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    Op-Ed                                                                     JULY 24, 2026    |  The Indian Eye 12

                             U.S. Professional Military

             Education Shapes Global Strategy

               Inside the elite U.S. military education system, officers learn to become global strategists

                         through rigorous study, unscripted wargaming, and civilian partnerships.

            SYED SULAIMAN AKHTAR,

            SPAN Magazine
                     hen we think of military
                     training, we often conjure
            Wup images of boot camps
            with muddy cadets going through
            physical training or rifle drills. There
            is, however, another side to military
            education: the classroom, where a lot
            of intellectual preparation happens
            as an integral part of Professional
            Military Education (PME).
                Defense  analyst  Ramakrish-
            nan  Ramani  tracked  these  structur-
            al frameworks during a recent U.S.                            Vaidehi Vaidya
            State Department International Vis-
            itor Leadership  Program (IVLP)  ti-
            tled “We the People: Military Edu-
            cation in America.” Ramani, who
            teaches defense and strategic stud-
            ies at the SRM Institute of Science
            and Technology and the University
            of Madras, Chennai, used the op-
            portunity to study the curriculum
            design and institutional links behind
            the American PME system. He par-
            ticipated  in specialized PME semi-
            nars, joined a hands-on wargaming   Lt. General Brown, acting commanding general of T2COM, delivers the capstone address during the Strategic Landpower Symposium for the
            session, and interacted with military   U.S. Army War College Class of 2026. The symposium brought together senior military leaders and students to discuss strategic landpower,
            education experts and government
            representatives in multiple cities.        joint operations and emerging global challenges. (Photo by Elizabeth Bukowski / U.S. Army War College Public Affairs)
               “As in all professional armies, in
            the United States too, PME is a ca-  both of which host Air Force Junior   the educational system shifts gears.  enter the prestigious War Colleges.
                                              Reserve  Officers’  Training  Corps
                                                                                In the  initial  years, the focus  re-
                                                                                                                  This is when, Ramani says, “they
            reer-long ladder designed to trans-  (JROTC), a federal program spon-  mains  tactical  and  field-based,  en-  have to drop the battlefield mindset
            form tactical experts into strategic   sored by the U.S. Armed Forces in   suring a newly commissioned officer   and pick up a statesman’s hat.”
            thinkers,” says Ramani. This system   high schools across the United States.  knows how to lead a platoon safely   This  senior  layer  operates  as  a
            treats strategic thinking as a skill   “Students of Grade 8 and higher are   through a mission. After a few years   highly coordinated network of ser-
            that needs to be sharpened constant-  introduced to basic military science,  of service, typically around the rank   vice-specific branches and joint insti-
            ly. “Hence, classroom sessions are   history, fundamentals of world af-  of Major, personnel return to the   tutions  culminating  at  the  National
            a core part of an officer’s job, not a   fairs and relevant technologies, such   classroom environment.   Defense University  in Washington,
            side hobby,” he adds.
                                              as drone fabrication and piloting, sat-  “It is during this phase that they   D.C.
                 Foundations of military      ellite navigation and so on, in addi-  learn how different branches of the   “In institutions such as the U.S.
               leadership and joint service   tion to parade drills,” Ramani notes.   military work together in sync to   Army War College, the goal is to de-
                                                  As  these  students  progress into   achieve more strategic outcomes,”  velop leaders who can tackle unstruc-
                  his comprehensive education   higher  education,  they  join  special-  says Ramani.            tured problems and provide military
                  begins early, introducing stu-  ized university pipelines. “Typically,   Inside the U.S. War Colleges   advice to the country’s civilian lead-
            Tdents to strategic frameworks    young high school graduates en-   and National Defense University    ership,” explains Ramani, noting that
            long before they enter active military   ter  service  academies such as  West   The true impact of this insti-  an inquiry-driven study of economics
            service.                          Point  or college students join the   tutional structure becomes  appar-  and  international relations teaches
                Ramani  witnessed  this  first-  Reserve  Officers’  Training  Corps   ent  as  officers  transition  into  the   officers that the military is just one of
            hand at Pensacola High School and   (ROTC),” says Ramani.           highest  levels  of  defense  leader-  the tools in a country’s toolkit.
            the  Colorado Military Academy,       As  officers  move  up  the  ranks,  ship. That’s when they are eligible to   Continued on next page... >>

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