Joint Training at the Junior Officer Level

This research examines joint education at the primary education levels (pay grades 01-03) within our four military services by using the CJSC's OPMEP as the baseline document. It first provides an understanding of the CJCS's joint education requirements at the primary education level and then reviews the actual need for that education by examining related studies, position papers or articles from key leaders within the upper echelon of the military education community. The research uncovered few comments that failed to support the need for some type of joint education at the primary/junior officer education level. Finally, the research discusses if or how the services are providing Joint Professional Military Education (JPME) at their primary level schools and whether that joint education supports the requirements of the OPMEP and the proposals provided in a recent JPME 2010 Study -- Requirements Team Report. With our strategic environment constantly changing, our strategic education plans must also change. Based on our increased usage of JTFs over the past ten years, junior officers may be direct participants in joint operations, or serve on JTF staffs, before the end of their first decade of service. To prepare for that uncertain future, at a minimum, we must educate our junior officers beyond the context of their own branch of service or warfare specialty by, integrating the OPMEP's suggested joint topics into the curricula of the services' primary level institutions. In order to convince the services to shift some of their attention on joint education at the primary level, the directives must come from the CJCS.