WATERVLIET ARSENAL, N.Y. Aca,!aEURc A Department of the Army Civilian at the Watervliet Arsenal achieved a rare accomplishment this summer by graduating from the Army's highest military education program Aca,!aEURc The U.S. Army War College.
Alice Crayon, manager for Armaments Technology at BenAfAt Laboratories, completed the two-year distant education program at the college in Carlisle, Pa., and by doing so, attained a Master's of Strategic Studies Degree.
The Army War College graduated 302 students 24 July and Crayon was one of about 30 Department of the Army Civilians worldwide who was selected to participate in this program.
The Army handpicks the students who represent the Army's best and brightest leaders. The War College is also attended by officers from the other branches of service, as well as from foreign countries.
Of the more than 250,000 Civilians in today's Army, about 30 are selected each year to attend this distant learning course. Of the more than 800 Department of the Army Civilians at the Watervliet Arsenal today, only two are known to have graduated from the Army War College.
The War College prepares these senior leaders to be better strategic leaders, strategic theorists, and strategic practitioners.
So, why does the Arsenal need a strategic visionary'
Crayon said the course opened up a new perspective for her in regards to the current and future issues that face today's military.
"Being located at the Watervliet Arsenal, it may be easy to simply focus on the current research, design, and production of military hardware and not understand the broader picture of the future needs and wants of our military," Crayon said. "The War College challenged me to look beyond the Arsenal into the Army's strategic vision and as a result, I will now be better able to guide BenAfAt Laboratories' armaments technology efforts for our nation's military."
Crayon endured two-years of on-line courses and attendance at two resident courses at Carlisle. This meant that on average, Crayon had 15 hours of course work each week while maintaining her duties as the manager of BenAfAt Laboratories Armaments Technology Division.
According to the War College website, the U.S. Army War College is the Army's ultimate professional development institution that prepares selected military, civilian, and international leaders for the responsibilities of strategic leadership in a joint, interagency, intergovernmental, and multinational environment.
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