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| United States Air Force School of Advanced Air and Space Studies | |
|---|---|
| Name | United States Air Force School of Advanced Air and Space Studies |
| Native name | SAASS |
| Established | 1983 |
| Type | Professional military school |
| Parent | United States Air Force Air University |
| City | Colorado Springs, Colorado |
| Country | United States |
United States Air Force School of Advanced Air and Space Studies is a graduate-level United States Air Force institution that provides advanced study in strategy, airpower theory, and operational art for selected officers. Founded within Air University at Maxwell Air Force Base and later resident at United States Air Force Academy grounds in Colorado Springs, Colorado, the school integrates historical case study, theory, and wargaming to prepare leaders for assignments in combatant commands, Air Staff (United States Air Force), and Joint Staff (United States) positions.
The program originated in 1981 amid doctrinal debates following Vietnam War, influenced by thinkers associated with Royal Air Force doctrine debates and the contemporary work of theorists like John Boyd, Alfred Thayer Mahan, and Carl von Clausewitz. Charter establishment occurred in 1983 under leaders from Air University and the United States Air Force, with early curricular models drawing on precedent from Royal College of Defence Studies, National War College, and Army War College (United States). Relocations and organizational adjustments involved coordination with Maxwell Air Force Base, the United States Air Force Academy, and Colorado Springs Municipal Airport stakeholders; the school adapted curricula after operational lessons from Operation Desert Storm, Operation Enduring Freedom, and Operation Iraqi Freedom.
The stated mission aligns with producing strategists versed in airpower, spacepower, and cyberspace considerations relevant to theaters like NATO, Indo-Pacific Command, and United States Central Command. Core curriculum emphasizes strategic theory drawn from texts by Carl von Clausewitz, Sun Tzu, and Antoine-Henri Jomini alongside case studies of conflicts such as the Battle of Britain, Gulf War (1990–1991), and Kosovo War. Courses integrate methodologies from historian practice exemplified by John Keegan, game-theoretic approaches associated with Thomas Schelling, and systems analysis influenced by Norbert Wiener to teach operational art, campaign design, and strategic communication for interactions with entities like Department of Defense (United States), Central Intelligence Agency, and North Atlantic Treaty Organization staffs.
Administratively the school reports through Air University to Air Education and Training Command leadership and interfaces with component commands such as Air Combat Command and Air Force Space Command predecessors. Leadership has included directors who previously held positions on the Air Staff (United States Air Force), served as commanders in Pacific Air Forces, or participated in multinational staff work with United Nations missions. Faculty composition blends active-duty officers with civilian scholars drawn from institutions like Harvard University, Princeton University, United States Military Academy faculty, and research bodies including RAND Corporation and Center for Strategic and International Studies.
Admission is competitive, typically selecting officers from United States Air Force, United States Space Force, and allied services such as the Royal Air Force, Royal Australian Air Force, and Canadian Armed Forces. Candidates are evaluated against service records including operational tours in theaters like Iraq War and War in Afghanistan (2001–2021), professional military education credentials such as Air Command and Staff College or Naval War College, and endorsements from flag officers like Chief of Staff of the Air Force or combatant commanders of United States Central Command. Class size remains small relative to other schools, producing graduates who later occupy billets in Joint Chiefs of Staff planning, embassy assignments to United States Department of State missions, and staff positions in NATO Allied Command Transformation.
Instruction has been delivered in facilities co-located with the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado, making use of academic spaces, wargaming rooms, and specialized libraries comparable to collections at Air University Library and research centers associated with National Defense University. Proximity to installations such as Peterson Space Force Base and ranges used by Air Force Research Laboratory supports applied study of space operations and test and evaluation activities. The program leverages simulation support from vendors and partners including Lockheed Martin, Boeing, and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.
Alumni have included officers who became senior leaders in organizations like United States Central Command, Pacific Air Forces, Air Mobility Command, and headquarters positions in Air Staff (United States Air Force), as well as advisors in think tanks such as Brookings Institution and Council on Foreign Relations. Graduates have influenced doctrine development referenced in publications by Joint Chiefs of Staff and operational concepts applied during Operation Inherent Resolve and coalition campaigns with partners including United Kingdom Armed Forces and Australian Defence Force. The school’s intellectual contributions have informed scholarship alongside work by Graham Allison, Michael Howard, and Eliot Cohen, shaping debates at forums like the Aspen Security Forum and policy venues such as National Security Council (United States) meetings.