Military Education: Issues at the National Defense University

GAO discussed the implementation of 41 recommendations made by the Panel on Military Education to improve military education at the National War College and the Industrial College of the Armed Forces. GAO noted that: (1) both colleges have implemented or taken action to implement all of the Panel's recommendations; (2) one partially implemented recommendation is a key recommendation that deals with the frequency and grading of examinations and papers; (3) factors affecting the colleges' ability to attract and retain quality civilian faculty members may include the proposed Department of Defense policy review of unofficial academic materials and the government-wide ban on receiving honoraria; (4) faculty and students have had wide latitude in the past to express their views on unofficial published academic material, but the proposed revision would make unofficial published academic material subject to policy reviews before public release or publication; (5) recent changes in the rules governing the acceptance of honoraria preclude federal employees at all levels from receiving compensation for such activities as making speeches or writing articles; and (6) the Panel recommended that presidents and commandants of schools serve a minimum of 3 academic years, especially during times of major change in the academic program, to ensure stability in the schools at the highest level.