United States Army War College

U.S. Army War College

U.S. Army War College Shoulder Sleeve Insignia
Motto	Prudens futuri
Motto in English	Wisdom and strength for the future
Established	1901 (1901)
Officer in charge	Maj. Gen. William Rapp
Students	800
Location	Carlisle, Pennsylvania, U.S. 40°12′40″N 77°10′23″W / 40.211°N 77.173°W / 40.211; -77.173Coordinates: 40°12′40″N 77°10′23″W / 40.211°N 77.173°W / 40.211; -77.173
Website	www.carlisle.army.mil

The United States Army War College (USAWC) is a U.S. Army educational institution in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, on the 500-acre (2 km²) campus of the historic Carlisle Barracks. It provides graduate-level instruction to senior military officers and civilians to prepare them for senior leadership assignments and responsibilities. Each year, a number of Army colonels and lieutenant colonels are considered by a board for admission. Approximately 800 students attend at any one time, half in a two-year-long distance learning program, and the other half in an on-campus, full-time resident program lasting ten months. Upon completion, the college grants its graduates a master's degree in Strategic Studies.

Army applicants must have already completed the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, the required Professional Military Education for officers in the rank of major. While the Army handpicks most of the students who participate in the residential program, the student body always includes officers from the other military branches, civilians from agencies such as the Department of Defense, State Department, and National Security Agency, and officers from foreign countries. For example, the residential Class of 2004 included 268 officers from the five branches of the United States Armed Forces (from the active and reserve components), 30 senior civilian employees of the federal government, and 42 foreign military officers. Majors with the specialty of Function Area 59, Strategist, formerly Strategic Plans and Policy, also attend their qualification course, the Basic Strategic Arts Program (BSAP), at the college.