Professional Military Education for Navy Operational Leaders

The Navy, once the leader in joint operations, has fallen behind the other services in providing adequate professional military education to ensure proper representation in all joint endeavors. Since the 2002 Year of Education and Training, the Navy has implemented a variety of requirements to bring the Navys professional military education in line with the other services and with the CJCS Vision for Joint Officer Development. These requirements are not being enforced, putting naval officers at a disadvantage in joint operations, especially joint planning staffs and in operational command. Requirements of operational command are such that education plays a key role in developing skills to meet those requirements, both for the operational commander and his staff. Professional military education provides the basis on which a naval officer begins learning critical thinking skills and fostering self-education for joint operations and future operational command. The current state of Navy professional military education programs does not allow for sufficient time to properly analyze military history and gain the skills needed to succeed in a joint environment. The U.S. Navy needs to enforce current PME requirements and guidelines, realign officer progression to include professional military education at all levels of development, and make professional military education a sought after duty assignment, improving naval officers8223 knowledge and skill to perform in a joint environment and ultimately succeeding in operational command.