DEVELOPMENT OF THE NATIONAL WAR COLLEGE AND PEER INSTITUTIONS: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF THE GROWTH AND INTERRELATIONSHIP OF US MILITARY SENIOR SERVICE COLLEGES.

摘要

The purpose of this study was to investigate reasons for establishment of the National War College, its interrelationship with other Senior Service Schools, and to assess why the multiple institutions continue to exist.;The present investigation is significant because the interrelationships that exist among the National War College and the other Senior Service Schools seem to be misunderstood by the civilian sector and ignored by the military. The study attempted to clarify those relationships for both elements.;It was hypothesized that by investigating the historical antecedents of military higher education in the United States one could better understand the development of the National War College and its interrelationships with the other Senior Service Colleges. It was also the contention of the author that an analysis of factors leading to the development of the Senior Service Colleges would provide insight into the reasons all the senior institutions exist today. Additionally, the author believed that one would have to investigate the roles, attitudes, and influences of military and civilian leaders as well as curriculum development and instructional strategies at the Senior Service Colleges before one could fully understand why they developed as they did.;It was concluded that all the Senior Service Colleges are required, and the present arrangement appears to be the best for military higher education given the current state of desires of military officials and indifference to military advanced graduate education by the civilian sector.;The study contained three hypotheses. First, the National War College was planned and developed to be the capstone of the nation's military educational system. It never achieved that position. Instead it has shared the summit of professional military education with the other four Senior Service Colleges. Second, the National War College and each of the other Senior Service Colleges had unique missions which prevented any institution from becoming surpreme in the military education system. Third, although one could establish the interrelationships among the Senior Service Colleges, one could not assess readily the reasons the multiple institutions existed.