Intermediate Flag and Senior Executive Course

The Intermediate Flag and Executive Course (IFLEX) challenges 2-star flag officers and Senior Executive Service (SES) leaders to think more critically and adaptively as they serve in positions of increased responsibility and complexity.
Vice Adm. Gene Black, commander of U.S. 6th Fleet, delivers remarks during the Cooperative Strategy Forum, April 20, 2022, in Karlskrona, Sweeden.

General Information

Eligibility

Per CNO Memorandum, IFLEX is mandatory for all O-8 selects. The Vice Chief of Naval Operations (VCNO) extends invitations to select Department of Navy senior civilians, U.S. Marine Corps general officers, and equivalent senior officers from international partner navies.

Location & Duration

The 5-day in-person course occurs annually, followed by scheduled virtual sessions. The in-person portion is held in the Washington, D.C. area.

Learning Format

Structured as deliberate leader development, IFLEX engages multiple immersive and adult learning methods (e.g., collaborative activities) and developmental experiences (e.g., peer coaching). Engagement with senior Navy leadership and other key leaders further guides and reinforces learning.

Outcome

Expanded individual leader capacities and enhanced peer relationships that can be leveraged to effectively address the unique challenges posed by the persistently dynamic global security environment.

Program Structure

Course Overview

Self-awareness

Required
Leaders participate in personal growth opportunities to include developmental assessments, coaching feedback, and deliberate reflective practice.

Cognitive Readiness

Required
Leaders actively participate in disruptive learning experiences and focused development to surface automatic thinking and decision-making tendencies, advance mental frameworks, and further leaders’ complex thinking abilities.

Peer Coaching

Required
Leaders engage in a guided relational process to jointly and reflectively examine individual and institutional leadership challenges, yielding new insights and creative solutions.

Institutional Imperatives

Required
Leaders apply learning to make progress on institutional challenges collectively and within each leader’s individual areas of responsibility.

Course Overview

Wellness Awareness

Required
Leaders focus on enhancing the many facets of their overall well-being – mental, physical, social, spiritual, emotional, and familial, etc.

Student Information

Contact Information

College of Leadership & Ethics

Pringle Hall side view with snow falling at U.S. Naval War College