Major John L. Binder, USAF, MSC, CHE Major Angela S. Williamson, USAF, BSC
Advice on career progression inevitably includes the admonition to attend Air Command and Staff College (ACSC) at Maxwell AFB. While a fantastic opportunity, attending in-residence Intermediate Service School (ISS) is not a possibility we all may experience. PCS timing, job responsibilities, family obligations, or other factors may preclude you from applying for the in-residence option. Selection for attendance by a board of senior officers is highly competitive and the number of slots is small. Applications all tend to be outstanding, but not everyone can be selected.
All Majors, who are looking for continued professional development (regardless of corps affiliation) need to take the course through any one of three methods. Therefore, you would be well advised to look into one of the two other ACSC options available. These two, Seminar and Correspondence, provide excellent opportunities for you to attend ACSC at your home station. The following are brief descriptions of the two “home” options with some of the pros and cons of each. For enrollment information, visit your local education office.
Seminar/CD ROM. Starting in August of each year, small groups of not more than 20 officers meet once a week for ten months. Lessons are taught by seminar members and each member of the group is assigned to teach at least two lessons. Lessons are supplemented by an occasional guest speaker from the base. Like the in-residence flights, each of these groups tend to provide a cross section of Air Force specialty codes. Students are required to pass four tests.
PRO:There is strength in numbers and you get through ACSC in a fairly quick period of time. We often heard it said by members of our seminar that the best learning opportunity does not come from the seminar course materials, but from the discussions between seminar group members. The diversity of the group and depth of discussions most definitely assisted in understanding the material. The sharing of the work load helps to cut down on the mountain of reading you have to do, although it is advisable to read through all the material. A few members of our class tried to rely almost entirely on the “dirty purples” with dismal results. Because the course schedule is the same all over the world, if you go TDY to an Air Force installation, most likely you will be able to find a seminar group to audit and thus not miss a class. The “team” attitude can greatly insure course completion; despite severe personal hardships suffered by many of our seminar colleagues, encouragement and assistance from fellow students enabled course completion for 19 of 20 original seminar members.
CON: You’ll most likely have to organize your life around the course. Vacations during the 10 months become scarce as you can only miss a small number of classes before you are disenrolled. You’ll need to keep up with the material and stay on a pretty tight schedule. However, a good seminar group will stage periodic make-up sessions for those lessons you missed. The material is sent to you on a CD-ROM, requiring you to have access to an advanced computer, preferably with speakers to take advantage of the “video” presentations.
Correspondence/CD-ROM. Identical in content to the Seminar program, this self-directed study program is only for the highly motivated. For a variety of reasons, including duty or TDY schedules, you may not be able to attend a seminar and find the self-directed method fits more to your needs. Students are required to pass four tests, but may take up to three years to complete the material.
PRO: You are not tied into a 10-month calendar to complete the course and thus can set your own pace. This is a great option if your schedule is such that you might have difficulty attending the weekly seminar session.
CON:You need the proper computer equipment to run the CD which comes with the program. Completing ACSC by correspondence requires a tremendous amount of dedication and drive; you’ll establish your own timetable for completion. Many members of our seminar started ACSC by correspondence only to switch to seminar.
Attendance of ISS by senior government employees is not only allowed, but strongly encouraged for career minded civil servants. Building a stronger total force with a common purpose and knowledge base is essential to maintaining the greatest air power in the world. Encourage all members of your staff who are eligible to enroll in ACSC.
Completing ACSC can be a rewarding and enriching experience. The best piece of advice we can give any newly selected Major is: don’t hesitate to enroll in ACSC at the earliest opportunity. Unlike the long wait as a Captain, the selection board for Lieutenant Colonel comes faster than you can imagine. Procrastination is easy–failing to complete ACSC before the Lieutenant Colonel board is a definite way to lose the promotion edge. No matter how you plan on completing ACSC, start planning today for your future.
Recommended Reading. The following are a few selections from the ACSC in-residence reading list. They all are outstanding books and will contribute to your understanding of the profession of arms. We highly recommend each.
- Rick Atkinson Crusade
- John Gardner On Leadership
- B.H. Liddell Hart Strategy
- Stephen L. McFarland & W.P. Newton To Command The Sky
- Colonel John Warden The Air Campaign
Major Angela S. Williamson is the Chief of Audiology, 81st Medical Group, Keesler AFB, MS.
Major John L. Binder is currently an Education With Industry Managed Care Fellow with NYLCare of the Mid-Atlantic, Inc., Greenbelt, MD.
They completed the ACSC seminar program in June 1996, Ramstein AB, GE.