10 U.S.C. § 2152 — Joint professional military education:

Page 1701 TITLE 10—ARMED FORCES § 2152 of joint matters and, specifically, of the subject matter covered. The subject matter to be cov- ered by joint professional military education shall include at least the following: (1) National Military Strategy. (2) Joint planning at all levels of war. (3) Joint doctrine. (4) Joint command and control. (5) Joint force and joint requirements devel- opment. (6) Operational contract support. (b) OTHER DEFINITIONS.—In this chapter: (1) The term ‘‘senior level service school’’ means any of the following: (A) The Army War College. (B) The College of Naval Warfare. (C) The Air War College. (D) The Marine Corps War College. (2) The term ‘‘intermediate level service school’’ means any of the following: (A) The United States Army Command and General Staff College. (B) The College of Naval Command and Staff. (C) The Air Command and Staff College. (D) The Marine Corps Command and Staff College. (3) The term ‘‘joint intermediate level school’’ includes the National Intelligence University. (Added Pub. L. 108–375, div. A, title V, § 532(a)(2), Oct. 28, 2004, 118 Stat. 1897; amended Pub. L. 112–81, div. A, title V, § 552(a)(2), Dec. 31, 2011, 125 Stat. 1412; Pub. L. 112–239, div. A, title VIII, § 845(c), Jan. 2, 2013, 126 Stat. 1848; Pub. L. 118–159, div. A, title V, § 554, Dec. 23, 2024, 138 Stat. 1896.) Editorial Notes AMENDMENTS 2024—Subsec. (b)(3). Pub. L. 118–159 substituted ‘‘Na- tional Intelligence University’’ for ‘‘National Defense Intelligence College’’. 2013—Subsec. (a)(6). Pub. L. 112–239 added par. (6). 2011—Subsec. (b)(3). Pub. L. 112–81 added par. (3). Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries PROFESSIONAL MILITARY EDUCATION: REPORT; DEFINITION Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title V, § 559D, Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 1743, provided that: ‘‘(a) REPORT.— ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than July 1, 2022, the Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the Chair- man of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, shall submit to the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and the House of Representatives a report setting forth the results of a review and assessment of the definition of professional military education in the Department of Defense and the military departments as specified in subsection (c). ‘‘(2) ELEMENTS.—The report under this subsection shall include the following elements: ‘‘(A) A consolidated summary of all definitions of the term ‘professional military education’ used in the Department of Defense and the military depart- ments. ‘‘(B) A description of how such term is used in the Department of Defense in educational institutions, associated schools, programs, think tanks, research centers, and support activities. ‘‘(C) An analysis of how such term— ‘‘(i) applies to tactical, operational, and stra- tegic settings; and ‘‘(ii) is linked to mission requirements. ‘‘(D) An analysis of how professional military education has been applied and linked through all levels of Department of Defense education and training. ‘‘(E) The applicability of professional military education to the domains of warfare, including land, air, sea, space, and cyber. ‘‘(F) With regards to online and virtual learning in professional military education— ‘‘(i) an analysis of the use of such learning; and ‘‘(ii) student satisfaction in comparison to tra- ditional classroom learning. ‘‘(b) DEFINITION.—Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act [Dec. 27, 2021], the Secretary of Defense, in coordination with the Chair- man of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Secretaries of the military departments, using the report under sub- section (a), shall standardize the definition of ‘profes- sional military education’ across the military depart- ments and the Department of Defense.’’ Executive Documents CHANGE OF NAME National Defense Intelligence College changed to Na- tional Intelligence University by Department of De- fense Instruction 3305.01 on Feb. 9, 2011. § 2152. Joint professional military education: general requirements (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Defense shall implement a comprehensive framework for the joint professional military education of offi- cers, including officers nominated under section 661 of this title for the joint specialty. (b) JOINT MILITARY EDUCATION SCHOOLS.—The Secretary of Defense, with the advice and assist- ance of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, shall periodically review and revise the curriculum of each school of the National De- fense University (and of any other joint profes- sional military education school) to enhance the education and training of officers in joint mat- ters. The Secretary shall require such schools to maintain rigorous standards for the military education of officers with the joint specialty. (c) OTHER PROFESSIONAL MILITARY EDUCATION SCHOOLS.—The Secretary of Defense shall re- quire that each Department of Defense school concerned with professional military education periodically review and revise its curriculum for senior and intermediate grade officers in order to strengthen the focus on— (1) joint matters; and (2) preparing officers for joint duty assign- ments. (Added and amended Pub. L. 108–375, div. A, title V, § 532(a)(2), (b), Oct. 28, 2004, 118 Stat. 1897, 1900.) Editorial Notes CODIFICATION Subsecs. (b) and (c) of section 663 of this title, which were transferred to this section by Pub. L. 108–375, § 532(b), were based on Pub. L. 99–433, title IV, § 401(a), Oct. 1, 1986, 100 Stat. 1027. AMENDMENTS 2004—Subsecs. (b), (c). Pub. L. 108–375, § 532(b), trans- ferred subsecs. (b) and (c) of section 663 of this title to end of this section. See Codification note above. Page 1702 TITLE 10—ARMED FORCES § 2153 1 See References in Text note below. § 2153. Capstone course: newly selected general and flag officers (a) REQUIREMENT.—Each officer selected for promotion to the grade of brigadier general or, in the case of the Navy or the commissioned of- ficer corps of the National Oceanic and Atmos- pheric Administration, rear admiral (lower half) shall be required, after such selection, to attend a military education course designed specifi- cally to prepare new general and flag officers to work with the other uniformed services. (b) WAIVER AUTHORITY.—(1) Subject to para- graph (2), the Secretary of Defense or the Sec- retary of Commerce, as applicable, may waive subsection (a)— (A) in the case of an officer whose imme- diately previous assignment was in a joint duty assignment and who is thoroughly famil- iar with joint matters; (B) when necessary for the good of the serv- ice; (C) in the case of an officer whose proposed selection for promotion is based primarily upon scientific and technical qualifications for which joint requirements do not exist (as de- termined under regulations prescribed under section 619(e)(4) 1 of this title); and (D) in the case of a medical officer, dental officer, veterinary officer, medical service offi- cer, nurse, biomedical science officer, or chap- lain. (2) The authority of the Secretary of Defense to grant a waiver under paragraph (1) may only be delegated to the Deputy Secretary of Defense, an Under Secretary of Defense, or an Assistant Secretary of Defense. Such a waiver may be granted only on a case-by-case basis in the case of an individual officer. (Added Pub. L. 108–375, div. A, title V, § 532(a)(2), Oct. 28, 2004, 118 Stat. 1897; amended Pub. L. 116–259, title II, § 205(b)(3), Dec. 23, 2020, 134 Stat. 1167.) Editorial Notes REFERENCES IN TEXT Section 619(e)(4) of this title, referred to in subsec. (b)(1)(C), was repealed by Pub. L. 103–160, div. A, title IX, § 931(b), Nov. 30, 1993, 107 Stat. 1734. See section 619a(f) of this title. AMENDMENTS 2020—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 116–259, § 205(b)(3)(A), in- serted ‘‘or the commissioned officer corps of the Na- tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’’ after ‘‘in the case of the Navy’’ and substituted ‘‘other uni- formed services’’ for ‘‘other armed forces’’. Subsec. (b)(1). Pub. L. 116–259, § 205(b)(3)(B), inserted ‘‘or the Secretary of Commerce, as applicable,’’ after ‘‘the Secretary of Defense’’ in introductory provisions. § 2154. Joint professional military education: three-phase approach (a) THREE-PHASE APPROACH.—The Secretary of Defense shall implement a three-phase approach to joint professional military education, as fol- lows: (1) There shall be a course of instruction, designated and certified by the Secretary of Defense with the advice and assistance of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff as Phase I instruction, consisting of all the elements of a joint professional military education (as specified in section 2151(a) of this title), in ad- dition to the principal curriculum taught to all officers at an intermediate level service school or at a joint intermediate level school. (2) There shall be a course of instruction, designated and certified by the Secretary of Defense with the advice and assistance of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff as Phase II instruction, consisting of— (A) a joint professional military education curriculum taught in residence at, or offered through, the Joint Forces Staff College or a senior level service school that has been des- ignated and certified by the Secretary of De- fense as a joint professional military edu- cation institution; or (B) a senior level service course of at least ten months that has been designated and certified by the Secretary of Defense as a joint professional military education course. (3) There shall be a course of instruction, designated and certified by the Secretary of Defense with the advice and assistance of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff as the Capstone course, for officers selected for pro- motion to the grade of brigadier general or, in the case of the Navy, rear admiral (lower half) and offered in accordance with section 2153 of this title. (b) SEQUENCED APPROACH.—The Secretary shall require the sequencing of joint professional military education so that the standard se- quence of assignments for such education re- quires an officer to complete Phase I instruction before proceeding to Phase II instruction, as provided in section 2155(a) of this title. (c) DISTANCE EDUCATION.—(1) Any distance education program offered to satisfy Phase I or Phase II instruction under paragraph (1) or (2) of subsection (a) shall include a pathway for a stu- dent who is a member of a reserve component to fully complete the course of instruction while physically separated from the course instructors and without any in-person attendance required to graduate from such program. (2) In this subsection, the term ‘‘distance edu- cation’’ has the meaning given such term in sec- tion 103 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1003). (Added Pub. L. 108–375, div. A, title V, § 532(a)(2), Oct. 28, 2004, 118 Stat. 1898; amended Pub. L. 112–81, div. A, title V, § 552(a)(1), Dec. 31, 2011, 125 Stat. 1412; Pub. L. 113–291, div. A, title V, § 506, Dec. 19, 2014, 128 Stat. 3356; Pub. L. 114–92, div. A, title V, § 554, Nov. 25, 2015, 129 Stat. 824; Pub. L. 118–159, div. A, title V, § 555, Dec. 23, 2024, 138 Stat. 1896.) Editorial Notes AMENDMENTS 2024—Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 118–159 added subsec. (c). 2015—Subsec. (a)(2)(A). Pub. L. 114–92 inserted ‘‘, or offered through,’’ after ‘‘taught in residence at’’. 2014—Subsec. (a)(2). Pub. L. 113–291 substituted ‘‘con- sisting of—’’ for ‘‘consisting of a joint professional