Eisenhower Command and General Staff College

Eisenhower Command and General Staff College
Name	Eisenhower Command and General Staff College
Established	1920 (as Command and General Staff School)
Type	Military staff college
Location	Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, United States
Nickname	ICS, CGSC

Eisenhower Command and General Staff College

The Eisenhower Command and General Staff College is a professional military education institution located at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, named after Dwight D. Eisenhower. It prepares mid-career officers from the United States Army, United States Air Force, United States Navy, United States Marine Corps, and allied nations such as United Kingdom and Australia for intermediate-level command and staff duties, integrating study of historic campaigns like the Battle of Gettysburg, doctrinal developments from the NATO alliance, and strategic lessons drawn from the Gulf War and Operation Enduring Freedom.

History

The college traces its roots to the Command and General Staff School established at Fort Leavenworth in 1920 after reforms influenced by leaders like John J. Pershing and events such as the First World War. During the Second World War the institution expanded course offerings reflecting lessons from the Battle of Britain, the North African Campaign, and the Battle of Stalingrad, and postwar transformation followed initiatives linked to the National Security Act of 1947 and the broader reorganization that produced Joint Chiefs of Staff structures. In 1978 a curricular modernization responded to doctrinal shifts exemplified by the AirLand Battle concept and operational experiences from Vietnam War and the Cold War, and later the college was redesignated to honor Dwight D. Eisenhower amid recognition by members of the United States Congress and senior leaders from the Department of Defense.

Organization and Leadership

The college is organized under the United States Army Combined Arms Center and reports through the United States Army Training and Doctrine Command to senior authorities including the Secretary of the Army and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Commandants have included senior officers with careers intersecting the Army War College, Naval War College, and international staff colleges such as the British Army Staff College, Camberley; notable leaders have had previous assignments with United States Central Command and United States European Command. The organizational structure encompasses academic departments modeled after divisions found in institutions like the National War College and linked to multinational partners including the Canadian Forces College and the NATO Defence College.

Academic Programs and Curriculum

Courses emphasize operational art, campaign planning, and joint force integration drawing on case studies from the Mexican–American War, Korean War, Tet Offensive, and the Iraq War. The resident Command and General Staff Officer Course aligns credit with civilian institutions such as the University of Kansas and professional accreditation standards used by the Association of American Universities and military equivalents including curricula at the Marine Corps University and Air University. Elective and advanced courses incorporate doctrine from Field Manual 3-0 and joint publications like Joint Publication 3-0, while seminars examine strategic theory influenced by thinkers associated with the Council on Foreign Relations, analyses from the RAND Corporation, and historical interpretations in works about Carl von Clausewitz and Alfred Thayer Mahan.

Research, Centers, and Publications

The college hosts research centers and wargaming labs that collaborate with organizations such as the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Brookings Institution, and the Foreign Policy Research Institute. Its publications program produces monographs, peer-reviewed articles, and doctrine reviews comparable to output from the Strategic Studies Institute and the Naval War College Press, and faculty contribute to periodicals like Parameters and studies disseminated by the Institute for Defense Analyses. Research topics span counterinsurgency lessons from the Soviet–Afghan War, irregular warfare examined through Hearts and Minds case studies, and logistics analyses referencing the Red Ball Express.

Student Body and Admissions

Students include active-duty officers from the United States Army, Royal Australian Army, Indian Army, Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force, and partner nations participating in exchange programs under agreements with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and bilateral defense pacts. Admission criteria reflect rank, professional experience, and selection boards akin to processes used by the Air Force Personnel Center and the Navy Personnel Command, and nominees often possess operational deployments to theaters like Afghanistan and Iraq or staff tours with United States Southern Command or United States Indo-Pacific Command.

Facilities and Campus

Located on the historic post at Fort Leavenworth, the campus encompasses classrooms, simulation centers, and the Combined Arms Research Library, complementing facilities used by institutions such as the Fort Leavenworth National Cemetery and adjacent training areas that supported units like the 82nd Airborne Division and the 1st Infantry Division. Infrastructure upgrades have included digital wargaming suites interoperable with systems used by the Joint Staff and partner academic networks linking to the United States Military Academy at West Point and civilian research centers including the University of Missouri–Kansas City.

Notable Alumni and Impact on Military Operations

Alumni include senior leaders who served in commands such as United States Central Command, United States Forces Korea, and as Chiefs of Staff or service secretaries; graduates have influenced campaigns from the Invasion of Normandy through planning roles in the Persian Gulf War and strategic positions during the Global War on Terrorism. The college’s doctrine and alumni network have shaped operational art applied by commanders in multinational operations coordinated with organizations such as United Nations peacekeeping missions and NATO operations, leaving a documented imprint on professional development pathways mirrored in institutions like the Royal Military College of Canada and the German Staff College.

Category:United States Army schools