The U.S. Army provides many opportunities for service members to attain a solid education. The military recognizes the importance of training its members to become leaders and education is a critical step in this process. Because military members are often deployed or working non-traditional hours, distance learning programs might provide a more flexible and viable alternative for students to work towards a degree or certificate in a discipline such as strategic security, which encompasses critical national security threats. The Army provides in house online training in relevant military disciplines, yet students interested in the strategic security sector could also benefit by enrolling in other online universities dedicated to a specific area, such as strategic security. By taking courses in both types of programs, service members can benefit from military instruction as well as intelligence or counter terrorism courses made available to them in related programs.
What is Army Distance Learning?
Army distance learning assists military personnel throughout the world by providing the requisite courses needed for advancement in rank. Distance military education teaches professional development to both enlisted service members and officers throughout their career. Military education includes both obligatory and voluntary duties. Individuals who take additional education are more likely to advance quickly in their military careers as embarking on a path to higher education demonstrates a commitment to self-discipline, which is the mark of a true leader.
Army distance learning can take many forms. Officially, there is a formal distance education component of the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC), which is available to service members and includes coursework relevant to their specific careers. TRADOC's mission is to develop Army leaders, both soldiers and civilians, by designing and integrating "capabilities, concepts, and doctrine in order to build a campaign-capable, expeditionary Army in support of joint warfighting capability through Army Force Generation (ARFORGEN)." TRADOC operates over 32 schools and centers in support of its mission across the U.S. In addition, TRADOC includes a formal army distance learning component, called the Army Correspondence Course Program (ACCP), which serves as the "formal nonresident extension" of TRADOC curriculum. The ACCP includes a large variety of online courses for service members, including topics ranging from engineering, field artillery, and common military subjects, to basic intelligence, human factors engineering, and even a course on enemy prisoners of war. The ACCP provides courses for service members to gain the requisite knowledge and skills for promotion within the military.
Other online educational options
Service members may also benefit from taking online courses or degree programs in subjects related to their current or future jobs in the strategic security sector. Many online universities not associated directly with the U.S. military offer programs geared for these individuals. For instance, service members interested in focusing their career in counter terrorism could enroll in counter terrorism courses or a degree program at an online university that provides such a curriculum. The programs are often military-friendly and allow service members to utilize military VA benefits, as well as offer generous LOA programs for those students who end up being deployed. What is also unique about some of these online schools is that they have recruited highly-trained and experienced professors to both create course content and teach courses. Many of these instructors have experience in the field and now dedicate their time towards making sure students are prepared for advancement. By taking classes in relevant areas, such as counter terrorism courses, students could enhance their knowledge in this particular area of strategic security, and thus add to the education they have received through the official army programs.
Military leadership has recognized that education is vital for the success of the U.S. armed forces. Members of the military can benefit from both the compulsory and optional courses required by the military. In addition, students who also seek to further their education in disciplines such as intelligence or counter terrorism may benefit from taking courses or full degree programs at military-friendly online institutions that provide a quality curriculum to educate these future leaders.
