Norfolk, Va – The Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General James Cartwright, USMC, was welcomed to the Joint Forces Staff College today by Major General Byron S. Bagby, U.S. Army, JFSC Commandant. The VCJCS was the graduation speaker as JFSC held a combined graduation ceremony for three of its four Schools. The Joint Advanced Warfighting School conferred a Master of Science Degree in Joint Campaign Planning and Strategy to its 41 graduates. The Joint and Combined Warfighting School graduated 253 students, including 16 international officers from 11 different nations. The Joint Continuing and Distance Education School graduated 23 Reserve and National Guard students, including two General Officers.
In his remarks, General Cartwright stated “We are a nation at war. The families of our servicemembers are owed a debt of gratitude.” General Cartwright told the graduates “I have an expectation of you to go back to your units and countries and advance national security.” He recognized the five non-Department of Defense civilians and the international officers stating “We must all go beyond joint. The threats we face today demand the full integration of interagency personnel and international partners.” He also stressed the importance of always continuing to learn, “When you stop learning, you stop being an effective leader.”
Established as the Armed Forces Staff College August 13th, 1946, JFSC educates national security professionals to plan and execute joint, multinational, and interagency operations to instill a primary commitment to joint, multinational, and interagency teamwork, attitudes and perspectives. JFSC has graduated more than 79,000 students, including over 1,500 international fellows. Many of the graduates have gone on to become Generals and Admirals in their respective services and countries.
Information about JFSC can be obtained online at https://jfsc.ndu.edu