the school will achieve its "end"--graduates with a warrior ethos who are grounded in warfighting doctrine and who have the technical, tactical, and leadership competencies and skills to be successful in their career field, branch, or functional area.