Nuclear Enterprise: Clearer Guidance Could Improve Joint Professional Military Education Nuclear Deterrence Curriculum
Fast Facts
The Department of Defense provides professional education courses that build nuclear deterrence expertise among military officers. The courses use a variety of methods to teach nuclear deterrence concepts and focus on monitoring and assessing what officers learn.
However, DOD has not clearly defined the term “nuclear deterrence” in guidance for the courses. Including an explicit definition would help instructors with curriculum and improve officers' shared knowledge and understanding of nuclear deterrence concepts and missions.
We made recommendations that would address this and help improve military education.
Example of Educational Game for Joint Military Officers at the Naval War College
Highlights
What GAO Found
All 23 Joint Professional Military Education (JPME) programs GAO surveyed reported that they include varying degrees of nuclear deterrence content in their intermediate- and senior-level curricula, including incorporating mandatory topics identified in JPME guidance. However, the Department of Defense (DOD) has not explicitly defined nuclear deterrence in the guidance to help JPME programs develop nuclear deterrence content. Including an explicit definition of nuclear deterrence in the guidance could help JPME program officials facilitate a shared understanding of the concept, which would better prepare JPME students for joint assignments related to nuclear deterrence missions.
Selected Defense Schools’ Core Courses at the Intermediate- and Senior-Levels with Nuclear Deterrence Content
|
College or university |
Number of core courses |
Number of core courses with nuclear deterrence content |
|---|---|---|
|
National Defense University |
37 |
12 |
|
National Defense University - Joint Forces Staff College |
10 |
7 |
|
National Intelligence University |
5 |
1 |
|
Army Command and General Staff College |
17 |
5 |
|
Army War College |
29 |
6 |
|
Naval War College |
10 |
4 |
|
Air University |
30 |
19 |
|
Marine Corps University |
28 |
9 |
|
Space Force - Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies |
13 |
8 |
GAO analysis of DOD information provided in response to GAO survey. | GAO-25-107416
In response to DOD requirements, JPME programs have begun developing learning outcomes and objectives for their JPME curricula that include a focus on nuclear topics, such as nuclear deterrence. However, GAO found the time frame for the JPME programs to implement DOD’s outcomes-based military education system is unclear, and the military services had varying understandings of the required time frame for implementation ranging from 2027 to 2029. 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.
Why GAO Did This Study
The 2022 Nuclear Posture Review emphasizes the importance of supporting the professional development of service members working in and supporting the nuclear field. Additionally, DOD has recently shifted from a topics-based approach to an outcomes-based approach to monitor and assess student learning for key topics covered in JPME curricula, including nuclear deterrence.
A Senate Armed Services Committee report accompanying a bill for the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024 included a provision for GAO to assess DOD’s JPME system, including the curriculum involving nuclear deterrence. GAO evaluated, among other things, the extent that JPME programs have 1) included nuclear deterrence content in JPME, and 2) developed learning outcomes that include nuclear deterrence.
For this report, GAO reviewed JPME programs’ curricula and conducted a web-based survey of the education institutions that manage the 23 intermediate- and senior-level JPME programs. GAO also reviewed policy, guidance, and other documents, and interviewed cognizant officials.
Recommendations
GAO is making three recommendations to DOD, including update guidance to explicitly define nuclear deterrence and thereby enhance JPME curricula, and set a specific time frame for full implementation of outcomes-based military education. DOD partially concurred with the three recommendations. GAO continues to believe that these recommendations are warranted, as stated in the report.
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Department of Defense | The Secretary of Defense should ensure that the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff updates the guidance on enduring and periodic special areas of emphasis to explicitly define nuclear deterrence to aid all intermediate- and senior-level JPME programs' development of JPME curricula with nuclear deterrence content. (Recommendation 1) |
DOD partially concurred with this recommendation. In its initial written comments on the report, DOD concurred that the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff should update the Joint Professional Military Education (JPME) guidance for enduring special areas of emphasis to define nuclear deterrence. However, DOD did not concur with the aspect of this recommendation related to updating the JPME guidance for periodic special areas of emphasis, noting that periodic special areas of emphasis are subject to a 2-year time-frame restriction. In its February 2026 update, DOD concurred that improvements are needed in the current special areas of emphasis guidance to ensure that nuclear deterrence learning outcomes are included as part of a strategic deterrence education framework proposed by U.S. Strategic Command. The Department stated it plans to modify the special areas of emphasis process for periodic and enduring special areas of emphasis to ensure that all intermediate- and senior-level JPME programs incorporate the education framework for achieving deterrence outcomes into the curriculum for Academic Year 2027-2028. However, DOD modified its position and disagreed that a definition of nuclear deterrence is needed across professional military education institutions. We believe that the Department's plans to update the Joint Staff's special areas of emphasis guidance to ensure that nuclear deterrence learning outcomes are included as part of a strategic deterrence education framework is valid. We will continue to monitor DOD's efforts to fully address this recommendation.
|
| Department of Defense | The Secretary of Defense should ensure that the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff updates the guidance on enduring and periodic special areas of emphasis to require all intermediate- and senior-level JPME programs to incorporate the definition of nuclear deterrence into relevant JPME curricula. (Recommendation 2) |
DOD partially concurred with this recommendation. In its written comments on the draft report, DOD concurred that the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff should require all intermediate- and senior-level Joint Professional Military Education (JPME) programs to incorporate the definition of nuclear deterrence into relevant JPME curricula for enduring special areas of emphasis. However, DOD did not concur with the aspect of this recommendation related to updating the JPME guidance for periodic special areas of emphasis, noting that periodic special areas of emphasis are subject to a 2-year time-frame restriction. In a February 2026 update, DOD agreed that improved special areas of emphasis guidance is needed to ensure that all intermediate- and senior-level JPME programs incorporate nuclear deterrence into relevant JPME curricula. However, the Department stated that a singular definition of nuclear deterrence would not be helpful in achieving the intent of GAO's recommendation. Instead, the Department plans to have the Joint Staff work with U.S. Strategic Command and the JPME community to incorporate guiding principles for achieving nuclear deterrence learning outcomes as part of the education framework established in the periodic special areas of emphasis for Academic Year 2027-2028. We believe that DOD's plan to incorporate guiding principles for achieving nuclear deterrence learning outcomes into the framework established for the periodic special areas of emphasis for Academic Year 2027-2028 is valid. We will continue to monitor DOD's efforts to fully address this recommendation.
|
| Department of Defense | The Secretary of Defense should ensure that the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff sets a specific time frame for implementation—including for conditional and full certification—of the outcomes-based military education system by all intermediate- and senior-level JPME programs. (Recommendation 3) |
DOD partially concurred with this recommendation. DOD concurred that a specific time frame for implementation of outcomes-based military education by all intermediate- and senior-level Joint Professional Military Education (JPME) programs is needed. In February 2026, DOD updated Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Manual 1810.01, "Outcomes-Based Military Education Procedures for Officer Joint Professional Military Education" (now CJCSM 1810.01A) to establish time frames for JPME programs that transitioned to outcomes-based military education in 2020 to receive certification under outcomes-based military education. This action meets the intent of the recommendation.
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