Nuclear Enterprise: Clearer Guidance Needed for Joint Military Education

The Department of Defense (DOD) provides professional education courses to build nuclear deterrence expertise among military officers, but the guidance for these courses lacks a clear definition of nuclear deterrence. This ambiguity hinders instructors in developing curriculum that improves officers' shared knowledge and understanding of nuclear deterrence concepts and missions. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) recommends that DOD update its guidance to explicitly define nuclear deterrence, and sets a specific time frame for the full implementation of outcomes-based military education.

Key Takeaways:

• All 23 Joint Professional Military Education (JPME) programs surveyed reported including varying degrees of nuclear deterrence content in their intermediate- and senior-level curricula.
• However, the Department of Defense (DOD) has not explicitly defined nuclear deterrence in guidance, making it challenging for JPME programs to develop nuclear deterrence content.
• The GAO found that the time frame for JPME programs to implement DOD's outcomes-based military education system is unclear, with military services having varying understandings of the required time frame (ranging from 2027 to 2029).
• The Department of Defense (DOD) has begun developing learning outcomes and objectives for their JPME curricula to focus on nuclear topics, such as nuclear deterrence.
• However, setting a specific time frame for full implementation of its outcomes-based military education system could help DOD implement the effort and meet the educational needs of the joint force for contemporary nuclear deterrence.
• The 2022 Nuclear Posture Review emphasizes the importance of supporting the professional development of service members working in and supporting the nuclear field.
• The GAO's recommendations aim to improve the clarity and effectiveness of the JPME system, particularly in addressing nuclear deterrence content.

Statistics:

• 23 JPME programs reported including nuclear deterrence content in their intermediate- and senior-level curricula: 37 courses at National Defense University, 12 courses at National War College, 10 courses at Naval War College, 30 courses at Air University, and so on.
• 12 National Defense University and 7 National War College core courses include nuclear deterrence content, 19 Air University core courses include nuclear deterrence content, and 4 Naval War College core courses include nuclear deterrence content.
• 37 National Defense University, 10 National War College, 5 National Intelligence University, 17 Army Command and General Staff College, and other US defense schools' core courses include varying numbers of nuclear deterrence content.
• 2022 Nuclear Posture Review emphasizes support for service members working in the nuclear field.

Sources:

• Government Accountability Office (GAO), *Nuclear Enterprise: Clearer Guidance Could Improve Joint Professional Military Education Nuclear Deterrence Curriculum*, GAO-25-107416, September 18.