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Naval Command and Staff Program & JPME Phase I

The Naval Command and Staff (NC&S) online program educates students on the fundamentals of U.S. national security policy, military strategy, and the relationship between them. The program is organized into five educational blocks and all blocks must be completed to earn Joint Professional Military Education (JPME) Phase I credit.
Sonar Technician (Surface) 3rd Class Marcus Smith stands helm watch aboard the guided-missile destroyer USS Dewey (DDG 105) during a replenishment-at-sea.

General Information

Eligibility

Active and reserve officers in the Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard must be in the grade of O3 and above. Active and reserve officers in other military services must be in the grade of O4 and above. In addition, defense-related civilian applicants (GS11 and above) are eligible for enrollment. All applicants applying for this program must possess a Baccalaureate Degree.

Location & Duration

Classes are taught using Blackboard, the Learning Management System, and students can take these classes anywhere using a compatible computer or mobile device. The duration of this program typically lasts 41 weeks.

Learning Format

Courses are primarily taught using online discussion boards, group projects, individual essays, and other assignments.

Outcome

Students that complete the Online Program are awarded JPME Phase I credit.

Program Structure

NC&S Program

Block 1: Operating within the National- and Theater-level Security Arenas

Required | Core Course
Students will learn what it means to be a professional serving in today’s rapidly evolving national and international security environment. They will be introduced to the moral and ethical dimensions of being a professional serving in the defense of our nation.

Block 2: Fundamentals of Strategy

Required | Core Course
Disciplines of history, political science, and international relations, along with military factors from the profession of arms are integrated into a coherent approach that provides students with a conceptual frame of reference to analyze and formulate military strategies to address them.

Block 3: Operational Art

Required | Core Course
This block provides the student a disciplined, cognitive foundation for solving military problems: Operational Art. This is a conceptual approach towards creating conditions that, together, will achieve designated objectives.

Block 4: Joint Capabilities

Required | Core Course
Students will learn the proper employment of naval and joint capabilities at the operational level of war. Initial sessions introduce the warfighting organizational options, capabilities, doctrine, and planning considerations when employing all the Services and Special Operations Forces in a joint/multinational effort at the operational level of war.

Block 5: Joint Planning Process

Required | Core Course
Students will address the topics and processes necessary for understanding and planning today’s military security challenges. The intent of the sessions in this block is to synthesize all previous instruction into practical application.

Incoming Students

Contact Information

Manager, Online Programs

(401) 841-6409
onlineadmin@usnwc.edu
DSN
841-6409

More Information

The Online Program is offered four times per year; interested applicants must submit an online application for review to determine if the student meets the eligibility requirements.

Students of U.S. Naval War College’s (NWC) 2017 graduating class participate in a commencement ceremony at NWC in Newport, Rhode Island.
Students of U.S. Naval War College’s (NWC) 2017 graduating class participate in a commencement ceremony at NWC in Newport, Rhode Island. The graduating class of 2017 included 423 resident students of the Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, federal civilian employees and 105 international students. Additionally, 1,079 students completed coursework through NWC’s College of Distance Education programs. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Jaima Fogg/Released)
Receiving a master's at the College of Distance Education

Graduate Degree Program

Students interested in a master’s degree through the College of Distance Education, Graduate Degree Program (GDP) must complete all coursework through the Fleet Seminar Program (FSP), credit from the online program cannot be transferred.

Explore Graduate Degree Program

NWC Featured Alum

Vice Adm. Lisa M. Franchetti
U.S. Navy

Vice Adm. Lisa M. Franchetti

Vice Adm. Lisa Franchetti is a native of Rochester, New York. She received her commission in 1985 through the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps Program at Northwestern University, where she received a Bachelor of Science in Journalism. She also attended the Naval War College and holds a master’s in organizational management from the University of Phoenix. On March 1, 2018 Vice Adm. Franchetti assumed command of U.S. 6th Fleet. Her operational tours include auxiliaries officer and first division officer on USS Shenandoah (AD 44); navigator and jumboization coordinator on USS Monongahela (AO 178); operations officer on USS Moosbrugger (DD 980); combat systems officer and chief staff officer for Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 2; executive officer of USS Stout (DDG 55); and assistant surface operations officer on USS George Washington Strike Group. She commanded USS Ross (DDG 71) and DESRON-21, embarked on USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74). She also served as commander of Pacific Partnership 2010, embarked on USNS Mercy (T-AH 19).

College of Distance Education, 1999