US Army War College Fellowship Program
Initiated in 2015, the University of Washington Army War College Fellowship is an immersive, yearlong program in a university setting for U.S. military senior officers. Fellows have the opportunity to think critically and creatively in addressing national security issues in the Asia-Pacific region while engaging with students, scholars, policy makers, government officials, dignitaries, NGOs and private organizations for mutual understanding of the U.S. in the world.
Overview
Each year, the University of Washington partners with the U.S. Army War College and Joint Base Lewis-McChord to allow a small cohort of military leaders to engage with U.S. policy toward the Asia Pacific in an academic setting.
Currently based in the Jackson School of International Studies, Fellows spend a year at the UW studying the politics, history, and culture of one or more countries in the Asia-Pacific region. They undertake rigorous, graduate level education and independent research work under the supervision of a Jackson School faculty adviser while engaging with other distinguished faculty and students across the UW.
The program’s intent is to provide Fellows with maximum access to the university’s diverse resources in Asian and other regional studies. The Fellows combine area-specific courses with a topical focus of their choice, such as political change, foreign affairs, and environmental studies, deepening their academic and professional strategic leadership skills while immersed in a non-military environment.
The U.S. Army, which funds the program, selects eligible Lieutenant Colonels or Colonels with extensive prior research and/or with field experience related to the Asia-Pacific region. A graduate degree from an accredited college or university is also required. The program also receives support from the Henry M. Jackson Foundation.
I was able to make other points of contact across academia which really added to my knowledge of Northeast Asia and the Asia Pacific area. As a soldier at Joint Base Lewis-McChord or the U.S. Army War College I would have no way of making those contacts.