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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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