Skip to main content

UNO First Non-Military School to Host U.S. Defense Satellite Course

Nebraska's premier metropolitan university has partnered with the nation's premier higher education institution for national security strategy to host a 10-week satellite course

Joint Forces Staff College Course

UNO has partnered with National Defense University and USSTRATCOM to provide higher education opportunities to active military and civilian leaders

OMAHA - The University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) is making it easier for officers and civilians working for the U.S. military to further their education through a unique partnership with National Defense University (NDU), the premier higher education institution for national security strategy, and U.S. Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM).

Beginning Monday, June 20, 2016, 18 soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines and Department of Defense civilians from USSTRATCOM will begin a 10-week satellite course at Mammel Hall, 6708 Pine St., home to UNO’s College of Business Administration.

The Joint and Combined Warfighting School satellite course, which provides Joint Professional Military Education (JPME) Phase II credit, will be administered by faculty from the Joint Forces Staff College (JFSC), a component of NDU that educates members of the armed forces on how to conduct joint, multinational and interagency military operations.

This is the first time that NDU’s JFSC has partnered with a civilian university to host its coursework.

The change came after a modification to language in the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016 that authorized JFSC greater flexibility in presenting their curricula away from JFSC’s residential campus.

“This satellite program benefits the combatant commands by saving them money and allowing a higher quality of life for their students,” said Maj. Gen. Fred Padilla, president of NDU. “Because we bring the class to the students, they don’t have to travel to the Joint Forces Staff College in Norfolk, Virginia, for the 10-week course. Partnership with the University of Nebraska at Omaha makes this innovative program possible.”

UNO’s College of Business Administration has worked with USSTRATCOM and NDU over the past two years to become one of JFSC’s first satellite locations, and the only public university site, for the JPME II course.

The coursework, which is designed to teach effective planning for operational-level warfighting involving joint and combined military forces, will specifically benefit USSTRATCOM members, whose headquarters is located on Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska.

“U.S. Strategic Command embraces a culture of continuous learning and is a key JPME II customer,” said Patrick A. McVay, USSTRATCOM joint exercises and training director. “The commitment to joint, multinational and interagency teamwork, attitudes and perspectives the course instills is vital to addressing the challenges of 21st century deterrence and operating in a multi-dimensional (space, cyberspace and nuclear) environment.”

Following the initial 10-week course, NDU plans to hold future courses at UNO’s Mammel Hall every two years during the summer.

The partnership between UNO’s College of Business and NDU is the most recent in a long history of university efforts to leverage scholarship to assist national security efforts.

Just this past November, UNO was once again named the top four-year university in the nation for military friendliness and UNO’s College of Business was recognized as the nation’s top business school for veterans for the second year in a row.

UNO College of Business Administration has also annually hosted the USSTRATCOM Strategic Leadership Fellows Program, a Nebraska Strategic Research Institute (NSRI) initiative to provide team-building and collaboration management skills to some of the nation’s top civilian security specialists, since 2014.

“Our strong partnership with STRATCOM coupled with Mammel Hall’s state-of-the-art classrooms, offices and laboratory space puts us in a unique position to host this satellite course,” said Louis Pol, dean of the UNO College of Business Administration. “Whether it’s through research, coursework or use of our facilities, we will continue to support the military’s national security efforts.”

For questions about NDU and JFSC, please contact NDU Director of Strategic Communications, Mark Phillips, at 202.685.3140 or mark.phillips.civ@ndu.edu.

For questions regarding USSTRATCOM, please contact USSTRATCOM Public Affairs Current Operations Chief, Lt. Col. Martin O’Donnell, at 402.294.1069 or at odonnelm@stratcom.mil.

For media requests, please contact:

Charley Reed, UNO Associate Director of Media Relations
 unonews@unomaha.edu
 402.554.2129

Or

Sam Petto, UNO Media Relations Coordinator
 unonews@unomaha.edu
 402.554.2704

About USSTRATCOM
 One of nine DoD unified combatant commands, USSTRATCOM has global strategic missions, assigned through the Unified Command Plan, which include strategic deterrence; space operations; cyberspace operations; joint electronic warfare; global strike; missile defense; intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; combating weapons of mass destruction; and analysis and targeting.

About the National Defense University
 NDU is the premier national security institution focused on advanced joint professional military education, leader development, and scholarship. It prepares senior leaders to think and operate effectively at the highest levels in an increasingly dynamic, complex, and unpredictable international security environment. It does this by preparing them to understand, develop, and employ strategies that incorporate all elements of national power. This senior leader development is made possible by NDU’s holistic approach and unique combination of curriculum, location, and student and faculty diversity.

About the University of Nebraska at Omaha

 Located in one of America’s best cities to live, work and learn, the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) is Nebraska’s premier metropolitan university. With more than 15,000 students enrolled in 200-plus programs of study, UNO is recognized nationally for its online education, graduate education, military friendliness and community engagement efforts. Founded in 1908, UNO has served learners of all backgrounds for more than 100 years and is dedicated to another century of excellence both in the classroom and in the community.

Become a fan of UNO on Facebook: www.facebook.com/unomaha and follow UNO's Twitter updates at http://twitter.com/unomaha.