A. AR 350-1 (Army Training and Leader Development), 1 June 2025.
B. AR 614-100 (Officer Assignment Policies and Procedures), 8 May 2024.
C. DA PAM 600-3 (Officer Talent Management), 14 April 2023.
D. AR 350-100 (Officer Active Duty Service Obligations), 21 July 2023.
E. AR 621-1 (Advanced Education Programs and Requirements for Military Personnel), 8 June 2024.
1. This MILPER message will expire NLT one year from publication.
2. This message announces officer assignment opportunities in Functional Area 47W (FA 47W—Professor, United States Army War College) at the United States Army War College (USAWC) at Carlisle Barracks, PA.
3. The United States Army War College (USAWC) is seeking qualified applicants for one Professor, United States Army War College (Functional Area 47W) position. This position is in the Department of Military Strategy, Plans, and Operations (DMSPO). Principal responsibilities of Professors, United States Army War College include academic leadership, teaching, and scholarship. Specific duties include teaching core curriculum, graduate-level electives, leading faculty development, service on faculty committees, research, and serving in leadership positions. Dedication to excellence in teaching is an absolute requirement. Professors, United States Army War College serve the USAWC as senior military and academic leaders until mandatory retirement. They are responsible for senior-level professional military education, focused on disciplines relating to military strategy, campaign design, military history, strategic thinking, civil-military relations, war studies, military theory, and national security policy and strategy.
4. Officers selected for the program without a terminal degree (e.g., Ph.D., D.B.A., Ed.D., J.D.) will attend, starting in summer 2027, two years of advanced civil schooling at premier educational institutions in designated disciplines prior to assuming duties as a Professor, United States Army War College and working on their dissertation beginning in July 2029. Alternatively, candidates may begin service as a Professor, United States Army War College beginning as early as summer 2027, if they already possess a terminal degree in an appropriate field. Candidates holding terminal degrees in a relevant field who are not available for reassignment until summer 2028 or 2029 will be favorably considered if their mandatory retirement date (MRD) is 2033 or later.
5. The Professor, United States Army War College position this search addresses is in the Department of Military Strategy, Plans, and Operations (DMSPO): This opportunity is open for applicants interested in warfare, conflict, strategic, or security studies; civil-military relations; theories of war; national security policymaking; regional studies; military history; international relations; war studies. (POC for DMSPO information: COL Jerry Landrum, 571-821-8084, jerry.landrum.mil@armywarcollege.edu)
6. Eligibility for the program is limited to Active Duty Army officers in the ranks of Colonel and Lieutenant Colonel. Applicants without terminal degrees must demonstrate the ability to complete resident Ph.D. coursework within two years of beginning graduate studies in 2027. Upon joining the USAWC faculty in 2029, the selected officer has three years to complete and defend their dissertation while serving as an active member of the faculty. All applicants must have sufficient time remaining on active duty to complete the active duty service obligations (ADSO)—that is, three days of service for each day of school. For most programs, the ADSO amounts to six years of service following two years of graduate school. In such circumstances, applicants must have at least eight years remaining from the time they begin school until mandatory retirement. Some Ph.D. programs require less time in residence and may result in a shorter ADSO. Selected officers who already hold a terminal degree in a pertinent field are eligible for direct assignment in summer 2027 – 2029 and the ADSO does not apply.
7. Applicants must have an exemplary military record that includes success in leadership and staff positions of strategic importance. Completion of, or enrollment in, senior-level professional military education, or a professional file worthy of constructive or equivalent credit for senior-level professional military education is required. Both the USAWC resident and distance senior-level programs meet this requirement. Candidates must have an unwavering commitment to the intellectual, ethical, and professional development of students. A record of successful college-level or professional teaching experience is strongly desired and will receive substantial preference.
8. The USAWC endeavors to send officers to the finest graduate programs within the relevant fields of study. While an officer’s personal preference may be considered, institutional needs are the overriding concern in determining where an officer attends school. Accordingly, the selected officer will consult with COL Jerry Landrum, Department Chair of Military Strategy, Plans, and Operations, to discuss graduate school options. Additionally, candidates should make themselves as competitive as possible by excelling on the Graduate Record Exam (GRE).
9. Applications can be submitted immediately. Submit complete applications for this Professor, United States Army War College position to usawc_47w_ssl@army.mil. A complete application packet consists of:
(a) Letter of application stating qualifications for the Professor, United States Army War College program, desire and potential for teaching in DMSPO, intended (or achieved) Ph.D. field of study and research and relation to DMSPO curriculum, potential contributions as a USAWC faculty member, and qualities that set you apart from other candidates.
(b) Officer Record Brief.
(c) Resumé or curriculum vitae, including list of publications.
(d) Undergraduate and graduate transcripts. (Photocopies are acceptable for the initial application, but official transcripts may be required later.)
(e) Standardized test scores, such as Graduate Record Exam (GRE) (preferred). Applicants must ensure that they have completed the GRE (or other relevant examination) in sufficient time to provide results to the USAWC selection panel. GRE or other examinations must be taken at the applicant’s expense. Some schools may require a Ph.D. applicant to have a GRE score.
(f) Writing Sample. Copy of a representative publication or written work (e.g., master’s thesis or peer-reviewed published manuscript).
(g) Officer Evaluation Reports (OERs) from the previous three years.
(h) Three letters of recommendation attesting to academic credentials, faculty potential, leadership, and interpersonal skills.
(i) Plan of Study. For applicants seeking a terminal degree — a proposed plan of study for 2 universities that describes the proposed field of study, university, and specific course layout to complete coursework within two years.
10. Applications must be received no later than 7 October 2026. The USAWC selection committee will convene on or about that date to review candidate applications for recommendation to Headquarters, Department of the Army. Direct questions related to the Professor, United States Army War College program to COL Jerry Landrum, jerry.landrum.mil@armywarcollege.edu, 571-821-8084 for DMSPO.
11. Upon selection, officers will be required to gain final acceptance from their chosen universities and acquire a conditional release from their control branches to participate in the FA 47W program.