Advanced Course Distance Education Program

A gunnery sergeant is called upon to perform a variety of legal and administrative duties outside of their specified military occupational field in support of their command. This subcourse provides the student with a comprehensive understanding of the administrative and legal aspects of those collateral duties. It provides the skills necessary to demonstrate improved quality in editing and writing naval correspondence, to supervise and conduct an appropriate search and seizure, and to properly support the commanding officer in the conduct of a command investigation.

This subcourse focuses on the development of a unit's mission essential tasks and their application to its training concepts and design. It provides a structured look at how training requirements are created and published to increase individual and unit readiness, and a clear understanding of the expectations placed on the individual Marine for career progression and the unit for combat readiness. The student will gain the skills necessary to create an efficient and effective annual training program that meets the needs of their command and their Marines, and gain a common understanding of the fundamentals of a unit readiness program, how to use training and readiness manuals, and the conduct of initial training assessments in support of the mission essential task list.

This subcourse discusses the upper level intricacies of strategy and concept in relation to military organization and operations. It provides an inside look into the planning process for developing a wide range of service, joint, combined, and interagency operations. It emphasizes the role of the Marine Corps within the Department of Defense and the use of our military to meet national strategy. It provides the student with an understanding of the Marine Corps Planning Process (MCPP), and with the skills necessary to participate in the development of courses of action using MCPP. Additionally, this subcourse will enhance the student's ability to operate and collaborate in a joint, combined, and interagency environment with a comprehensive knowledge of the Marine Corps capabilities, and will further the student's ability to interpret a wide range of common military terms and graphics in order to serve in higher level assignments within the military organization.

This subcourse provides a complete understanding of the functionality of a combat operations center. It focuses on the tactical level of warfare providing a holistic understanding of offensive and defensive operational strategies with supporting knowledge of the mutual benefits of close air support, and provides the student with the opportunity to look inside a combat operations center in order to gain an understanding of the various aspects of command and control. The student will gain the ability to analyze and support various aspects of offensive and defensive operational roles, distinguish variations in fixed wing and rotary wing close air support while preparing and delivering a close air support request, and fulfill a variety of roles within a combat operational center.

This subcourse emphasizes the organizational leadership aspects of being a senior level staff non-commissioned officer in a military organization. It emphasizes the development of personal influence and its impact on the command climate at all levels, while exploring how to reduce organizational challenges. The student will explore the human adaptive ability to deal with the lasting effects of the nature of war and how to assist in rehabilitating the negative impacts. Additionally, it provides valuable insight into the execution of military justice. The student will gain the ability to associate their own leadership philosophies with that of the organization, reduce organizational and individual challenges that exist within the command climate, develop their own professional sphere of influence, and provide guidance and support for those negatively impacted by combat and non-combat related operational commitments.