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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.
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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)
Online electives for students in the Graduate Degree Program

Online Electives

The U.S. Naval War College (NWC), Online Program offers online electives for students in the Graduate Degree Program (GDP). All elective work, including these NWC online electives, must be approved by the GDP Manager. Once approved, students may register for an online elective.

NWC Featured Alum

Maj. Gen. Glen D. VanHerck photo
U.S. Air Force

Maj. Gen. Glen D. VanHerck

Maj. Gen. Glen D. VanHerck is the vice director of the Joint Staff, the Pentagon, Arlington, Virginia. He assists the director of the Joint Staff and provides oversight to Joint Staff support activities, including administrative and action management, budget, support services and security. He is a graduate of the University of Missouri and was commissioned through the ROTC program. He has a diverse background that includes operational and training assignments in the F-15C, F-35A, B-2A and B-1B. He has served as an instructor pilot and flight examiner in the F-15C, B-2A and T-6A. Additionally, he served as a U.S. Air Force Weapons School instructor in the F-15C and B-2A. Maj. Gen. VanHerck has commanded at the squadron, group and wing command levels. His staff assignments include tours at Air Combat Command, Air Force Global Strike Command and U.S. Strategic Command. Prior to assuming his current position, he commanded the Air Force Warfare Center, Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada.

College of Naval Warfare, 2008
Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Hurlbert photo
U.S. Air Force

Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Hurlbert

Brig. Gen. Jeff Hurlbert is the deputy inspector general of the Air Force, Office of the Secretary of the Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Virginia. The inspector general reports to the Secretary and Chief of Staff of the Air Force on the readiness, efficiency and military discipline of all components of the Air Force: active duty, Air Force Reserve, and Air National Guard. The inspector general provides inspection policy and oversees the inspection and evaluation system for all Air Force nuclear and conventional forces; oversees counterintelligence operations; investigates fraud, waste and abuse; oversees criminal investigations; and provides oversight of the complaint’s resolution programs. The inspector general is also responsible for two field operating agencies, the Air Force Inspection Agency and the Air Force Office of Special Investigations.

College of Naval Warfare, 2011
Rear Adm. Edward Cashman
U.S. Navy

Rear Adm. Edward Cashman

Rear Adm. Edward Cashman is a native of Brockton, Massachusetts.  He is a 1987 graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he received a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering.  He was commissioned through Navy Officer Candidate School in 1988 and holds a Master of Science in Nuclear Engineering from the University of Maryland and a Master of Arts in National Security Studies from the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island. At sea, Cashman commanded USS Mustin (DDG-89) operating as part of the forward deployed Naval Force from Yokosuka, Japan.  He also commanded Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 50, forward deployed in Manama, Bahrain. Previous assignments at sea include main propulsion assistant, USS Arkansas (CG-41); operations officer, USS Merrill (DD-976); main propulsion assistant, USS John C. Stennis (CVN-74); executive officer, USS Valley Forge (CG-50) and surface operations officer, Carrier Strike Group (CCSG) 3.

College of Naval Warfare, 2003
Cmdr. Meghan Angermann military photo
U.S. Navy

Cmdr. Meghan Angermann

A native of Naperville, IL, Cmdr. Meghan Angermann graduated with a Bachelor's in biomedical engineering, was commissioned in 2000, and designated a naval aviator in 2003. Angermann deployed twice aboard USS Enterprise (CVN 65) in support of Operations Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and Enduring Freedom (OEF). In 2008, she served with the “Tigers” of VT-9 where she was designated an instructor pilot in the T-45C Goshawk. Following her selection as a full-time support officer, Angermann reported to the “Eagles” of VT-7 in 2011, where she served as the head of multiple departments. Angermann graduated from the Command and Staff College Distance Education Program from the Marine Corps University. In 2014, she served as assistant deputy chief of staff for N5, Plans and Policy and as the secretariat to the Navy Reserve Policy Board. Angermann earned a Master's in national security and strategic studies from the United States Naval War College in Newport, RI. She reported to VT-9 as executive officer in November 2018 and assumed command in February of 2020.

College of Naval Warfare, 2018
Brigadier General John J. Allen Jr. professional photo
U.S. Air Force

Brig. Gen. John J. Allen Jr.

Brig. Gen. John Allen is the Air Force director of civil engineers, deputy chief of staff for Logistics, Engineering & Force Protection, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Virginia. He is responsible for providing policy and oversight for the planning, development, construction, maintenance, utilities and environmental quality of 183 Air Force bases worldwide valued at more than $297 billion. This responsibility includes housing, fire emergency services, explosive ordnance disposal and emergency management services. He also influences resourcing for installation support functions with an annual budget of $11 billion and is the focal point for organizing, training and equipping the 51,000-person engineering force. Brig. Gen. Allen's education includes a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from Virginia Tech, a Master of Science in engineering management from the University of Alaska Anchorage, and a Master of Arts in national security and strategic studies from the U.S. Naval War College.

College of Naval Warfare, 2010