More than 330 officers graduated from the U.S. Army Command and General Staff Officer Course here Friday, Dec. 12. The graduating class includes mid-career officers from all American armed forces as well as 47 international officers and one civilian from a U.S. government agency.
Air Force Lt. Gen. James M. Kowalski, Deputy Commander, U.S. Strategic Command, gave the commencement address. Kowalski told the graduates the global security environment has changed in the year they have been in school and said insightful leadership is needed to ensure success across the full spectrum of conflict. He also said the number one job of leaders is to create more leaders. "It's our job to get you ready to take our place," he said. He encouraged the students to look for opportunities to mentor others as they move into positions of greater responsibility and higher expectations. He left the graduates with a thought from Gen. Colin Powell, "optimism is a force multiplier."
Air Force Maj. Brian M. Flusche received the Gen. George C. Marshall Award as the distinguished United States graduate and Australian Maj. Kane David Wright was named the Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower Award winner as the top international graduate. Maj. Wright was also recognized as having the top grade-point average in the class.
The 10-month Command and General Staff Officers Course develops war-fighting and adaptive leadership skills necessary for military officers to be proficient in Unified Land Operations. The College is an educational center of excellence renowned in the study of leadership, the conduct of joint and combined land warfare, and the application of Joint, Interagency, Intergovernmental, and Multinational organizations to synchronize all elements of power to achieve national objectives.
The 47 international military students, representing 42 countries, received the CGSC International Officer Graduate Badge during a ceremony Thursday, Dec. 11. The tradition of presenting international military students with a badge began in 1964 in response to interest by international military students. Many other military colleges around the world present such emblems.
International military student participation in cooperative military studies in the United States originated at Fort Leavenworth with the arrival of Swiss Lieutenant Henri LeComte in 1894. Since then, international military students have become an integral part of the "Fort Leavenworth experience" and to date more than 7,800 international officers have studied alongside U.S. military and government civilian counterparts.
In addition to completing the course, 40 students earned the Master of Military Art and Science Degree. Students earn the master's degree by successful completion of the Command and General Staff Officers Course, successful completion of an oral comprehensive exam, and writing and orally defending a thesis based on original research. The College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools to award the master's degree.
General Kowalski entered active duty in 1980 through ROTC at the University of Cincinnati. He has held a variety of operational commands, including a bomb squadron, an operations group, a bomb wing, an air control wing, and an Air Force Major Command. His contingency and wartime experience include command of the 2nd Operations Group when they deployed B-52s for combat and command of the 28th Bomb Wing when they deployed B-1Bs for Operation Iraqi Freedom. From January 2003 to May 2003, General Kowalski commanded the 405th Air Expeditionary Wing in Southwest Asia where he led a combined wing of B-1Bs, E-3s and KC-135s to provide strike, battle management, and air refueling for operations Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom and Southern Watch. His previous staff assignments include Headquarters Air Combat Command, Headquarters U.S. Air Force and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Prior to his current assignment, he served as Commander, Air Force Global Strike Command.
Graduation of this class marks the last scheduled mid-year graduation for the college. Beginning with Class 2015 that started in August and graduates in June the college returned to its traditional one class per year schedule.
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