BSAP trains officers newly designated into Functional Area (FA) 59 (Strategist) to the unique skills, knowledge, and behaviors that provide the foundation for their progressive development as Army strategists.
Incident to that purpose, BSAP also creates a shared common foundational experience for Army strategists, acculturates officers to the functional area, and assists graduates in the creation of their FA59 self-identity as part of a network of Army FA59 strategists.
In January 2002, LTG David McKiernan, Deputy Chief of Staff, Army G-3, directed MG Robert R. Ivany, Commandant, U.S. Army War College to develop a basic qualification course for FA59s. After approval of concept on 22 July 2002, the program of instruction was validated in the pilot class, which ran from June to September 2003. The program expanded to two classes per year in 2006 and then added a third class in 2008.
Currently, BSAP instructs up to 16 students in 3 classes for an annual total of 48 graduates, which include opportunities for 6 Army National Guard and 6 Army Reserve officers a year. All FA59 officers must complete BSAP to achieve Military Education Level 4. BSAP instructors are all experienced strategists, with over 50 years of combined experience in the functional area.
Army Strategist graduates of BSAP have served at every echelon from division to the National Security Council staff.
The BSAP curriculum is divided into six learning modules: strategic theory, strategic art, national security decision-making, contemporary strategic challenges, institutional strategy and planning, and joint and Army planning. Instruction occurs at levels up to and including top secret, depending on student body composition.
Three staff rides and a combined/joint theater-strategic planning exercise integrate classroom instruction with practical application. The first staff ride is to Gettysburg to discuss the nature of war, operational leadership, and the American way of war. The second staff ride is to key government agencies in the National Capital Region (National Security Council, other entities to include the Office of Management and Budget, the Department of State, and Congress) and the Pentagon (Army Staff, Joint Staff, and Office of the Secretary of Defense) to observe U.S. policy and strategy development. The third staff ride covers Lieutenant General Grant’s 1864-1865 campaigns to assess strategic and operational lessons of war. The combined/joint planning exercise applies instruction of deliberate planning processes to develop military options and plans.
Attendance is currently limited to FA59 officers or those on orders to enter the functional area.
Prior to attendance, prospective students complete a Graduate Skills Diagnostic and a diagnostic essay to assess writing ability.
Students must be cleared for TOP SECRET with eligibility for SCI prior to attendance. Students holding an interim TOP SECRET clearance must be indoctrinated into SCI by their sending unit prior to attending.
All students must be registered for a class slot in ATRRS. There are no walk-on attendees.
Students attend BSAP in a TDY status and are billeted at the IHG privatized guest lodging on Carlisle Barracks. Class is conducted five days a week except on federal holidays and may include some evening events.
Attire is primarily business attire (coat and tie for men or female equivalent), although some events require the Class B uniform. There is no requirement for utility or combat uniforms at BSAP.
Classes are conducted primarily in Collins Hall, a secured facility. Personally owned electronic devices (personal computers, phones, wearable fitness devices, wireless headphones) that may transmit information are prohibited for entry into Collins Hall. Students who possess SIPRNET tokens should bring them.
