JAWS Student Welcome Letter

NATIONAL DEFENSE UNIVERSITY
JOINT FORCES STAFF COLLEGE
NORFOLK, VA 23511-1702

JFSC-JAWS

On behalf of the Commandant, faculty and staff, welcome to the Joint Advanced Warfighting School (JAWS) homepage. JAWS, is an eleven month, single phase (JPME I & II) senior-level school focused on educating expert joint campaign planners, and is a key component of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff's vision for expansion and improvement of Joint Professional Military Education (JPME). An important and significant portion of the academic experience is the JAWS student thesis, a 60-70 page work on an operational to strategic level topic focused on the current joint, combined and interagency issues. There is a significant amount of research and writing involved in this so early reflection and development of a worthy topic is encouraged.

Education will focus on the knowledge required to perform the duties and responsibilities of a senior campaign planner and strategist on any joint, combined, or coalition staff. The curriculum is developed from several sources. First, course content meets or exceeds the requirements of the Officer Professional Military Education Policy (OPMEP) and Special Areas of Emphasis (SAE) from the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Second, we stay in close contact with the combatant commands, interagency representatives and international partners in order to understand their requirements for their officers and civilians operating in the joint, combined, and coalition staff arena. Third, the faculty contribute their own experiences as senior joint, combined, and coalition officers as well as their academic expertise. Finally, we solicit inputs from class members in a collaborative seminar environment. In sum, the curriculum is built on the foundation of joint doctrine and evolving operational issues. The combined effect of these efforts keeps our program current, relevant and useful to you. This is an advanced program, and the work is as rigorous as any graduate academic program. Upon graduation, JAWS students are eligible to fill key strategy or campaign planning billets on combatant commander, interagency, or coalition staffs as well as the Joint Staff or the Office of the Secretary of Defense.

Additional JAWS links are available to provide useful reference and preparation information. If we can assist you in any way, do not hesitate to call the JFSC Registrar & Personnel Services office at DSN 646-6124/34; COMM (757) 443-6124/34 or via
e-mail at registrar@jfsc.ndu.edu.