Educating Foreign Officers
Abstract
Professional military education (PME) acts as a stabilizing factor that provides officers from many nations with the opportunity for study and exposure to the democratic values while attending senior- and intermediate-level institutions in America. Half a million foreign officers have attended programs in the United States -- 9,000 from over 100 countries in 2000 -- and of that number, some 200 annually attend year-long courses with their American counterparts at PME institutions. Professional military education differs from specialty training, which defines career fields for officers. Each service operates both a senior and an intermediate-level PME institution (or war and staff college). In addition, the National Defense University administers the Industrial College of the Armed Forces and the National War College on the senior level as well as the Joint Forces Staff College, which are joint institutions operating under the auspices of the Chairman. In general, war college programs primarily focus on national military and national security strategy while staff college programs are devoted to theater-level operational art. Phrases such as supporting security assistance, international involvement, lasting relations, and the like are common in descriptions of these programs. Educating international officers develops channels of communication with other nations and promotes democratic ideals around the world. Resident programs build familiarity with American officers to forge lasting friendships and an affinity for democratic values. This article discusses the education of foreign officers in the United States and its effects on emerging democracies, and the influence of PME-educated officers on the governments of Argentina, Greece, and Taiwan.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2003
- Accession Number
- ADA483696
Entities
People
- Douglas M. Gibler
- Tomislav Z. Ruby
Organizations
- Air Command and Staff College