For CRS analysts working on issues related to national security, there is perhaps no better opportunity to build expertise and the ability to conduct interdisciplinary research than to spend a year at the National War College.

According to Stuart D. Goldman, specialist in Russian and Eurasian affairs, attending the college is the greatest sabbatical ever invented — not a vacation, but a sabbatical.

The college accepts a student from CRS on a fairly regular basis. Analysts are placed on administrative leave for the 10-month academic year.

Located in Theodore Roosevelt Hall at Fort McNair, near Southeast Washington’s new baseball stadium, the college prepares future leaders of the armed forces, State Department and other civilian agencies for high-level policy, command and staff responsibilities.

Students undergo a senior-level course of study in national security policy and strategy that emphasizes interagency coordination and collaboration and leads to a master's degree in national security studies.

Military officers make up slightly more than half of each class, with the rest coming from the Department of Defense, State Department, Pentagon, intelligence community, other federal departments and CRS and GAO. There are also approximately thirty Allied and other foreign military officers in every year group. The faculty are a mix of active military officers and civilian instructors (including former CRS analyst Audrey Cronin). The college is a component of the National Defense University that includes the Industrial College of the Armed Forces, which also has accepted CRS analysts. National War College students can cross-register for classes at the Industrial College, where the focus is on developing a national security strategy and in managing resources required to execute that strategy.

The core National War College curriculum includes courses on strategy, war, national security decision making, the global context and field studies. Dozens of elective courses cover topics such as think tanks, counterinsurgency, foreign policy, strategic writing, understanding Islam and protection of critical infrastructure.

Before graduation, students travel to various countries of the world to exchange views and learn more about the nations and cultures they have been studying.

Jonathan E. Sanford, specialist in international trade and finance, says that attending the National War College is the single most important professional experience he has had.

The academic training often proves invaluable in serving Congress. The core courses compel one to step back and think about strategic policy in terms of actual U.S. interests and to play out options and their consequences.

One also gains insights into the workings of the executive branch, not only of the Pentagon and State Department, but of the National Security Council and intelligence agencies and how they interact with Congress. The insights often are provided by the students, some who may have just returned from Iraq or who were assigned to U.S. embassies when certain case study incidents occurred.

Many of the college's students go on to become general officers and high-level civilians in the government. Making these acquaintances can be a great side benefit of the experience.

When I myself attended the college and visited Egypt, Jordan and Israel, my seminar leader was Ryan C. Crocker, who later served as ambassador to both Pakistan and Iraq.

Charlotte P. Preece, senior specialist in international policy, had as classmates the future chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff H. Hugh Shelton, the Supreme Allied Commander Europe Wesley K. Clark, and Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps Richard "Butch" Neal.

Access to contacts such as these has been invaluable to her career growth, Preece said.

David F. Burrelli, specialist in military manpower policy, notes that one of his classmates made lieutenant general and has been in the news. Attending the National War College was a “fantastic experience," he said. "Life should be that good.”

For detailed information on the National War College, see the College's website.

– Dick K. Nanto, CRS