WHY WAR COLLEGES? — A SPECIAL RE-RELEASE

From the WAR ROOM Editorial Staff: What happens when a DBA from the Harvard Business School lands at the U.S. Army War College? There's the inevitable push-back against the formal dress code, but more importantly--there's innovation and new ideas. Although Dr. Andrew A. Hill has announced his departure from the War College and as the Editor-in-Chief of WAR ROOM, his mark and legacy is unmistakable. Under Andrew's tenacious leadership and vision, WAR ROOM and its podcast, A BETTER PEACE, matured from a twinkle in his eye to a somewhat-rebellious adolescent in just two years. There have been growing pains and challenges as the editorial team navigated the crowded space of online publishing in the national security arena and as WAR ROOM hit its stride and found its niche. Andrew's imagination and tireless efforts were central to every achievement. To commemorate his departure from the U.S. Army War College, the WAR ROOM Editorial Team has elected to re-release one of our earliest podcasts, Andrew's June 2017 interview with then-War College Commandant Major General Bill Rapp entitled, "Why War Colleges?" The podcast is more than a treatise on the roles, missions, challenges, and opportunities of senior professional military education (PME). It represents Andrew's vision of WAR ROOM as a forum for introspection on enduring issues in national security and the defense enterprise. The WAR ROOM team, under the leadership of the new Editor-in-Chief, Dr. Jacqueline E. Whitt, pledge to faithfully uphold the vision of crowdsourced content that opens space for new voices in the arena while insisting on the highest standards of content and quality. All of us at WAR ROOM thank Andrew for his vision, energy, and dedication these past two-and-a-half years and wish him every success, and (even if this does require a strained translation from Latin), prudens futuri. It is leaders and ideas that make the War Colleges, especially today, necessary and vital In this War Room Podcast, “Why War Colleges?” Andrew A. Hill interviews the 50th Commandant of the U.S. Army College, U.S. Army Major General Bill Rapp to discuss the history, roles, and responsibilities of war colleges to develop future strategic leaders, both military and civilian, and to develop ideas that address current and future needs of the defense enterprise. They explore why the Army’s performance during the Spanish-American War necessitated the Army War College’s founding, and how it has evolved in the century since.     Bill Rapp is a major general in the U.S. Army and the 50th Commandant of the U.S. Army War College.  Andrew A. Hill is editor-in-chief of War Room. The views expressed in this podcast are those of the participants and do not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. Army or the U.S. Government.  Photo:  Left -- Close-up of U.S. Army War College resident class of 1952. Right -- Close-up of U.S. Army War College resident class of 2017. Photo credit:  U.S. Army War College