Master of Military Operational Art and Science

Resident Program
Air Command and Staff College

[Link]

Program Description. The Air Command and Staff College curriculum is designed
to develop higher-order thinking within the context of the war-fighting profession
by challenging students to think critically and exercise a combination of analytical
and practical tools required of field grade officers serving in operational-level
command headquarters staff positions. ACSC courses emphasize applying
airpower in joint campaign planning and the operational art of war.
The primary form of instruction in the resident program is through seminars
held in specially designed rooms featuring closed-circuit television, an array of
multimedia equipment, and student access to a college-wide computer network
and the Internet. Students receive more than 80 books to expand their
professional knowledge and a personal laptop computer to keep track of the
academic schedules, online reading assignments, examinations, research, and
other writing requirements throughout the academic year.

Program Learning Outcomes. The ACSC Resident Program produces graduates

who are able to:
• lead and command in complex, dynamic, and ambiguous operational
environments;
• apply military theory in general and airpower theory in particular to the
development of operational-level strategies;
• plan for the integration and employment of joint forces at the operational
level in whole-of-government operations across the spectrum of war and
conflict;
• articulate capabilities and limitations of service and joint organizations in
the conduct of war at the operational level;
• apply research methodologies and critical-thinking skills to analyze issues
of concern to the warfighter and/or broader defense community; and
• forge professional relationships that facilitate efficient, effective, and
collaborative accomplishment of assigned tasks.

Faculty. ACSC employs a blend of expert faculty members exceptionally qualified

to accomplish its mission and goals. The college’s unique mission requires a
distinctive mix of faculty qualifications and credentials. Traditional civilian
academics provide the depth and breadth of subject-matter expertise to guarantee
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the academic rigor of the college’s offerings while simultaneously ensuring
adherence to validated pedagogical theory and practice. Military officers contribute
critical military and operational perspectives, as well as unparalleled currency and
expertise, to the subject matters addressed.

Duration. The resident program consists of 10 months of graduate-level study. As

the center for US Air Force IDE and as a joint-accredited institution for providing
the first phase of joint PME, ACSC annually educates approximately 500 students
from all US military services, selected federal agencies, and international officers
from over 60 different nations.

Eligibility. Air Force candidates who attend ACSC’s resident program are selected
in conjunction with their O-4 promotion boards. A central PME selection board,
with major command input, selects the actual college class from these candidates
based on their demonstrated potential for assignment to key field-grade command
and staff positions. Sister-service O-4, O-4 select (or equivalent rank), and GS-12
and GS-13 government civilians are eligible to attend ACSC and are selected by
their respective personnel systems.
Reference AFI 36-2301, Professional Military Education, and the ETCA
website at [Link] for additional information (ETCA course
number: MACSC001).

Admission Requirements. To be admitted to the Master of Military Operational

Art and Science degree program, individuals must (1) present proof of academic
capability either by holding a qualifying undergraduate degree from a regionally
accredited college/university (US bachelor’s degree or its equivalent) or by meeting
academic credentials admission requirements through the portfolio admission
process; and (2) provide an acceptable score on the TOEFL, unless they are from
an English-speaking country.
International students not meeting the admissions requirements for the
master’s degree program will be allowed to attend ACSC and, upon completion of
the resident program requirements, will receive the ACSC resident diploma but
will not be awarded a master’s degree.

Graduation Requirements. Students fully admitted must complete the following

30-semester-hour ACSC resident program. Students must achieve a grade of “C”
or higher on each academic course with an overall GPA of 3.00 on a 4.00 scale
and demonstrate fully satisfactory participation in other scheduled ACSC
programs and activities to earn the master’s degree.

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SYLLABUS
Course Number and Title Semester Hours

IS5510 International Security 1 3

IS5511 International Security 2 3

AP5510 Airpower 1 3

AP5511 Airpower 2 3

LD5510 Leadership 3

JW5510 Joint Warfighting 6

WT5510 War Theory 3

RE Research/Electives 1 3

RE Research/Electives 2 3

Total 30
Note: Courses in the non-master’s distance-learning program may not be used to satisfy course requirements
of the resident master’s degree program except in rare extenuating circumstances approved by the Academic
Dean. AP 5510 can be substituted with DT 5510 or SP 5510. AP5511 can be substituted with DT 5511 or
SP5511.

Course Descriptions

IS 5510 International Security 1 3 Semester Hours

International Security 1 provides a comprehensive overview of the context in which
the development of the US grand strategy occurs. The course introduces three
traditions of International Relations (IR) to provide a foundation for considering
the current opportunities and challenges to US policy in the emerging strategic
environment. These course concepts are then applied to the 2-Plus-3 (Russia,
China, North Korea, Iran, and violent extremist organizations), enabling students
to develop interpretations and responses to international security issues
systematically.

IS 5511 International Security 2 3 Semester Hours

International Security 2 explores the conduct of national security through the lens
of military strategy: the employment of military means for the achievement of
political ends. The course highlights the challenges of integrating military means
to political ends and innovating strategy to account for changing circumstances.
Specifically, it examines factors that complicate the formulation, execution,

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assessment, and adaptation of military strategy. It then applies these concepts to
strategies employed across the Geographic Combatant Commands (GCCs). The
course allows students the opportunity to cultivate and refine skills for advising
senior leaders on meeting future security threats.

AP 5510 Airpower 1 3 Semester Hours

Airpower I examines the emergence and development of airpower from World War
I through the Vietnam War. This course analyzes the development of key ideas,
capabilities, organizations, practices, and limitations that framed the conduct of
air warfare in the first three-quarters of the twentieth century. These events
continue to inform debates about airpower’s purpose, utility, and effectiveness.
Course readings, lectures, and seminar discussions will cultivate adaptive leaders
and critical airpower thinkers by challenging officers to examine the evolution of
airpower and how it serves national strategic objectives.

DT 5510 Deterrence Theory and Practice I 3 Semester Hours

This is the first of a two-course sequence designed to introduce students to the
origins and evolution of modern deterrence theory, strategy, and policy. This
course traces the evolution of deterrence theory and practices from its classical
origins to the end of the Cold War. It provides a foundational basis in both
classical and conventional deterrence theory and practice before moving to a
detailed examination of modern rational deterrence theory and its various
extensions and implications, including the logic of mutually assured destruction
and the stability-instability paradox. Alternatives to rational deterrence theory,
including those based in psychology and behavioral economics, will also be
discussed.

SP 5510 Spacepower 1 3 Semester Hours

Spacepower 1 examines the history, theory, and technological underpinnings of
space power and the American space profession. This course comprises an
overview of the key ideas, capabilities, organizations, practices, and limitations
that framed the American space effort in its first 50 years—ideas and events that
continue to inform debates about space power’s purpose, utility, and effectiveness.
Course readings, lectures, and seminar discussions will cultivate adaptive leaders
and critical space power thinkers by challenging officers to examine the evolution
of space power and how it serves national strategic objectives.

AP 5511 Airpower 2 3 Semester Hours

Airpower 2 analyzes the historical, current, and potential future utilization of air,
space and cyber assets in military conflicts, with emphasis on the history and
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development of American airpower since 1947. Students will study and think
creatively about how leaders and organizations have leveraged war in the third
dimension to create a more effective joint operating environment while considering
the relationships between strategy, doctrine, and technology. The historical period
of the course material takes the airpower narrative from the foundation of the US
Air Force through modern conflicts, concluding with specific roles and missions
and a look at the future of airpower, including challenges and opportunities.
Course themes include narrating the Air Force story and examining how air forces
have historically responded and adapted during periods of significant change.

DT 5511 Deterrence Theory and Practice II 3 Semester Hours

This is the second of a two-course sequence designed to introduce students to the
origins and evolution of modern deterrence theory, strategy, and policy. This
course provides a detailed examination of modern rational deterrence theory and
its various extensions and implications, including the logic of mutually assured
destruction and the stability-instability paradox. Alternatives to rational
deterrence theory, including those based in psychology and behavioral economics,
will also be discussed.

SP 5511 Spacepower 2 3 Semester Hours

Spacepower 2 examines the history of military space operations since the end of
the Cold War, after which Air Force space operations shifted its focus and culture
from strategic missions to theater support to the joint warfighter. The course will
cover lessons learned in combat, organizational debates in Congress, how space
operations integrate with other terrestrial military operations, and what might be
expected in the future regarding space operations.

LD 5510 Leadership 3 Semester Hours

This course examines current leadership theory as it relates to problems and
possibilities inherent complex, dynamic, and ambiguous operational
environments. The practical aspects of leadership—decision making,
communication, negotiation, resource management, and force development—are
emphasized throughout the course. Students are encouraged to reflect upon
essential aspects of ethical leadership.

JW 5510 Joint Warfighting 6 Semester Hours

The Joint Warfighting (JW) course is designed to demonstrate, at the operational
level, how the US joint force organizes, deploys, employs, sustains, and redeploys
military capabilities in support of national interests. The course will equip military
and interagency professionals with skills to articulate and influence the
application of the military instrument of power to provide commanders with
options for the use of military force in support of national interests. Understanding
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operational art and design is essential for the military professional, no matter their
specialty. Understanding operational context and strategic goals is necessary to
properly plan and execute military operations in the modern operational
environment. It is also imperative to understand how the US military operates as
part of a joint force in a multinational, interagency, and intergovernmental
environment.

WT 5510 War Theory 3 Semester Hours

War Theory introduces military theory, addressing both the nature and
character of war. It examines the theoretical writings of classical military
theorists, as well as the evolution of warfare and military thought over the last
two centuries. The course explores a number of the most outstanding historical
cases of military innovation, assessing the utility of military theories across the
military domains. The course also considers the future evolution of warfare,
analyzing both change and continuity in armed conflict. In applying military
theory to contemporary security challenges, students will be able to better
anticipate and respond to operational problems across the range of military
operations.

Resident Curriculum Electives

(2 Semester Hours each unless otherwise noted)

AIRPOWER

RE 5101 Space Operations

This elective is for students with minimal knowledge of space operations. It will
address space issues from multiservice and multinational perspectives, assessing
space capabilities, limitations, vulnerabilities, dependencies, and command and
control. Students will assess how space systems affect freedom of action in joint
warfighting, including the integration of space in the land, sea, air, and cyber
domains. Students will assess space-focused ideas that may enhance national
security while evaluating current and future space capabilities.

RE 5103 Essentials of CyberPower

This seminar will investigate the utility of cyberspace as an instrument of national
power. Its focus is at the policy and strategy levels and the course is designed to
be as non-technical as possible.

RE 5106 The Air Force in Fact, Fiction, and Film

The course will proceed chronologically from World War I through the present.
Readings from fictional literary accounts will form the bulk of the course and these
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will be interspersed with a film. Students are expected to draw upon their
knowledge of Air Force history and current practice to address literary accounts
based on specific time periods. The relevant history and actual accounts that
significant components of books and films are derived from will be explored as
part of the course. By combining history, novels, and movies, a fuller picture of
the meaning of airpower and the cultural impact of the Air Force will be assessed.

RE 5108 Command and Control of the “Air” Environment (C2AE)

The course examines the past, current, and future strategic issues concerning the
command, and control (C2) of air, space and cyberspace power.

RE 5112 Close Air Support: Past, Present, and Future

This course examines the history and evolution of close air support (CAS) from a
joint perspective through the major conflicts of the twentieth and twenty-first
centuries as well as during each interwar period, illustrating the cyclical nature of
CAS development and deterioration.

RE 5114 The Evolution of Air Power

This elective will be the evolution of airpower from the beginning of the powered
flight to the near future. It is a tech-heavy course, with an emphasis on the
development, procurement, and deeper understanding of the evolution of
airpower. In this class, we will discuss not only the evolution of the technology but
also the evolution of the way that the technology is conceived and used.

RE 5116 Cyber National Crisis Leadership

This course addresses the frameworks, patterns, and practices of American and
Allied responses to a realistic, evolving cyberattack scenario.

RE 5118 Cultures of Flight: The Wright Brothers to the Space Age

This course examines the influence of ideas about flight, as conveyed in popular
culture, political dialogue, and public debate, on practical approaches to civil
aviation and airpower from the Wright brothers to the present.

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 WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION

RE 5141 Biological and Nuclear Weapons: Challenge and Response

The Commission on the Intelligence Capabilities of the United States Regarding
Weapons of Mass Destruction observed that the threat of “biological and nuclear
weapons proliferation has transformed over the past two decades. The technical
expertise required to produce these weapons has become increasingly widespread,
while many of the materials needed to make them are widely available on the open
market. Meanwhile, terrorists have expressed a growing demand for these
weapons and demonstrated their willingness to use them.” This course focuses on
understanding these threats and responses to them in order to grasp these
problems and to reduce their impact on American security.

RE 5143 Life under the Mushroom Cloud: Strategy, Operations, and Culture
in the Nuclear Era
Using Clausewitz’s paradoxical trinity as its framework, this course examines how
nuclear weapons and technology have affected American strategy, military
operations, and the American population. The course begins with a look at how
nuclear weapons took warfare from “total war” to limited warfare. The second
block of the course examines how the Air Force operationalized deterrence and the
accidents that resulted from handling nuclear weapons on a daily basis. The
course ends with an insightful examination of how nuclear weapons affected
American culture through movies, print, style, and even song.

RE 5145 Arms Control and Nonproliferation

With the continuous threat from the proliferation of WMD technologies and
weapons, this course is designed to educate civilian and military members on arms
control and nonproliferation activities. The lessons are intended to enhance each
participant’s knowledge of the development, production, stockpiling, proliferation,
and usage of NBC weapons, and arms control programs and treaties designed to
stop proliferation.

RE 5147 Homeland Security and Defense

This elective examines how the evolving global environment with its complexities
and interconnected critical infrastructures has become susceptible to the
perturbing forces such as Black Swans and unprecedented events—disasters
(natural/tech), WMD, terrorism, and cyber threats—and how this has led to the
rise of US homeland-security enterprise, national preparedness, and homeland-
defense activities. It also highlights the need for strategic leaders to understand
Crisis/Meta-Leadership skills to better address response and recovery operations
after perturbing events.
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RE 5149 Using Airpower to Counter WMD
This course reviews and critique the process by which the DoD and Air Force
develops, implements, and evaluates counter-WMD policy and strategy to meet
national guidance. It will be particularly useful for personnel going to the Air Staff,
Defense Threat Reduction Agency, or US Strategic Command.

RE 5151 Dimensions of US Nuclear Strategy

This course examines the nuclear postures of key nations and their effect on
international security. It will include analyses of the organizational challenges of
maintaining safe, secure, and reliable nuclear arsenals. Students will study the
many perspectives regarding the proliferation of nuclear weapons.

RE 5153 Global Thermonuclear War: Shall We Play a Game?

This course examines the employment of nuclear weapons in both strategic and
operational military operations and identify the relevancy of nuclear weapons to
contemporary strategy discussions.

RE 5155 The Politics of Nuclear Weapons

This course investigates a series of key questions dealing with the politics of
nuclear weapons to introduce a broad range of evidence, ideas, and approaches
relevant to major policy debates about the bomb.

RE 5157 The Manhattan Project: Leadership at the Tip of the Nuclear Age
This course investigates the US nuclear bomb program, the Manhattan Project,
and those who led and turned theory into practical nuclear weapons leading to
the end of World War Two.

RE 5159 Comparative Contemporary Nuclear Strategy

This course introduces students to the contemporary nuclear strategies of the nine
nuclear-weapons possessing states to provide an understanding of both how
states make decisions about their nuclear strategies and why they do so.

RE 5161 Advanced Deterrence Concepts I

RE 5162 Advanced Deterrence Concepts II
This course examines strategic deterrence-focused research questions. Students
will gain advanced knowledge of deterrence theory and related concepts such as
assurance, compellence, and coercion, and how they have affected US strategy,
policy, and operations. The course has an implicit focus on nuclear deterrence,
but other forms of deterrence, such as cyber, space, and conventional, will also be
discussed.

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RE 5164 What You Need to Know about Nukes to Get Promoted or: How I
Learned to Love the Bomb
This course investigates a series of key questions about the “number one priority”
of the USAF and DOD – nuclear deterrence. The intent is to introduce you to a
broad range of evidence, ideas and approaches relevant to major policy debates
about the bomb.

Civilian-Military

RE 5201 Conflict Economics

The study of conflict economics trains students to use economic methods to
understand the causes and consequences of conflicts between states, within
states, and between states and nonstate groups. Foundational models will be
developed to serve as the basis for the application of the empirical models to follow.
The course then explores empirical research on the explanations for war and its
consequences. Particular attention will be paid to historical trends in warfare, the
risk factors for conflict, game-theoretic models, and the effects of third-party
engagement.

RE 5203 US Civil-Military Relations

This course explores the history, theories, and issues involved in a continuing
dialogue about the proper relationship between military leaders and civilian
political leaders in the United States. The US Constitution and tradition provide
the foundational concept of civilian primacy over military leadership.
Notwithstanding these principles, there are occasions wherein the lines of
distinction are blurred resulting in a controversy that may be seen as detrimental
to national security; controversy possibly exacerbated by a concerned polity.

RE 5205 Cross-Cultural Challenges of Civil-Military Interactions

This course analyzes operational aspects of military—nonmilitary interactions
through the compatible lenses of culture and systems thinking. The elective is
designed to complement the Joint Planning class through a focus on examples of
military—nonmilitary partnerships in terms of cultural, organizational, and
operational differences and similarities. The emphasis on systems thinking will
help students analyze patterns of behavior across a spectrum of activities, while
the attention to culture will highlight military and North American patterns of
behavior that we consider “natural” or “normal,” which can seem
incomprehensible to others.

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RE 5207 Civil-Military Relations in the Developing World
This course provides an introduction to the theory and practice of civil-military
relations in the developing world. It begins by studying how the subject has
developed as a field of inquiry within comparative politics and security studies. It
will look at the main theories and concepts within the study of civil-military
relations. This course will also present both the theoretical and practical functions
of the military and security forces in the developing world using a variety of cases
from Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.

US Military

RE 5221 American Military Culture

The purpose of this course is to deepen your understanding of the profession of
arms by studying the culture of the American military from colonial times to the
present. The readings are drawn from history, but this is not a history course.
Because American military culture is embedded in the larger American culture,
we will also deal with civil-military relations, but only as one aspect of a
complicated and vital military culture. Our study will be sharply focused on the
development of the military profession and its culture.

RE 5223 Gender and Leadership

The role of women in the military is important and controversial not only to the
uniformed services but also to society at large. The place of women in war, and
specifically in the US military, has changed dramatically in our lifetime. This
period of change has not yet run its course. The purpose of this course is to
examine the relationship between women and the US military in the twentieth
century.

RE 5225 Vice, Consumption, and Facebook: Special Topics in US Military

Culture
Using the core tenants of the war and society approach to military history, this
elective will explore American military culture using the lens of vice, consumption,
and social media. The elective will argue that the military in general, and American
military culture specifically, had profound effects on America’s economy, society,
and culture during the twentieth century.

RE 5227 The Military Commander and the Law

Students who enter into a command or supervisory and support positions within
command will be provided an overview of various areas of law they are likely to
encounter in future assignments. Military operations, from day-to-day activities
to large scale combat maneuvers, must function in an increasingly legalistic world.

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Commanders at all levels need to follow the law while working toward their mission
objectives, whether the goal is a zero-defect aircraft, a disciplined squadron, or a
defeated enemy. The course emphasis is on the practical application of the law in
the military justice, administrative, and civil law arenas, and the role of the judge
advocate general as supporting staff to the commander.

RE 5229 All Volunteer Force

The course explores the historical basis, capabilities, accessibility, and
implications of using the active duty, the Reserve Component (National Guard and
Reserve forces), civilians, and contractors in meeting US objectives worldwide. The
elective provides students a better understanding of how the unique and historic
composition of the total force supports the US national security and military
strategies.

RE 5231 Understanding and Working with the US Military

International officers (IO) at Air University are ideally positioned to help address
this shortcoming, while also assisting their armed forces in partnering with the
US military. To do so, this course leverages IOs’ experiences operating and
studying side-by-side with US counterparts, together with scholarly publications,
in a seminar format.

RE 5233 Media 2.0 for Military Professionals

This course is designed to provide students with a broad understanding of media,
news, and journalism. It offers a mix of seminal texts and new research as a way
to advance military professionals’ knowledge about the media landscape, its
challenges and transformation, and how to navigate it.

OPERATIONS

RE 5251 Joint Special Operations

This elective is designed for a mix of students from the special operations
community, those looking toward their first assignment in that community, and
others who merely want to know more about special operations. Specifically, it
aims to expand student understanding of US special operations forces (SOF)
organizations, missions, and capabilities at the operational level of war. Thus, it
focuses on joint SOF integration into theater campaigns and major operations,
while exploring some of today’s hot issues in the special operations community.

RE 5253 Peace and Stability Operations

This course focuses on the problems of peace and stability operations, including
stabilization and reconstruction and Phase IV operations. In doing so, it examines

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the most important operations of the recent past and the roles played by the
military and civilians.

RE 5255 Nonlethal Weapons (NLW): Supporting the Operational Art across

the Range of Military Operations
The course provides the opportunity for students to analyze nonlethal (NL)
technologies and their medical, legal, ethical, political, and public perception
issues. The analysis facilitates an appreciation for the planning factors that must
be considered prior to employ NLWs. Subject matter experts who are NL program
managers or recognized experts in their fields will support the course and provide
first-hand information on NL technologies. Their expertise and experiences will
stimulate student curiosity and help dispel the belief that NLWs are only tactical
tools that have no impact on operational and strategic operations.

RE 5257 Homeland Security: The Enemy, the Threat, and What to Do

In the midst of shifting policies, strategies, actions, and dollars in 9/11’s
aftermath, what do we know of the enemy? How do we know it? Is the “enemy”
identifiable? Can we find him or her and affect behaviors? Can we determine (and
agree) on what threat this enemy is to our national security and what we need to
do about it? This course will examine how we know who the enemy is; what the
threat of today consists of; and where we, as a nation, stand with regard to a
response.

RE 5259 Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR)—Operational

Perspectives for the Warfighter
The course focuses on USAF and joint ISR capabilities at the operational-strategic
level by critically examining “what to expect,” and “what not to expect,” from
intelligence. Against this backdrop, the course enhances a future leader’s abilities
to critically analyze and synthesize ISR capabilities to improve decision making.

RE 5261 Operations Law for Commanders

This seminar introduces ACSC students to the legal principles applicable to the
conduct of military operations both at home and abroad, focusing on the role of
operational commanders in utilizing the law to support national security
objectives. At the conclusion of the course, students will be able to identify and
explain how the law both enhances and limits the operational commander’s
authority to act across the range of military operations.

RE 5263 When Systems Fail: Complexity, Critical Infrastructures and

Homeland Security
This course investigates how complexity, complex systems, and their associated
behavior creates critical infrastructures, such as energy, communication, cyber,
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transportation, and supply chains, which are critical to the American way of life.
Because complex infrastructures are interdependent, tightly coupled, and
concentrated they also become highly vulnerable to perturbing forces, ranging
from Weapons of Mass Destruction (nuclear and biological), natural and
technological disasters, and “Black Swan” events. Protecting critical
infrastructures from these threats require cogent and effective Homeland Security
strategies and policies.

RE 5265 Cyber Economics, Acquisition, Sociology, and Ethics (CEASE)

This elective is designed to examine the phenomena we see in the cyber
environment today through the lens of human behavior. The course will take an
interdisciplinary approach with psychology/sociology forming the initial basis for
action or inaction and then with economics providing explanations for market
phenomena. The purpose of this course will be to explain the role sociology and
economics plays on the human side of securing modern networks and systems
with particular emphasis on defense applications.

RE 5267 Joint Targeting

This course studies the principles of joint targeting and the six phases of the joint
targeting cycle. Students will apply critical and creative thinking to a targeting-
related problem in order to develop recommended solutions to improve the joint
targeting enterprise.

RE 5269 Joint Fires and Targeting

This elective studies how Joint Fires operate and create effects across the
spectrum of conflict at the operational level of war. Students will examine the Joint
Targeting Cycle at the JTF and AOC.

RE 5271 Central Intelligence Agency

This course examines the Agency’s means of operations and analysis so military
leaders better understand the capabilities and limitations of CIA in order to
effectively use it and its products in the planning and execution of joint,
interagency, and coalition operations.

RE 5273 Cultural Heritage & Property Protection in Conflict

This course analyzes the role and impact that cultural heritage and property
considerations can have in full spectrum conflict and apply multiple options to
leading and developing operational plans, policy and strategy for culturally
complex environments.

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RE 5275 National Reconnaissance Office (NRO): Foundations, Cultures,
Consequences, and Possibilities
The course begins with overviews of early technological innovations and their
impact on strategy by Howard and transitions to Houchin’s Industrial Age case
study of theater strategic reconnaissance in the American Civil War. These are
followed by a discussion of the history of technology by Kranzberg and a few
insights regarding NRO acquisition by Battle.

RE 5277 Economics of Cybersecurity and Cryptocurrencies

This elective is designed to examine the economic phenomena we see in the cyber
environment today. The course will take an interdisciplinary approach to examine
the initial basis for action or inaction with economics providing explanations for
market behavior and outcomes. The purpose of this course will be to explain the
role economics plays in cybersecurity, defense acquisition of cyber dependent
systems, cryptocurrencies, and the measurement of cyber risk.

RE 5279 Essentials of CyberGeomatics

This course educates DoD members the fundamentals of why CyberGeomatics is
important, how data and observables are used, what products can be produced
for decision making, and a look at emerging forces of change in the field in different
Areas of Interest (AOIs).

RE 5281 Cyber Advanced Research Seminar I

RE 5282 Cyber Advanced Research Seminar II
Our goal is to give you the ability to understand, explain, and perform
operationally relevant social science research, with a special focus on cyberpower,
national security, and military operations. The topical focus of this course is on
the interdisciplinary study of cyberspace. Course modules are designed to help
students to untangle advanced cyber policy and strategy concepts, and guide them
through the production of scholarship in the fields of cyber as an aspect of power,
methods of cyber conflict, laws and ethics of cyber conflict, mission assurance,
critical infrastructure threats, and vulnerabilities, cyber deterrence and defense.

Leadership

LC 5510 Leadership in Command

The Command Course allows students to reflect on the importance of taking
command, building a command climate and culture, and the unique challenges
that come with command.

RE 5301 North Star Leadership

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This course begins with an introduction of full-range leadership development
(FRLD) and describes the importance of relating this model to our everyday
challenges (demographics, technology, geopolitical changes, generational
differences, organizational, and environmental forces). This elective will help
students not only gain an appreciation of the FRLD model in their daily leadership
activities, but throughout their military careers.

RE 5303 Leading Change—Continuous Process Improvement for Strategic

Leaders
This course is designed for highly-motivated students who see the need to improve
military processes but question the direct applicability of business practices to the
military environment. In a leadership environment characterized by decreasing
budgets, personnel shortages, and aging equipment, the pressure to find
efficiencies while improving effectiveness will only grow. Students will gain a
practical understanding of continuous process improvement through the study of
books written by some of the most respected authors in the field, visual media,
case studies, site visits, and challenging classroom discussions.

RE 5305 Leaders by Design

The concept of Leaders by Design is simply to be intentional and deliberate in how
we develop ourselves as leaders. The military has many leadership programs, but
until we take responsibility to develop ourselves, we will fail to meet the leadership
challenges of the future.

RE 5307 Adaptive Conflict Management

This highly interactive course develops a critical understanding of and ability to
apply a set of essential conflict management tools. This course develops not only
your negotiation and mediation skills but also improves your ability to critically
think about the processes that individuals, groups, and even nation-states go
through to successfully resolve conflict.

RE 5309 Cross-Cultural Perspectives in Adaptive Negotiations

This course develops the understanding and skills needed to better negotiate
conflict resolution between parties with cultural and/or organizational differences
in their approach to negotiations and/or conflict management. Emphasis is placed
on cross-cultural factors and their impact on the negotiating styles and strategies
of the involved parties. Topics in the course include how different cultures view
and use the concepts, processes, and intended results of a negotiation.

RE 5311 Enduring Leadership: Moving from Good to Great

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This elective explores what it takes to move from “good” to “great” by studying key
leadership competencies, identified by John Zenger and Joe Folkman in their
book, The Extraordinary Leader: Turning Good Managers into Great Leaders. We
will also review various readings in AU-24, Concepts for Air Force Leadership, and
Gen Steve Lorenz’s, USAF, retired, book, Lorenz on Leadership, as well as
reading/discussing recent leadership events in the news. Air Force Core Doctrine,
Volume II, Leadership, will serve as the foundation for our leader development
lessons and leadership development plan.

RE 5313 Right, Wrong, and in Between: Philosophy, Literature, and Ethics

for Senior Leaders
This is a professionally and personally rewarding survey of macro ethics and
introductory philosophy. The course surveys the "permanent things"—the
ostensibly eternal concepts of righteousness, classical notions of virtue, and
eminent ideas of value—with particular emphasis upon moral reasoning and
analysis.

RE 5315 Developing Joint Leaders

This course explores the development of leaders for service in the joint
environment through two lines of effort. The first line of effort examines service
and joint requirements for leadership development as published in service
doctrine, joint doctrine, and academic studies. Second, we examine one model for
how adults learn. The desired end state is for students to synthesize the
requirements for professional development with the application of how adults
learn to build a plan they can use to develop themselves and those they lead.

RE 5317 Overcoming the Fog of Culture: Tools and Concepts for FGOs
This elective helps bridge the gap between military officers, host nation personnel,
NGOs, international officers, and civilians, by providing a diverse set of concepts
and a concrete suite of tools to help ACSC graduates provide the nation with more
effective global vigilance, reach and power. Specific topics include the “cultural
OODA loop,” culture and communication, working through interpreters, and
protecting cultural property.

RE 5319 The Great Captains: Timeless Leadership Lessons from Military

Commanders
This course examines the lessons offered by the greatest military commanders in
history by analyzing their experiences and how their extremely effective leadership
can be applied to modern military command experiences

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RE 5321 Transforming Toxic Leadership
This elective helps students not only examine the negative side of toxic leadership
but will discuss methods of transforming such leaders into positive energy for their
organizations. Members within most organizational environments will inevitably
experience positive and negative forces in leadership. A deeper understanding of
toxic leadership prepares future leaders and followers for a more complete
leadership enlightenment.

RE 5323 The Psychology of Leadership

This course provides an overview of key themes and issues pertaining to the
psychology of leadership. We will examine a spectrum of topics related to some of
the most significant challenges that leaders will encounter in the course of their
military careers, regardless of their branch of service, professional background, or
place within the military hierarchy. In particular, students will examine these
issues through the prism of their personal experiences.

RE 5325 Experiential Leadership and Live Simulation

This course provides students the opportunity to practice and apply leadership
behaviors in a variety of contextual simulated settings, such as virtual labs and
live simulation.

RE 5327 Innovation by Design

This course examines a framework to explain how different kinds of thinkers and
leaders can create constructive conflict, channel it, and develop something
completely new.

RE 5329 Creative Leadership

This course examines the art and science of creativity within the Profession of
Arms. Students will evaluate the psychology of creativity, the theory of 'flow', and
the concept of innovative creativity. Students will also explore the art of non-
conformity and will recognize the difference between adaptors and innovators in
light of personality typology.

RE 5331 Foundations of Leadership Coaching

This course explores leadership through mentoring and the origins of mentoring.
Students will examine how to apply these ideas in the military and beyond.

RE 5333 Leading Difficult Change: Lessons of the Civil Rights Movement I

This course assesses the tactical, operational, and strategic level challenges the
leaders and followers of the Civil Rights movement grappled with to achieve short,
mid, and long-term objectives.

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RE 5334 Leading Difficult Change: Lessons of the Civil Rights Movement II
This course will assess the tactical, operational, and strategic level challenges the
leaders and followers of the Civil Rights movement grappled with to achieve short,
mid, and long-term objectives.

RE 5335 Strategy of Engagement

This course will analyze the critical role of communication in facilitating sustained
leadership success. Participants will explore today’s best practices of full-
spectrum communication, including developing a culture of engagement and
leveraging hybrid communication essential in managing Air Force and Department
of Defense challenges.

RE 5337 Leadership: An Evidence-Based Approach

This course centers on evidence-based leadership. We will survey work on power,
influence, and politics in organizations, paying particular attention to how they
are relevant to leadership. Lecture in the course will focus largely on basic
research on group processes. Group discussions will in large part be geared
toward applying the research literature to issues faced by working leaders.

RE 5339 Leadership Theory: OK, Now How Do I Apply It?

The course reviews the popular leadership types and theories of the past 150
years; will look at Kouzes and Posner’s Five Practices for dealing with the
leadership challenge; Warren Bennis’s four strategies for taking charge; John
Maxwell’s 360⁰ Leadership; Peter Senge’s learning organizations; and, Gaski &
Yukl’s power and followership. The central focus of the course will be on
application to realistic leadership scenarios.

RE 5341 “Close Talkers,” “Silly Walkers,” and More: Communication,

Culture, & Conflict in Cross-Cultural Contexts
This course will understand the relationship between culture and communication.
Identify essential cultural value patterns and consider how values, worldviews,
and identities influence, and are reflected in, communicative behavior. Recognize
cultural variability in verbal styles, nonverbal codes, and conflict approaches.
Understand the nature of bias and identify constructive ways to mitigate prejudice
and discrimination. Develop/enhance mindsets and skillsets associated with
effective intercultural interaction. Recognize cultural/regional variations in
approaches to leadership and intercultural competence.

RE 5343 Leading Change and Transformation

The primary goal of this course is to understand and apply the process of change
and transformation and create change individual and organizational change
plans.
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RE 5345 Leading Aviation for All: Exploring Air Force Leadership and Culture
through the Lens of Aviation
The Leading Aviation for All course provides students, and especially officers and
civilians who have no-to-minimal experience with aircraft and flight principles, an
opportunity to explore Air Force leadership and culture through the lens of
aviation.

RE 5347 Value Negotiation and Conflict in the Context of Cultural Property

Protection
The course walks the student through the practical application of negotiation
concepts and understanding of conflict transformation. We will move rapidly
beyond theory to look at realistic military challenges and complex problems. The
instruction team will use Cultural Property Protection as a historic and current
vehicle to focus the need for negotiations within military conflicts and problem-
solving. Students will practice negotiations through the use of improvisation and
hands-on exercises.

Military History

RE 5401 This Is Sparta!

This course examines the Peloponnesian War, a 30-year-long internecine struggle
between two coalitions of states, led by Athens and Sparta.

RE 5403 The Peloponnesian War I

RE 5404 The Peloponnesian War II
RE 5405 The Peloponnesian War III
The course examines war causation, formulation of grand strategy involving the
use of force, and high command as an expression of national leadership as well as
decision-making through the Peloponnesian War.

RE 5407 Roman Warfare & 21st Century Officers

This class explores and discuss the timelessness of the principles of war by
exploring military actions undertaken more than 2,000 years ago by the Roman
Republic. Can we learn lessons from the breadth of history and apply them to a
world of flight, thermonuclear weapons, and computers?

RE 5409 Early American Security Issues and the Twenty-First-Century

Military Officer
This course examines the methods of our early military and political leaders used
to protect our security interests. Many of our first leaders established precedents
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that still influence our behavior and policies today. Historical analysis of these
precedents can provide timely insights into contemporary issues as well as
potential solutions likely to be of acute importance to current and future military
leaders.

RE 5411 Napoleonic Warfare: The Birth of Operational Art

Revered for his military genius, Napoléon Bonaparte ushered in the birth of
modern operational art. Using Clausewitz’s model for historical analysis, this class
will examine in detail his campaigns to understand the keys to his success and
well as his eventual downfall. By using his campaigns as case studies, this course
will examine a variety of relevant topics such as joint operations, the connection
between policy and military strategy, civil-military relations, just war theory,
counterinsurgency, stability operations, and the Western way of war.

RE 5413 The American Civil War: Campaign Analysis

Generations of military officers have used campaign analysis as one of their
primary methods for professional growth. This course follows this time-honored
practice in examining, understanding, critiquing, and deriving applicable lessons
from Civil War campaigns. The intent is to help students become thoughtful critics
of military operations, past and present—“wise forever” rather than merely “clever
for the next time.” The method employed blends classical military theory,
traditional campaign analysis concepts, and current service and joint doctrine. By
“reverse engineering” Civil War campaigns, midcareer professionals will have a
deeper appreciation of the subtleties and difficulties of planning and executing
twenty-first-century military operations.

RE 5415 Irregular Warfare in the American Civil War

This course explores the nature of conflict in the American Civil War, with an
emphasis on the violent, destructive struggle for control of occupied areas and the
civil landscape. Exploring efforts to maintain control of the countryside and extend
security to civilian populations provide potential lessons for current practitioners
of irregular warfare.

RE 5417 Cultural History of the American Civil War

This course examines the US Civil War as a political, social, and cultural event,
particularly how the war affected America’s military culture - meaning, the culture
of its military organizations - as well as its civic and political culture.

RE 5419 Reconstruction as Nation Building (1862-1877)

This course examines the United States’ first large-scale attempt at nation-
building during and after the conclusion of the American Civil War.

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RE 5421 War of the World: A Global History, 1912–1920
This course explores the world conflict that commenced with the First Balkan War
in 1912 and only ended with the truce of the 1920s. The focus is broad, and the
course will explore Western, Eastern, and Middle Eastern developments and
contexts. The course examines the war’s origins, which shaped the conflagration.
This course is not a chronicle of the operational art, although the conduct of
operations and the experience of fighting men are essential to an assessment of
outcomes. The course looks beyond the Western front to consider global impacts.

RE 5423 Airpower in World War I

This course examines the air war in World War I to demonstrate the importance
of technology in war and warfare, as well as how leaders deal with technological
change.

RE 5425 The Second World War and the Operational Art

This course is constructed around an examination of important campaigns of the
Second World War. Although understanding "what happened" is an important part
of historical inquiry, we are more concerned here with the important insights that
can be gleaned from examining some of the great campaigns of the past. World
War II was a watershed in the evolution of modern roles and missions and offers
many examples of operational innovation, command of joint forces, the integration
of new technology, effective inter-service cooperation, and other topics of very
current interest.

RE 5427 Strategy and Multidomain Operations in World War II

The course focuses on how various combatants sought to integrate combat power
from multiple domains to achieve their strategic objectives in specific geographic
regions during World War II.

RE 5429 Air Forces and Airpower in World War II

An understanding of the current and future uses of the aerial weapon requires a
comprehensive understanding of airpower’s historic role in warfare. By examining
the Second World War, a pivotal event in airpower’s development, we hope to better
understand the tremendous capabilities and finite limitations airpower offered to
each of the principal belligerents. It will focus on developments during the interwar
period, tactical and strategic uses of airpower, land and naval air forces, and the
early development of significant modern roles, such as airlift, reconnaissance, and
special operations.

RE 5431 “Bombs Away LeMay”: The Man, The Myth, The Legend
This course is for those interested in how Curtis E. LeMay went from average
officer to a mythical legend—both within and outside the Air Force. It will offer
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background on General LeMay, lessons from his life and leadership, and an
examination of what makes an operationally effective strategic leader.

RE 5433 The Korean War

This course examines military operations in Korea against the political and
strategic issues surrounding the first armed confrontation of the nuclear age.

RE 5435 The Korean War as a Coalition Conflict

This seminar explores and analyze the formation and operation of coalitions
during the Korean War, examining both the Communist and UN coalitions.

RE 5437 History of the Vietnam War

This course allows officers the opportunity to establish a solid foundation of
understanding the history of the Vietnam War, an understanding of the recurring
issues and debates surrounding this war, repeated opportunities to refine one’s
writing and critical thinking abilities, the chance to analyze the relationships
between the history of the Vietnam War and current challenges.

RE 5439 “The Terrain Walk” Learning Leadership from Yesterday’s

Battlefields
The US military has embraced a concept called the “Terrain Walk” or “Staff Ride.”
In essence, the battlefield serves as an interactive laboratory. During the terrain
walk, participants review the issues associated with specified leadership
objectives and draw parallels with their own circumstances and experiences. In
the course of exploring how historical figures dealt with challenges thrust upon
them, participants discover timeless lessons about themselves and their
leadership styles. This course will investigate how to develop terrain walks through
examples of famous battles/events and conducting one field study locally.

RE 5441 Enduring Issues in the Profession of Arms

This course takes as its assumption that there are enduring issues that confront
the professional military officer. Using international relations, history, and
sociology, this elective examines certain “enduring” issues that affect the
profession of arms, such as civil-military relations, the role of military culture, the
uses of history, overconfidence, the role of technological development, and
adaptation in war.

RE 5443 The American Way of War

This course examines the development and evolution of the American military
establishment. By focusing on military strategy and policy, the course will
critically analyze the ways in which Americans have conceptualized the
application and use of military force.
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RE 5445 Sea Power until 1815
By using naval wars from antiquity and the age of sail as case studies, this course
will examine core concepts of war and sea power. In addition to Clausewitz’s On
War, the works of naval theorists Alfred Thayer Mahan and Sir Julian Corbett will
serve as the foundation of this analysis.

RE 5446 Modern Sea Power

This course is intended to provide students with a broad understanding of the
uses of sea power, both in the past and present. The course will discuss the roles
of sea power from 1815 to the present. In particular, this course will cover the Pax
Britannica period of 1815–1914 and the Pax Americana since 1945 that resulted
from British and American maritime dominance. This course will examine those
two navies with a strong emphasis upon roles and missions, key leaders, and
technology.

RE 5448 Small Wars I

RE 5449 Small Wars II
RE 5450 Small Wars III
Often the focus in PME is on large-scale conventional warfare, but much of the
conflict of the last two centuries has been much smaller scale and often
nonconventional. Colonial warfare and counterinsurgency form a crucial part of
the study of military history. Western colonialism and imperialism in Africa and
Asia were important phenomena of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Many
crises today are a partial result of past Western expansion. To better illustrate this
part of history and its unique way of war, we will examine the French, British, and
American experiences of colonial warfare and the indigenous response to it from
1830 to the present.

RE 5452 The Military History of the Western World, 1600–Present

This course is designed to give students an in-depth knowledge of western military
history, from the early modern period to the present. Such a base of knowledge is
absolutely vital to the modern military professional.

RE 5454 American Military History

This course allows officers the opportunity to establish a solid foundation of
understanding of American military history, an understanding of the recurring
issues and debates within this discipline, repeated opportunities to refine one’s
writing and critical thinking abilities, the chance to analyze the relationships
between the history of American wars and current challenges.

RE 5456 Wargaming Classical Strategy

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This course examines the classical works of strategy written by Sun Tzu, Kautilya,
Vegetius, and Niccolò Machiavelli and analyze their practice through the classic
commercial war game Machiavelli to see how these classical theories inform past
and present state competition along all axes of state power.

RE 5458 Twentieth-Century Airborne Operations: Heroes and Myths

The course examines the most important elements of military innovation and how
these elements should be applied to present-day military operations by studying
the major airborne operations of the twentieth century and the unique nature of
airborne leadership.

RE 5460 The British Imperial Experience and Lessons in Global Power

This course examines the British imperial experience by examining several case
studies illustrating events where Britain expanded, defended or lost parts of the
Empire, and the larger geopolitical and security ramifications of these events.

RE 5462 Special topics in American Military Culture since 1918

This elective explores American military culture during a century of prolific change
in American military, political, social, and economic life.

RE 5464 The Rise and Fall of Nazi Germany

This course will provide students with an in-depth understanding of the origins,
structure, development, and consequences of the Third Reich. It will examine the
rise of Hitler and the Nazi party, the basis of its legitimacy as a government, the
relationship between the state and society, the reasons why and how the Germans
fought World War II, and the various and murderous efforts to purify and
strengthen the Volksgemeinshaft.

RE 5466 Military History of Modern France

This course provides a historical analysis of the ways that France has fought its
wars from the French Revolution to current operations in North Africa, focusing
on the evolution of French strategy, operations, and tactics in land, naval and air
warfare while also considering topics such as logistics, military culture, war and
society, intelligence, civil-military relations, and combat motivation.

RE 5468 When Revolutions Go To War

This course provides a comparative analysis of revolutionary regimes at war from
Oliver Cromwell’s Puritan revolution in seventeenth-century England to Abu Bakr
al-Baghdadi’s Islamist revolution in twenty-first-century Iraq and Syria. It explores
why revolutions within states often lead to international or civil wars as well as
how revolutionary ideologies influence the ways that wars are fought.

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RE 5470 War Stories: The Experience of Combat from the Spartans to
Korengal Valley
This course seeks to understand the historical experience of combat in different
eras and places.

RE 5472 Combat Motivation and Morale in Historical Perspective: The

American Revolution to the Present
Using historical case studies of combat experience from the American Revolution
to the present, this course examines the complex factors that motivate Soldiers to
serve and fight. In each historical case, our inquiry will span the spectrum of
motivation including initial motivation, sustaining motivation, and combat
motivation.

RE 5474 Logistics and the Use of Military Force

This elective explores historical and current logistics considerations and
challenges students to explore how logistics issues may be manifest in future
conflicts and wars. The course considers acquisitions, the industrial base,
sustainment, and movement of forces that affect military power projection.

RE 5476 Hypersonics and Military Technology

The course begins with an overview on the origins of war and early technological
innovations by Gat followed by Kuhn’s reflections on scientific revolutions and
Kranzberg’s insights on technological change.

RE 5478 How to Build the World: The History of Technology

This course examines the development of many key technologies across different
contexts, focusing mostly on the last 200 years. The course will place extra
emphasis on military and airpower technology. Examining technological progress
from different perspectives, this course will challenge the ideas of technological
determinism, linear progress, and the idea of the “genius inventor,” while
examining how technology shapes society, and the relationship between
technology and the nation-state.

RE 5480 Eastern European Military History from 1912 until Today

This course is designed to introduce students to the modern military history of
Eastern Europe. While Russia plays a crucial role in the region and is widely
discussed, the elective focuses on the Baltic, Central European, and Southeastern
European states. Through the lens of military history, it seeks to broaden the
students’ perspective on world history and modern strategic challenges. The
elective also introduces them to consequential yet little known conflicts like the
Balkan Wars of 1812-1813 and the Polish-Soviet War.

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RE 5482 Counterinsurgency: Theory and Practice
Course seeks to acquaint students with the most influential works on
counterinsurgency (COIN) ranging from Mao through David Kilcullen. It does not
seek to mint “COINdinistas,” but rather, to give students an opportunity to “deep
dive” into the literature and make their own conclusions, sparked by critical
discussions of each key author. Students should come out of the course with a
solid grasp of the assumptions, theories, practices, and limitations of COIN-type
warfare, including the application of airpower.

RE 5484 War, Revolution and Political Violence in Central and Eastern

Europe, 1912-1920
This course is treating war and society in Central and Eastern Europe, between
1912 and 1920. It surveys the First and Second Balkan, the First World, and the
Polish-Soviet Wars. “War is politics by other means,” and the course investigates
origins, objectives, and strategies.

RE 5486 Science Fiction and the Strategist: The Future of Technology, War,
and Society
This course examines the relationship between strategy, technology, war, and
society mostly through the lens of science fiction literature. Lessons will explore
topics like international relations theory, civ-mil relations, leadership, ethics, and
unconventional warfare, as well as the effect of future technologies (such as
artificial intelligence, robotics, human augmentation, etc.) on those topics.

RE 5488 Military Culture in Science Fiction Film & Literature

This course uses science fiction to explore a wide range of military cultures present
in popular science fiction. Military uses of space and the role of the military in
space has become a hot topic. Only recently has space been discussed as a
“warfighting domain” though for some time it has been true that the “mission of
the United States Air Force is to fly, fight and win in air, space and cyberspace.”

RE 5490 World War II: An International Military History

This class allows officers the opportunity to establish a solid foundation of the
history of World War II as well as an understanding of the recurring issues and
debates surrounding this war. It has been taught since 2011.

RE 5492 Alexander the Great

This course seeks to understand why the greatest commander in history still holds
such a fascination for modern military officers over 2000 years after his death.
Through a rigorous analysis of Alexander the Great’s military campaigns and
leadership, students will apply lessons learned to the current geo-political milieu.

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 Politics
RE 5500 Theories of International Politics I
RE 5501 Theories of International Politics II
RE 5502 Theories of International Politics III
This course introduces students to theories of international politics. Intellectually,
it stems from the conviction that one cannot be a successful senior officer without
a working knowledge of international politics and the role of force in international
life. The course orbits around two big questions: How does the world hang
together? And, what role does force play in the world? In formulating answers, we
will read widely from the canon that governs the contemporary study of
international politics.

RE 5504 History of US Foreign Policy I

RE 5505 History of US Foreign Policy II
RE 5506 History of US Foreign Policy III
This course analyzes the historical evolution of the US foreign policy in order to
identify patterns of continuity and change relevant to the future development of
national policy and strategy. Part I will be on the conduct of the United States as
a “Great Power” in the international system from 1898 through 1949, while Part
II will cover the Cold War and post-Cold War eras, 1950 to the present.

RE 5507 Understanding the US Constitution

This course allows the students the opportunity to not only carefully read the
Constitution and its amendments, but to read, ponder, and discuss the
Declaration of Independence and the differing and conflicting intents of the
“founding fathers” through the Federalist Papers. They will also be exposed to
some of the philosophical concepts of the Enlightenment that influenced the
Declaration of Independence and the construction of the US Constitution. These
concepts are not only critical to understanding how our government works, but to
the evaluation of civil-military affairs; the role of government in national security
decisions; the government’s responsibilities to the people; and relationships, both
internal and external to the United States.

RE 5509 Genocide, Ethnic Cleansing, and Mass Killings

This elective introduces students to the concept of genocide. We will examine the
reoccurring phenomenon of genocide and investigate whether and how the United
States, its allies, and international organizations might have better responded
before, during, and after outbreaks of mass killings. Because US military and
civilian agencies participate in the protection of human security based on stated
and implied US foreign policy objectives, it is imperative that members of the

94
government tasked with ensuring human security learn how to identify early signs
of societal pathology that indicate the potential threat to populations. It is also
necessary to consider alternative responses to situations in which genocide or
atrocities are unfolding or ongoing.

RE 5511 Alliance in Crisis: The Transatlantic Relationship and the Relevance

of NATO
This course explores ideas of European identity as expressed over time in
European Union (EU) countries and how these impact security policy and NATO’s
role in collective defense. The course helps students evaluate NATO’s ongoing
contributions to international security and analyze the changing strategic
environment and the implications of recent organizational initiatives such as the
New Strategic Concept. Students will be encouraged to develop their own
recommendations aimed at increasing the alliance’s utility as a source of collective
security in the NATO’s boundaries and out of area.

RE 5513 Popular Geopolitics: Geography, Strategy, and Pop Culture in a

Globally Conflicted World
This class examines both Western and non-Western popular geopolitics through
an examination of primary and secondary documents, video clips, music, and
other sources of media from a historical and contemporary approach. It analyzes
the role of popular culture in furthering national geopolitical strategies, with a
particular emphasis upon the United States.

RE 5515 Political Geography

This class examines political geography, which looks at governments, boundaries,
and the subdivisions of political units.

RE 5517 The Reason Why: War Causation, Military Strategy, and Command
This course is about how the competition for power among states and societies is
the most fundamental prod to war while examining war causation, formulation of
grand strategy involving the use of force, and high command as an expression of
national leadership as well as decision making.

RE 5519 Introduction to International Political Economy

This course examines the parallel existence and interaction of state and market
and how this interaction effects international cooperation and security
arrangements.

RE 5521 Gaming Statecraft

95
This class examines the dynamics of world politics through a multilevel online
game requiring strategies of cooperation and conflict.

RE 5523 The Return of the Regional Powers and the Struggle for Regional
Order
This course explores the nature of regional sub-systems or Regional Security
Complexes (RSCs) in order to develop an understanding of the nature of the
various types of security orders through which salient regional security issues are
addressed and assess the functions that regional powers play in influencing and
managing these regional security orders.

RE 5525 International Space Law and Policy

This course explores issues of public and private international law applicable to
activities in outer space. Generally, the nature of international law will be
described and analyzed, providing a firm foundation for more direct studies of the
law of space.

RE 5527 The Revolutions of 1989

This course is an investigation of the fall of Communism, the transition to
democracy and market economies, and war in East-Central Europe. It is
principally a discussion of politics, domestic and international.

RE 5529 Challenges t The Global Order

This course looks at the creation of an American-led global order and myriad
challenges that the United States faced in maintaining that order since 1945.

RE 5531 The Cuban Missile Crisis: A Decision-Making Simulation

This course studies the theoretical literature on crisis diplomacy and historical
examples of crises. Students will participate in the Cuban Missile Crisis decision-
making simulation and to understand the issues at stake in the crisis itself.

RE 5533 The Thucydides Trap: Great Power Rivalries, Power Transitions, and
War
This course examines the dynamics and implications of power redistribution from
both a theoretical and a historical perspective, providing students with the tools
to assess ongoing trends and analyze power transitions from antiquity to the
present.

RE 5535 Reacting to Revolution

This course contains two immersive, text-based role-playing scenarios, in which
students will take on the characters of people at crucial moments of history (and
96
assigned to represent radically different places on the political spectrum each
game), using primary source readings to inform classroom sessions.

RE 5537 Role of Religion in Conflict

This course explores the complex relationship between religion, violence, and
reconciliation in complex operations.

RE 5539 Dilemmas of Global Basing

This course examines the civ-mil relations dilemmas most often associated with
the global network of US military bases.

RE 5541 Contending with Corruption

This course analyzes the phenomenon of corruption from three primary
perspectives: corruption influenced by social relationships (culture, family, work
relationships, appropriate behavior in society), political systems and structures
(types of government, means of enacting and enforcing laws), and economic
systems and structures (types of economic exchange, economic incentives to
engage in corrupt behavior).

REGIONAL AND CULTURAL

RE 5551 The Russian Mind

This course begins with an introduction to the history of Russia as an idea, a
national ethos, as opposed to a mere political entity. We will first examine the
views of two Russian scholars on the “idea” of Russia, and where these views fit
in according to the first principles and central ideas of “Russian-ness.” Next,
emphasizing the Rajan Menon and Eugene Rumer text on the crisis in Ukraine
and current news, we will examine how well the Russian idea accounts for recent
political activity in the former Soviet Union. Finally, we will discuss our views on
how to more effectively analyze former Soviet Union geopolitics, including
developing a grounding in the historical experiences and modes of thought over
the centuries that are unique to Russia.

RE 5553 Arab–Israeli Conflict

This elective helps students develop an appreciation for the complexity of the
Arab–Israeli conflict as well as its ongoing impact on regional and American
security. By the end of the course, students should have a good understanding of
the Arab–Israeli conflict—how it evolved, who the major actors are, why the conflict
lingers, and what the prospects for resolution are.

RE 5555 Tribal and Traditional Cultures in the Twenty-First Century

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This course uses historical and contemporary examples to understand of the core
nature of tribal and traditional communities. Using multiple examples from the
United States and around the world to ask “why failure and conflict,” and also
“what have we learned?” and “what could have been done differently?” This course
will provide students with the ability to recognize the nature of traditional
societies, the challenges these societies face in adapting to the modern context,
and the ways these cultures change through the forces of globalization.

RE 5557 The “Asia Rebalance” in US Policy: Geopolitical Challenges

This course is meant to give the knowledge and readings necessary to divine basic,
fundamental geopolitical patterns in East Asia (the sub-regions of Southeast and
Northeast Asia, including China). This basic geopolitical grounding will give
students a broad understanding of how military power should be employed in the
East Asian theater of operations over the next five to 20 years.

RE 5559 Military and Society in Latin America

This elective seeks to precisely develop a deeper understanding of the Latin
American military and culture, necessary for more productive operations with our
Latin American military counterparts. It draws on readings from history, political
science, sociology, and anthropology to create a framework of understanding.

RE 5561 Military History of Postcolonial Africa

It is increasingly vital that students and scholars understand the wars that have
shaped the continent and its history. This course, while by no means exhaustive,
covers the conflicts that raged across the continent from the first currents of
decolonization following the Second World War to the conclusion of the Second
Congo War. The course takes the forum of in-depth case studies that will examine
a particular example of violent conflict and the political, social, and cultural
context which shaped it.

RE 5563 Power, Legitimacy, Identity, and Agency in the African Post-colony

This course provides an intensive introduction to the study of Africa, assessing
the major themes/debates that have dominated interdisciplinary scholarship on
the region while developing a comprehensive perspective on human security.

RE 5565 Putin’s Russia

This class surveys the contemporary state of Russian politics and the processes,
forces, and actors that created it. Elements of the class include the origins of the
Russian Revolution, the rise, functionality, and demise of the Soviet system, th
present characteristics of Russian politics, and the relationships between Russia,
her neighbors, and the world system.

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RE 5567 The Modern Middle East and North Africa
This course examines the domestic conditions—the history, culture, and society—
of individual Middle East and North African (MENA) countries in the light of US
interests and values.

RE 5569 Resisting Iranian Aggression

This seminar empowers examination of a broad range of issues, such as strategic
communications, negotiations, aid to neighboring countries, and support for
domestic nationalist forces. Students will evaluate policy alternatives and develop
an understanding of comprehensive strategies to defend American interests from
Iranian aggression.

RE 5571 Resurgence of The Far Right In Europe

This course surveys the landscape of far-right politics in Europe and its evolution
since the defeat of fascism. The course will pay particular attention to the
resurgence of right-wing movements in the 1980s and 1990s and the rise of
populist parties since 2008, examining their appeal within the context of broader
European developments.

RE 5573 A Primer for Chinese Aerospace Studies

This course analyzes China’s aerospace power and its implications for US
policymaking and regional security.

RE 5575 Power, Legitimacy, Identity, and Agency in the African Postcolony

This course provides an intensive introduction to the study of Africa, assessing
the major themes/debates that have dominated interdisciplinary scholarship on
the region while developing a comprehensive perspective on human security.

RE 5577 Legacies of Empire and War in the Asia-Pacific

This course studies the factors that complicate international relations in the
region today, especially those that pertain to often overlooked histories of empire,
war, and the Japan-US alliance buffered by postwar treaties.

RE 5579 Democracies, Dictatorships, and Those Who Defend Them

The course introduces students to the government types, domestic politics, and
civil-military relations of allies, partners, and adversaries. Through in-depth case
studies on countries including, but not limited to Japan, France, Egypt, South
Africa, and China, students will develop an appreciation for how government type,
culture, domestic politics, and other factors play into interaction with host
nationals or host nation entities throughout multiple AORs.

RE 5581 Sectarian and Minority Identities in the Contemporary Middle East

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This course explores religious and sectarian, ethnic and cultural, tribal, and
generational sameness and difference to build a broader understanding of the
region with attention to how this diversity impacts current security challenges,
relates to the narratives of VEOs, and what it means for US security interests in
the region.

RE 5583 African Security: For the 21st Century and Beyond

This course critically looks at the security institutions within given specific
(National) contexts and explore viable institutional options to more adequately deal
with these challenges. Additionally, the course will explore the development of
security strategies and policy at the national level of government focusing on
national purpose, national interests, and threat assessments and incorporate
ends, ways, means, and risk methodologies to identify feasible alternative
structures.

RE 5585 Weak States and Global Security Threats

This course will explore the role of the modern state and how competing actors
challenge the legitimacy of the state. Assess factors in weak or failing states that
contribute to an environment of insecurity. Understand how instruments of
national power are employed to develop solutions to curtail global security threats
in weak states.

RE 5587 Understanding the Wisdom of Tao Te Ching and The Art of War
The course also discusses the application of wisdom from the two classics in
students’ professional growth, such as leadership skills. Furthermore,
understanding the nature of the most ancient written system still being used, as
well as mastery of more than 200 characters, character combinations, and idioms,
build a strong foundation for students’ future studies in Chinese language and
culture.

LANGUAGES

RE 5600 Spanish Language and Cultural Studies I

RE 5601 Spanish Language and Cultural Studies II
RE 5602 Spanish Language and Cultural Studies III
This course focuses on language training at the initial acquisition level, providing
students with a lifelong skill. Language training, however, will be complemented
with academic readings and discussions about the Spanish-speaking cultures.
The chosen themes have been selected in combination with the language
curriculum and the following domains of culture: political and social relations,
economics and resources, history and myth, family and kinship, sex and gender,

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as well as religion and spirituality. Several domains will overlap in each lesson to
provide students with a better insight of Spanish-speaking cultures while
connecting their past, present, and future.

RE 5603 French Language and Cultural Studies I

RE 5604 French Language and Cultural Studies II
RE 5605 French Language and Cultural Studies III
This course emphasizes both language and cultural education. In language
instruction, students acquire the fundamental elements of the French language,
using a multiple-skills approach that includes in class participation, oral practice,
and supervised daily homework. Speaking, listening, and reading skills are
emphasized, with regular writing practice employed as enabling skills. The course
places an increased emphasis on the critical thinking skills of logical thought,
evaluation, and clear and precise expression in the target language.

RE 5606 German Language and Cultural Studies I

RE 5607 German Language and Cultural Studies II
RE 5608 German Language and Cultural Studies III
This course combines language learning with cultural studies. The target
language, German, will be utilized the majority of the time while introducing and
practicing language skills such as speaking, listening, reading, and writing.
English will be used to conduct discussions and presentations with respect to
commonalities and differences about themes pertaining to military, societal, and
cultural issues.

RE 5609 Chinese Language and Cultural Studies I

RE 5610 Chinese Language and Cultural Studies II
RE 5611 Chinese Language and Cultural Studies III
This course integrates learning Mandarin Chinese with a deeper exploration of
authentic Chinese culture as well as modern China. The language portion of this
course is designed particularly for students with no prior experience in Chinese.
It focuses on building a strong foundation for speaking, listening, reading, and
writing skills. Relevant and practical aspects in life, such as conducting a short
speech of self-introduction, how to order food in a Chinese restaurant, talking
about weather, travel, transportation, and getting around in a city in China will
be taught and practiced.

RE 5650 English Language and American Culture for International Officers I

RE 5651 English Language and American Culture for International Officers II
RE 5652 English Language and American Culture for International Officers III

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This course is designed for non-master’s IOs to perfect their comprehension of the
English language and enhance their understanding of American culture.
Discussions will focus on American history, politics, and social activities.
This course is designed for non-master’s IOs to perfect their comprehension of the
English language and enhance their understanding of American culture.
Discussions will focus on American history, politics, and social activities.

WAR STUDIES

RE 5801 Just War Theory: Contemporary Applications

This course begins with an introduction to the history of just war theory as a living
tradition that bridges philosophy and military ethics. Included is a description of
the first principles and major schools of just war thinking. Then, using the Gregory
M. Reichberg text, we will compare and contrast some of the most important
contributors to the tradition, discussing where they fit in according to the first
principles and major schools. Next, we will use other texts to examine three
contemporary methods of warfare employment in the light of past and present just
war thinkers (cyber, remotely piloted vehicles, nuclear weapons). Finally, we will
discuss our views on how just war theory informs our understanding of
contemporary and future warfare.

RE 5803 Civil War and Embedded Conflict: The Science of Organized

Violence
The course explores the role of information, information asymmetry, state
structures, state capacity, economics, and ethnic/sectarian identities as
motivations to start and persist in war. It then explores how the processes of civil
wars and international rivalries create transnational pathologies that can present
even greater international security challenges. The remainder of the course
examines international responses to these challenges.

RE 5805 Understanding Clausewitz

The subject of this course is Clausewitz’s On War, often identified as the most
important book written about military conflict. But despite its reputation, On War
is seldom read in its entirety, is more often than not quoted out of context, and is
generally not very well understood. It can be difficult to read and has been
characterized as poorly organized, elusive, incomplete, and obsolete. The overall
objective of this course is to make On War understandable as a whole work and to
equip you to analyze and evaluate the efficacy of Clausewitz’s thought.

RE 5807 The Anthropology of War: A Social Scientific Approach to

Understanding
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Anthropology is the study of people in all places and all time periods. As such,
anthropologists have been interested in conflict, violence, and war since the field
of study first began. War is such a fundamental human phenomenon that we
could not understand human culture and society without examining this
significant social and cultural practice. Students will learn anthropological
theories and perspectives on the origins of war, as well as how human culture,
behavior, social systems, and beliefs shape the actions, values, and motivations
of individuals and communities to choose war, their behaviors within war and
their end goals.

RE 5809 The History of Terrorism I

RE 5810 The History of Terrorism II
RE 5811 The History of Terrorism III
This course is designed to provide students with a broad understanding of the
uses of terrorism, both in the past and the present, and the ways in which states
have reacted to terrorism. It examines more than 2,000 years of terrorism. It will
place special emphasis upon the experiences of the United States and Western
Europe but will include forays into other regions around the globe.

RE 5813 The Politics of Islamic Struggle: Knowledge to Defend against

Terrorism
This elective provides the basis on which to analyze the ideas driving the exclusive,
aggressive posture of radical extremists. This analysis reveals ways to undermine
their credibility, delegitimize their ideology, and defeat their strategies. This
elective will clarify and accentuate the distinction between the exploitation of
political ideology in service to violence versus piety in practice.

RE 5815 War and Its Theorists

This course analyzes some of the rudiments of modern military thought, such as
the major works of Antoine-Henri Jomini, Carl von Clausewitz, Alfred Thayer
Mahan, Julian Corbett, Giulio Douhet, John Slessor, and Mao Tse-tung.

RE 5817 Introduction to Ethics for the Profession of Arms

This course examines the ethical foundations of the profession of arms and
addresses questions as to how ethics can be grounded without reference to
religion, the challenges of moral relativism, and whether or not military members
should be held to higher moral standards.

RE 5819 Logistics and the Use of Military Force

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This course explores historical and current logistics considerations to examine
possible logistics issues in future conflicts and wars. The course considers
acquisitions, the industrial base, sustainment, and movement of forces that affect
military power projection.

RE 5821 Wargaming
This course introduces the concept of wargaming from the perspective of design
while exploring the unique capability of war games to function as a research
methodology by using player participation to generate data for subsequent
analysis.

RE 5823 Innovation
This course seeks to inform officers about the purpose, nature, and process of this
thing called “innovation.” What is it, why is it difficult, how do you do it, who does
it, when, and where does it happen?

RE 5825 The Singularity, Transhumanism, and Super-intelligent A. I.

[artificial intelligence]: Security and Strategy Implications
This course examines contemporary thinking on the emergence of
superintelligence and potential consequences to national and human security,
while focusing on developing active policies and strategies for a most-preferred
future, and position the United States and US Air Force to shape and flourish
post-super intelligence.

RE 5827 War, Politics, and Philosophy

This course is designed to provide the student with a substantial understanding
and deep appreciation of several classic philosophical texts at the intersection of
war and politics.

RE 5829 Willing the Next War: The Sources of Military Effectiveness

This course seeks to understand both the attributes of highly proficient militaries
and the determinants of military effectiveness.

RE 5831 The Use of Force in UN Peacekeeping Operations

This course examines enhanced-mandate UN peacekeeping missions of the past
two decades. It focuses, particularly, on the (military) means associated with
robust peacekeeping. And, it assesses their impact on civilian and peacekeeper
safety trends.

RE 5833 Virtual & Augmented Reality

This elective course curriculum includes extensive hands-on use of VR & AR
devices, combined with student research, expert presentation, and guided
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discussion as a means to establish a strong foundational understanding of the
technologies.

RE 5835 Interstellar Warfare

This course introduces students to a layman’s description of the state-of- the-art
in advanced space propulsion and extra-solar planet detection astronomy as well
as program management techniques and modern military planning techniques to
form an immersive, scenario-based learning experience.
RE 5837 Spacepower Theory and Strategy
This course introduces students to the world of spacepower theory and strategy.
Students will be exposed to spacepower theorists which have implications on the
formation of spacepower strategy of the 21st Century.

RE 5839 Dirty Money

This course surveys the current ways in which insurgents and other extralegal
groups fund their activities through illicit means and the ways in which states and
international organizations attempt to counter them.

RE 5841 Thinking Irregular War

This course is designed to help students grapple with the closely imbricated
political/military problems of “irregular war” and face up to, though not
necessarily embrace, its many “consequences,” inevitable or otherwise.

RE 5843 Select Topics in National Security Law

This course examines the national security law framework and process at the
strategic level, focusing on selected topics including: the use of military force, law
of armed conflict and the use of RPAs on the battlefield, economics and national
security, cyber law, intelligence oversight, and domestic operations.

RE 5845 Comparative Strategies: An Introduction to Strategic Thought

This course introduces a pattern of thought designed to begin thinking
strategically to solve today's problems.

RE 5547 Clausewitz and the Development of Modern War

This course is designed to deepen students’ understanding of Clausewitz’s ideas
and their influence over modern warfare. The course discusses the original works
in their historical and military context but also pivots to modern interpretations
and issues. It provides insight into war’s dual nature, limited war, and irregular
warfare. The course also examines Clausewitz’s influence over international law
and the laws of war.

RE 5849 Integrated Space Campaigning: Forging the Spacepower State

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The elective will study air, sea, and space power theorists and their approaches to
national power. Modern scholarship on seapower states will provide an analytic
framework for students to discuss.
RE 5851 War Decision Making: A Study of the Strategic, Operational, and
Tactical Decisions at the Battles of Lexington and Concord, Gettysburg, and
D-Day
Students will learn the theoretical foundations of decision strategies in order to
have tools available to study leader decision making at the strategic, operational,
and tactical levels. Exposed to only primary source material and limited battlefield
information, students, assuming the first-person role of a commander, will make
dichotomous decisions at crisis points leading up to and during the Battles of
Lexington and Concord, Gettysburg, and D-Day. Students will then analyze their
decisions vis-à-vis actual decisions made during the aforementioned battles in
order to understand and minimize the impact of bias in their own future command
decisions.

RE 5853 Prevailing in a Contested Domain

This course surveys the practical experience of space control and space warfare.
The course will develop a baseline understanding of both blue and red space
systems and capabilities so that students are provided a robust comprehension of
the current and potential future environment of space as a contested domain.

INDEPENDENT RESEARCH & SPECIAL PROGRAMS

RE 5901 Extended Research Project I

This course is designed to allow students to pursue an extended research project
under the direct supervision of an ACSC faculty member. The topics are
determined by the student and faculty on an individual basis.

RE 5902 Extended Research Project II 4 credit hours

This course is designed to allow students to pursue an extended research project
under the direct supervision of an ACSC faculty member. The topics are
determined by the student and faculty on an individual basis. Project II is for
students who are performing sufficient in-depth research to merit four credit
hours for their investigations and requires completion of Extended Research
Project I.

RE 5903 Extended Research Project III 6 credit hours

This course is designed to allow students to pursue an extended research project
under the direct supervision of an ACSC faculty member. The topics are
determined by the student and faculty on an individual basis. Project III is for

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students who are performing sufficient in-depth research to merit six credit hours
for their investigations and requires completion of Extended Research Project I
and II.

RE 5910 Gathering of Eagles 6 credit hours

Gathering of Eagles is the capstone event in the ACSC academic curriculum.
Aviation heroes, airpower legends, and other distinguished pioneers in air, space,
and cyber history come to ACSC to share their stories, experiences, and leadership
lessons. Students selected to the GOE team are enrolled in a year-long elective,
their only elective during the academic year. As part of their work, they research
and nominate potential Eagles, conduct in-depth research on the Eagles selected
for GOE Week, and prepare for a teaching interview. They also plan, organize, and
coordinate all of the activities for GOE Week.

RESEARCH TASK FORCES

RE 5920 Airpower Vistas I

RE 5921 Airpower Vistas II
RE 5922 Airpower Vistas III
This course is part of the Air University Transformation Vision to provide the Air
Force leadership with responsive research. Students in this program will research
airpower broadly to include applying the Air Force core competencies of developing
Airmen, technology-to-war fighting and integrating operations to explore new
capabilities in our six core mission areas: air superiority, global attack, rapid
global mobility, precision engagement, information superiority, and agile combat
support.

RE 5923 Cyber Horizons I

RE 5924 Cyber Horizons II
RE 5925 Cyber Horizons III
This course examines the role of cyberspace in military operations and national-
level decision making. The course focuses on strategic cyberspace policy, doctrine
and law before moving into an analysis of DOD cyberspace 48

RE 5926 Vigilance Horizons—ISR Research Task Force I

RE 5927 Vigilance Horizons—ISR Research Task Force II
RE 5928 Vigilance Horizons – ISR Research Task Force III
This course is part of the Air University Transformation Vision to provide the Air
Force leadership with responsive research. Students in this program will research
ISR broadly to maintain Air Force ISR’s current tactical competencies while
rebuilding the capability and capacity to conduct full-spectrum multidomain
operations in complex and ambiguous environments around the globe. The course
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concludes with an in-depth examination of threat actors and discussion on trends
and future issues.
RE 5929 Nuclear Deterrence I
RE 5930 Nuclear Deterrence II
RE 5931 Nuclear Deterrence III
This two-term course includes four core issues: (1) nuclear deterrence in concept
and application since the advent of nuclear weapons; (2) the US nuclear enterprise
(for example, the components, organizations, and rules related to maintaining the
competence and reliability of the US arsenal); (3) the global nuclear landscape (i.e.,
competing explanations of proliferation, how proliferation affects international
stability, and the threat posed by nuclear terrorism); and (4) the process by which
the Air Force operationalizes deterrence.

RE 5932 Rapid Acquisitions I

RE 5933 Rapid Acquisitions II
RE 5934 Rapid Acquisitions III
This course examines the authorities and processes associated with rapid
acquisition, emphasizing real-world examples, and exploring how standard
acquisition programs could potentially benefit from rapid acquisition principles.
This course concludes with a group project in which students present a rapid
acquisition strategy for a proposed weapon system using the principles derived
from real-world case studies.

RE 5935 Virtual/Augmented Reality and Related Technologies I

RE 5936 Virtual/Augmented Reality and Related Technologies II
RE 5937 Virtual/Augmented Reality and Related Technologies III
This course examines how Virtual/Augmented Reality technologies can be
exploited as mission-enabling tools for learning and communication throughout a
broad range of professional practices.

RE 5938 Space Horizons I

RE 5939 Space Horizons II
RE 5940 Space Horizons III
The class examines current and proposed law, policy, organization, and theories
of space power, including a number of topics such as asteroid mining,
asteroid/comet defense, space-solar power, active debris removal, lunar mining,
propellant depots, space settlement, the search for extraterrestrial intelligence,
and advanced propulsion.

RE 5941 Innovators by Design I

RE 5942 Innovators by Design II
RE 5943 Innovators by Design III
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Through the readings, class discussions, and Praxeum, this course explores
frameworks to discover how different kinds of thinkers and leaders can create
constructive conflict, channel it, and develop something completely new.

RE 5944 ACTS 2.0 I

RE 5945 ACTS 2.0 II
RE 5946 ACTS 2.0 III
The ACTS 2.0 Research Task Force examines capabilities that are funded and in
development today and investigates how these emerging technologies could pair
with future operating concepts. RTF participants survey today’s landscape and
assess where we need to go next: how do new capabilities help pursue national
goals? What organizational changes, if any, does the Air Force require to maximize
the impact of these new capabilities? Above all, what’s missing from the current
portfolios? What gaps exist in planned capabilities that could help secure military
advantage in the future?

RE 5947 Surgeon General’s RTF I

RE 5948 Surgeon General’s RTF II
RE 5949 Surgeon General’s RTF III
Students and faculty work collaboratively to explore one of four lines of effort (LOE)
at Air University. Students will have the choice of participating in one of the
following teams (LOEs): Senior Leader Resiliency (SLR), Dual Agency Professional
(DAP), Medical Support for Combat Operations in a Contested Environment (MS-
COCE), or Military Civilian Medical Partnerships.

Special Programs (Concentrations)

RE 5951 Multidomain Operational Strategist (MDOS) Research/Elective (6

semester hours)
The ACSC research requirement is incorporated into the MDOS curriculum and
students will not sign up for additional research electives. However, MDOS
students will have the opportunity to participate in a wide range of research
projects. These projects may include combatant command operation plans, Air
Force or combatant command directed research, or individual research approved
by the MDOS faculty. Individual research should focus on future challenges
confronting US national security during the period 2025–35.

RE 5961 Space as a Contested Domain (Schriever Scholars)

This course is required for and open only to Schriever Scholars concentration
students. The proliferation of space weapons among potential adversaries (such
as jammers and anti-satellite missiles) has forced the United States to consider
space as a contested domain. This elective challenges students to develop their
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own sense of the science of space warfare through classified case studies and a
review of the military history of space warfare to the modern era.

RE 5963 Spacepower Wargaming Seminar (Schriever Scholars)

This course is open only to Schriever Scholars concentration students. This class
uses computerized games, tabletop games, and seminar games to create a cadre
of officers who have in-depth experience with wargaming into the space domain
and develop their strategic sense of the opportunities and challenges inherent in
the space domain.

RE 5971 SANDS Elective I Nuclear Strategy, Campaign Planning, and

Operations
This course seeks to have the students understand how nuclear campaign plans
are designed. Later in the year, students will go through the Warfighting course
and understand how a majority of operational plans come into being. Nuclear war
plans, however, are constructed differently. The purpose of this course is to
highlight those differences in order to understand what makes nuclear war plans
unique. First, there are more guidance documents that feed into nuclear war
plans. Second, the effects generated by the war plan are different and need to be
taken into consideration. Another uniqueness in nuclear war plans is how targets
are determined as well as the execution of the war plan. These are just a few of
the factors that will be highlighted in the course.

RE 5972 SANDS Elective II Nuclear Presidents and Policy

This course seeks to have students comprehend how the President’s world view
affected their view on the role of nuclear weapons in national security. A
President’s view on nuclear weapons also influences force structure, acquisition
strategy, and targeting strategy. The purpose of this course is to trace how the
US came to have a nuclear triad, to highlight the efforts among various Presidents
to eliminate nuclear weapons and to offer students a chance to practice their
combined deterrence knowledge atan end of course wargame.

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