The Air War College (AWC) was established by the U.S. War Department in 1946 at Maxwell Field, Alabama—now Maxwell Air Force Base. Since then, AWC has operated continuously, with the exception of a six-month hiatus during the Korean conflict.

The AWC resident program begins each July and concludes with graduation in May. The student body includes officers from all branches of the U.S. military, civilian employees of federal government agencies, and officers from international allies and partner nations. The AWC faculty is equally diverse, comprising senior military officers from various joint services and civilian professors who hold either a Ph.D. or a master’s degree and possess over a decade of experience as subject matter experts in fields such as national security strategy and military strategy.

The AWC's program is accredited for Joint Professional Military Education (JPME) Phase II, as outlined in the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Instruction 1800.01, Officer Professional Military Education Policy. International officers who qualify for entry into the AWC program are enrolled in the senior-level PME program and may choose to apply for admission to the Master of Strategic Studies degree program. As the senior Air Force PME institution, AWC annually educates approximately 245 resident students from all U.S. military services, federal agencies, and international officers from 50 nations.

AWC Program Learning Outcomes:

• Think strategically to analyze the security implications of past, present, and future operating environments and effectively communicate complex ideas.
• Analyze strategic leadership and the values of the profession of arms, including sound moral judgment and character.
• Assess and develop strategies and joint warfighting plans across the spectrum of conflict in pursuit of national security objectives, highlighting the role of airpower.
• Evaluate the nature and character of war and conflict and the employment of military capabilities, in concert with other instruments of national power, in a joint, interagency, and coalition environment.

Mission
Develop Air-Minded Joint Warfighters

Vision
The premier war college: forging architects of victory through intellectual rigor and creativity

The Air University Library

The Muir S. Fairchild Research Information Center is a rich resource for research. They offer guides to writing and citation, links to books on writing and citation, to citation generators, and downloads for those program. reviews. The connection the library provides to online databases is world class and should be consulted for any and all research projects. Starting with Google or Yahoo is a just that, a start--every research project must go beyond that and our library fills that gap. In addition, the library creates guides for research on specific subjects, such as Space Debris. Students and faculty can work with our AWC librarian to create library guides for topics they will be researching.

The Air University Teaching and Learning Center

The Air University (AU) Teaching and Learning Center (TLC) is the focal point for activities related to the enhancement of teaching and learning at AU. Our mission includes resources, expertise, guidance and facilities to increase the ability of faculty to teach and students to learn. The TLC advances the AF Continuum of Learning and promotes an environment that encourages active learning across all of AU. The scope of the TLC includes all AU faculty and students in any resident, distance-learning or blended-learning courses or programs along with any airmen who may take advantage of our online resources to enhance their lifelong learning. The TLC is located on the 2nd floor of the Fairchild Research & Information Center at Air University, Maxwell AFB, Montgomery AL. Check their web site for lists of events and training: https://www.airuniversity.af.edu/TLC/.

 Faculty Support

• Lessons and presentations promoting faculty expertise and teaching skills
• Indexed archive of online materials (articles, videos, examples, templates, and other) enhancing faculty development
• Research, assess and provide books, articles, media and services targeted at faculty and curriculum development
• Identify and conduct events as described below with specific focus on faculty development
• Upon request provide informal assessments of AU faculty teaching effectiveness

 Student Learning

• Identify, create and publish lessons, articles, applications and presentations to enhance students’ study and learning skills
• Provide lessons or methods to improve reading, memorizing, test taking, writing, researching and communicating
• Offer general tutoring and scaffolding to enhance students’ learning skills

Writing Commons

• Operate a Writing Commons that provides academic writing support for all of AU
• Maintain a Writing Lab with lessons and tutoring for resident students
• Publish an Online Writing Lab with resources and services for non-resident students
• Deliver presentations and workshops designed to enhance student writing skills and faculty expertise with regard to writing

Technology Training

• Provide training classes, events and resources for learning technology products appropriate to AU
• Conduct multimedia (video, audio, & graphics) training for using technology in AU curriculum and classrooms
• Maintain digital products and multimedia equipment to support learning technology training and research
• Publish online learning technology training resources enhance faculty skills and curriculum development methods

Technology Research

• Identify, promote and aid implementation of new educational technologies appropriate for AU
• Provide opportunities for AU faculty to use and experience new learning technology products and techniques
• Collaborate with organizations and universities outside AU to discover best practices and policies for enabling learning technology

Facilities

• Classroom – seating for 20-25 students, updated AV
• Small Auditorium – presentation space, seating for 60, updated audio visual
• Idea Lab – Reconfigurable classroom for projects and collaboration (Surface Hub)
• Media Lab – Equipped to support training and research of learning technology applicable to AU
• Café – Social meeting space with tables and kitchen facilities
• Study spaces for individuals, small groups and tutoring

The Air War College has educated tens of thousands of officers since it began offering senior professional military education in Academic Year 1947 in residence and then via distance learning. Under the history tab on this web site, you’ll find an essay by former professor at the Air War College, Dr. Jim Mowbray, who was instrumental in keeping alumni connected for years and the Alumni Association Faculty Adviser. His essay was published as part of a fairly comprehensive list of alumni in 2007 which included an alphabetical directory of phone numbers, addresses, and emails for as many students as could be found. The hardbound book was further divided into lists of students per class and by geographic regions, including countries for our international fellows. The last section was divided into current/most recent professions. The only thing missing was a directory for faculty!

We have some catching up to do for alumni from 2007 forward, but it’s now a mission. While we work from our end, alums have begun a LinkedIn site to get connected: Air War College LinkedIn. Please link in via that site and get connected to alumni.

In 1946, the Air War College welcomed its first students. In 1947, we graduated our first class and began the long tradition of creating AWC alumni. And every year since we’ve proudly been educating and graduating our senior officer and civilian students (even when war cut the year short). Our alumni go on to take places on the global stage as strategic leaders in military service, in government, education, or business.

Our latest graduates are from all military services and from over 44 countries around the world as well as many US government agencies. Our graduates moved from the AWC last year into command positions all over the globe, to international agencies, and to prestigious appointments—continuing the tradition of AWC graduate student success.

The Air War College is proud to work with multiple centers from which world-class faculty may be drawn for core and elective courses. Many of these centers also direct research task forces dedicated to focused research topics for combatant or functional commands, including the Chief of the Air Force.

Air Force Culture and Language Center

USAF Center for Strategic Deterrence Studies

  Air Force Negotiation Center

USAF Center for Strategy and Technology

Mission:  To provide competitively selected, highly qualified Air and Space Force officers, senior non-commissioned officers, and civilians an in-depth education in national security policy through assignments to distinguished civilian institutions, National Laboratories, think tanks, and key government agencies or department.

The Department of Air Force Fellows program plays a major role in developing leaders while also contributing in-depth research aimed towards enhancing national security and assuring the continuing effectiveness of the United States Air and Space Force.

Goals

•  Evaluate security strategy, defense  policy, technology, and processes: 
    1)  Analyze current scholarly perspectives on strategy issues & defense policy
    2)  Analyze future technologies critical in the implementation of strategic US and coalition warfare capabilities

•  Strengthen the DAF’s relationships with esteemed universities, federal agencies, think tanks, and science, technology, and policy communities

•  Broaden and develop senior leader competencies to include strategic mindset and strategic communication skills

•  Enable Fellows to cultivate their network of senior military leaders, academic mentors, and national security professionals

For more information, please see the Air Force Fellows web page.

Anderson Hall, Building 1401
325 Chennault Circle
Maxwell AFB, AL 36112

AWC Student Operations (Resident Program)

Phone: (334) 953-5190/DSN 493-5190
(Note: this phone number is unable to provide assistance for Distance Learning inquiries. See below.)
Email: [email protected]

AWC Director, Mission Support, (334) 953-6800

AWC Distance Learning Students

Contact AWC DL (Global College of PME) by submitting an email to [email protected]

Air University Registrar Web Site
For questions/issues with transcripts or other registrar issues, please email [email protected].

Air University Contact Us