Washington, DC – Today Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Chairman Vic Snyder (D-AR) and Ranking Member Rob Wittman (R-VA) continued their investigation of Professional Military Education with a hearing on officer development. Witnesses representing the four services and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff discussed how they develop strategic leaders over the course of an officer’s career.
Chairman Vic Snyder (D-AR) opened today’s hearing by stating, “Service and joint officer professional schools must deliver the right education at the right time, and then the military has to take advantage of that investment by sending graduates to challenging assignments to broaden their experience and their knowledge even further.” Snyder added, “During this time of increasingly complex security challenges, the nation must remain committed to bringing officers back from the battlefield to the classroom in order to increase their ability to meet the demands of today’s and tomorrow’s operational environments.”
Snyder stressed, “Because these schools are so critical to officer development and the strategic thinking of the nation’s armed forces, the committee should continue this important dialogue with the Department’s most senior leadership.”
Subcommittee Ranking Member Rob Wittman (R-VA) said, “Today’s hearing provided unique insight into how the joint professional military education requirements fit into overall leader development for the military services, and how well the individual services capitalize on the skills of joint educated officers though carefully managed follow on assignments. We very much appreciate the military sending over these key senior-level witnesses today, who all provided essential insight into our review of professional military education.”
The subcommittee’s next hearing will seek testimony from witnesses who are recognized authorities on professional military education.
