School of Advanced Military Studies - The Course

The Course

In 2012, the SAMS teaching facilities primarily comprise two buildings: Muir Hall (image right) and Flint Hall. The AMSP courses are taught mostly in Muir Hall—the current SAMS headquarters—while Flint Hall houses additional AMSP seminars as well as the AOASF seminars. Both buildings were renovated in 2011 and provide modern classrooms for seminars of about 16–18 students as well as a military and civilian instructor. The renovations for Muir Hall, once a horse stable, involved $12.2 million in improvements, including $3 million in information systems to allow students to collaborate digitally, replicating a common practice seen in militaries today.

The mission of SAMS is to "educate the future leaders of the Armed Forces, Allies and the Interagency at the graduate level to be agile and adaptive leaders who think critically at the strategic and operational levels to solve complex ambiguous problems". This applies to both the AMSP and AOASF programs. Within this mission, AMSP involves three phases in practice: (1) military intermediate level education at the United States Army Command and General Staff School (CGSS) or equivalent, (2) AMSP, and (3) a tour as an operational planner in the force.

"Work Relentlessly, Accomplish Much, Remain in the Background, and Be More Than You Seem."

The first opportunity for military students to apply to SAMS is during CGSS—located near the SAMS facilities—or a sister service equivalent. The CGSS fulfils a Military Education Level milestone for mid-grade U.S. officers. Many students transfer directly from CGSS to SAMS. Other students are accepted into the program from sister service staff schools, from other U.S. government agencies, and from allied countries. Military students may also be accepted directly from field assignments.

In the twenty-first century, over two hundred male and female applicants typically vie for slots in the summer classes, and the competition is rigorous. The application process includes an examination, an interview, and a supervisor assessment. Applicants must also complete the U.S. Army's Command and General Staff School or an equivalent intermediate-level education course offered by another uniformed service. The student body of SAMS comprises mostly U.S. Army field grade officers from combat, combat support, and combat service support branches. However, in the 1987–1988 academic year, the U.S. joint services began participation with three U.S. Air Force graduates; officers from the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps followed in the next two years. In later years, other U.S. government agencies also began sending students to SAMS. The first U.S. Government interagency graduate was John Riodan, of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), who attended the AMSP in 2007–2008; the first Federal Bureau of Investigation student, Special Agent Danny Day, attended the AOASF beginning in 2009. Students from the United States Department of State can also be found at the school.

Various foreign militaries are represented in the student body. In 1999, the school graduated its first international officers—Norwegian and Canadian. Argentina, Australia, Colombia, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Jordan, Macedonia, the Netherlands, Pakistan, Romania, South Korea, Spain, and the United Kingdom have also sent students through the course. The diversity of the student body continues to expand in the twenty-first century. Warrant officers were first admitted to SAMS in the 2010–2011 class, including its highest ranking warrant officer graduate, CW5 John Robinson.