"...this is the only college in the school system where the basic mission will be to give instruction on the theater and major joint task force level..."

General Dwight D. Eisenhower (in a memorandum to Admiral Chester W. Nimitz), 12 June 1946 [doc]

In the 1930s, few officers were qualified, either by training or experience, to engage in joint operations. The demands of World War II brought out the urgent need for joint action by ground, sea, and air forces.

To alleviate the friction and misunderstanding resulting from lack of joint experience, the Joint Chiefs of Staff established an Army and Navy Staff College (ANSCOL) in 1943. ANSCOL conducted a four-month course that was successful in training officers for joint command and staff duties.

After the war, educational requirements for the armed forces were fully examined. Although thorough contingency planning was recognized as essential for waging war on a joint and combined scale, ANSCOL, which had been established to meet the immediate needs of war, was discontinued.

A joint committee was appointed to prepare a directive for a new school. This directive, which was approved by the Joint Chiefs of Staff on 28 June 1946, established the Armed Forces Staff College (AFSC). Responsibility for the operation and maintenance of its facilities was charged to the Chief of Naval Operations.**

Following a temporary residence in Washington, D.C., AFSC was established in Norfolk, Virginia, on 13 August 1946. The site, formerly a U.S. Naval Receiving Station, was selected by the Secretaries of War and Navy because of its immediate availability and its proximity to varied high-level military activities. There were 150 students from all Services in the first class. They assembled in converted administration buildings on 3 February 1947 to be greeted by the first commandant, Air Force Lieutenant General Delos C. Emmons. The faculty officers came from joint assignments in all theaters of World War II.

With the construction of Normandy Hall in 1962, AFSC completed its transition from a temporary to a permanent institution. AFSC was assigned to the National Defense University on 12 August 1981. In the summer of 1990, AFSC changed from an intermediate joint professional military education school to a TDY institution where Phase II of the Chairman's Program for Joint Education is taught.

On October 30, 2000, the President signed the Defense Authorization Bill renaming Armed Forces Staff College (AFSC) to Joint Forces Staff College (JFSC).

The staff, faculty, and students are assigned by each Service to foster a joint atmosphere.

**JFSC Historical Documents

Lieutenant General Delos C. Emmons, USAF
13 August 1946 – 29 June 1948

Vice Admiral John L. Hall, Jr., USN
30 June 1948 – 5 July 1951

Lieutenant General Andrew D. Bruce, USA
6 July 1951 – 1 July 1954

Lieutenant General David M. Schlatter, USAF
1 July 1954 – 31 July 1957

Vice Admiral Charles Wellborn, Jr., USN
31 July 1957 – 20 March 1960

Major General John S. Upham, Jr., USA
1 June 1960 – 30 April 1962

Major General Robert H. Wienecke, USA
28 May 1962 – 10 July 1963

Major General Stanley Holtoner, USAF
22 July 1963 – 16 July 1965

Rear Admiral Lawrence R. Daspit, USN
16 July 1965 – 31 October 1967

Major General Frank W. Norris, USA
1 November1967 – 16 November1970

Major General James F. Kirkendall, USAF
16 November 1970 – 25 January 1974

Rear Admiral Jeremiah A Denton, Jr., USN
25 January 1974 – 28 June 1977

Major General L. Gordon Hill, Jr., USA
28 June 1977 – 30 June 1980

Major General Robert B. Tanguy, USAF
30 June 1980 – 30 July 1981

Major General Thomas G. Darling, USAF
30 July 1981 – 1 August 1984

Major General Kenneth A Jolemore, USA
1 August 1984 – 30 July 1987

Major General John R. Dailey, USMC
30 July 1987 – 28 July 1989

Brigadier General Stanley Kwieciak, Jr., USA
28 July 1989 – 8 November 1991

Brigadier General Monroe S. Sams, Jr., USAF
8 November 1991 – 24 August 1993

Brigadier General Marvin R. Esmond, USAF
24 August 1993 – 5 Apri1 1995

Brigadier General Roger E. Carleton, USAF
5 April 1995 – 16 July 1996

Brigadier General William R. Looney Ill, USAF
16 July 1996 – 19 June 1998

Major General Franklin J. Blaisdell, USAF
26 June 1998 – 9 June 2000

Major General Edward L. LaFountaine, USAF
9 June 2000 – 9 May 2002

Brigadier General Roosevelt Mercer, Jr., USAF
9 May 2002 – 3 January 2003

Interim Commandant – Mr. C. Stanley Romes
3 January 2003 – 27 June 2003

Major General Kenneth J. Quinlan, Jr., USA
27 June 2003 – 6 October 2006

Major General Byron S. Bagby, USA
6 October 2006 – 25 July 2008

Interim Commandant – COL Joseph J. Frazier, USA
25 July 2008 – 15 September 2008

Brigadier General Katherine P. Kasun, USA
15 September 2008 – 30 September 2009

Interim Commandant – COL Joseph J. Frazier, USA
1 October 2009 – 4 December 2009

Brigadier General Marvin T. Smoot, Jr., USAF
4 December 2009 – 17 June 2011

Major General Joseph S. Ward, JR., USAF
17 June 2011 – 01 August 2013

Rear Admiral John W. Smith, Jr., USN
01 August 2013 – 23 July 2015

Rear Admiral Brad Williamson, USN
23 July 2015 – 13 July 2016

Interim Commandant – Dr. Patricia B. Strait
13 Jul 2016 – 11 Aug 2016

Rear Admiral Jeffrey S. Ruth, USN
11 August 2016 – 5 Jul 2018

Major General Lewis G. Irwin, USA
5 Jul 2018 – 3 Aug 2020

Major General William H. Seely, USMC
3 Aug 2020 – 16 Aug 2021

Brigadier General Voris W. McBurnette, USAR
16 Aug 2021 – 26 July 2023