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"The first rule of public speaking is: Know your audience. "

The first rule of journalism is: don't write about something you know nothing about.

Students at the war colleges aren't only general officers and military historians.

The vast majority are officers returning from overseas assignments who are being reassigned to teach ROTC. They are being given basic lesson plans and educational material to present to college ROTC students. They are being taught how to grade papers and use the teacher's edition of text books.

I know that more than generals go to the War College. However, I picked up on the fact that no one becomes a general officer without attending courses at the College. And to my experience, those are smart cookies. That's the top end of this audience.

John / Billybob

Sorry bayourod, you are the one who is not informed on this subject:

War colleges are the top finishing schools for military minds, and the Army's comprises a variety of units, including the Advanced Strategic Art Program and the Strategic Studies Institute, which foster military research when they're not awarding degrees.

The Army handpicks most of the approximately 340 students who attend each year, but there are always some from the other armed services, too—including, usually, one from the Coast Guard. The student body also includes civilians from the Pentagon, State Department, and National Security Agency, along with about 40 senior officers from foreign countries such as Saudi Arabia, Israel, and New Zealand.

Since it was founded in 1901, the Army War College has had some notable graduates, such as President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who graduated first in his class as a captain in 1928; Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf; and Gen. Tommy Franks.

Parenthetically it was at the War College that Eisenhower became a standout officer slated for high command.

The vast majority are officers returning from overseas assignments who are being reassigned to teach ROTC. They are being given basic lesson plans and educational material to present to college ROTC students. They are being taught how to grade papers and use the teacher's edition of text books.

I'm not sure where you get your information, but the majority of attendees to The Army War College are LTC(P) and COLs, of which a majority are slated for Brigade command or senior staff assignments. Only a few attendees may be slated for ROTC PMS assignments.

Students at the war colleges aren't only general officers and military historians

Most aren't generals, but most want to be generals, or at least Colonels/Captains.

The vast majority are officers returning from overseas assignments who are being reassigned to teach ROTC. They are being given basic lesson plans and educational material to present to college ROTC students. They are being taught how to grade papers and use the teacher's edition of text books.

Where did you get that notion? I never attended a War College, but I did do Squadron Officers School, which is the first step of the Air Forces Proffessional Military Education ladder. It's followed by the Air Command and Staff and Air War College. Several of my compatriots were doing AWC by correspondence, and I assure you they didn't study lesson plans, nor did they discuss the best ways to produce new butter bars at their seminars.

I believe you're confusing the war college experience with what is the course structure at the command and staff schools of the various services. The was colleges as well as the Industrial College of the Armed Forces and the national War College at Ft. Leslie J. McNair are on the Ph.D. level. These attendees go on to JCS work, command assignments at the divison, wing and battle group level of field forces and training commands and Pentagon support functions at the higher levels. These graduates do not go on the assigments at ROTC or others that are on the downhill side of the retirement gate.