Evolving Education

Ten years ago, very few airmen going through the Air Command and Staff College at Maxwell AFB, Ala., had deployed for longer than a few weeks at a time. Now, nearly every major going through the program has been to Iraq or Afghanistan at least once in the last two years, ACSC Commandant Brig. Gen. Anthony Rock told the Daily Report in an interview. The wealth of new experience means that instructors are constantly looking for new ways to reinvigorate the program. As expected, the focus at the school has shifted from the Cold War-era state-versus-state issues, to counterinsurgency, small wars, weak and failing states, and enabling partner capacity, said Rock. But keeping the faculty members on par with the new generation of expeditionary students also is a priority. “The curriculum has to be a living thing that continues to evolve. While curriculum is the vehicle that continues to deliver that education, the faculty is very important,” said Rock. Continue