Military Education

A main goal of the Goldwater-Nichols Department of Defense Reorganization Act of 1986 was to strengthen joint and combined operations of the military services, in part by training joint specialty officers at professional military schools. Of 41 recommendations made to the National War College in Washington, D.C., 32 have been successfully implemented, including two key recommendations on establishing a professional military education framework and hiring quality faculty. Nine recommendations have been partially implemented, four of which involve letter grades while the others cover areas not fully within the college's control, including (1) student-to-faculty ratios; (2) the completion of a service intermediate school before attendance at a joint school; and (3) officers in professional categories, like doctors and lawyers, who are assigned to joint duty positions after graduation.

GAO found that: (1) the National War College has taken action to implement all of the recommendations and has fully implemented 32 recommendations; (2) four of the nine remaining recommendations pertain to letter grades; (3) instead of using letter grades as recommended, the College uses a detailed evaluation system to assess each student as being above, at, or below standards; (4) the College believes that letter grades are not appropriate given the level and character of education at the College; and (5) the other five partially implemented recommendations cover areas that are not fully within the College's control, including student to faculty ratios, completing a service intermediate school before attending a joint school, and officers in the professional categories being assigned to joint duty positions after graduation.