Marines


Expeditionary Warfare School
Marine Corps University Logo
Marine Corps University
Quantico, Virginia

Expeditionary Warfare School

 


 

Mission Statement

Expeditionary Warfare School educates and trains company grade officers in order to prepare them mentally, morally, and physically for billets of increased leadership responsibility across the Fleet Marine Force and the Joint Force, with emphasis on the warfighting capabilities of a Marine Air Ground Task Force operating within a complex and distributed Naval expeditionary environment.

 


 

Course Description

The Expeditionary Warfare School (EWS) is a 41-week resident school that provides career-level, professional military education and training to company grade Marine officers and selected officers from other services and countries.  Upon graduation, students are mentally, morally, and physically prepared to lead in billets of increased responsibility within the complex and distributed Naval expeditionary environment, capable of:

(1) LEAD with the Marine Corps' Core Values and ethical standards expected of commissioned officers.

(2) FIGHT with a Maneuver Warfare Mindset.

(3) EMPLOY a MAGTF in a naval expeditionary environment.

(4) DEMONSTRATE MOS credibility.

History and Educational Philosophy

The Expeditionary Warfare School was originally established at Quantico as the Company Grade Officers Course in 1921, renamed the Amphibious Warfare School Junior Course in the 1930s, and in 1964 renamed as Amphibious Warfare School.  For Academic Year 2003 the school was reorganized by merging Amphibious Warfare School and the Command and Control Systems Course and redesignated Expeditionary Warfare School (EWS).  EWS challenges students to think critically as MAGTF officers by providing them with a firm doctrinal foundation, augmented with the exchange of practical experiences, and reinforced with extensive practical application and numerous planning exercises.  The majority of learning occurs in the conference group, which consists of approximately 16 captains of various military occupational specialties (MOS), military services, and nationalities.  Each conference group is mentored by a seasoned major, who acts as the Faculty Advisor (FACAD).  Throughout the academic year, the FACAD models tactical, technical, and professional MAGTF officer skills, mentors and guides students, facilitates conference group discussions, and assesses student performance.

Curriculum

 


 

 


 

 


 

 


 

 


 

 


 

Leadership

Director of Expeditionary Warfare School                                             Colonel James Lively, USMC

Deputy Director                                                                                         LtCol Jason Graul, USMC

Operations Officer                                                                                    Mr. Matthew Erickson, USMC

Chief Academic Officer                                                                            Dr. Kirklin Batman, Ph. D, USA

Chief Instructor                                                                                         LtCol Shawn Connor, USMC

Director of Curriculum Development (CDEV)                                        LtCol Benjamin O'Donnell, USMC

 


 

Curriculum Development (CDEV)

Director of CDEV                                                                                     LtCol Benjamin O'Donnell, USMC

CDEV                                                                                                        Maj Alexander Ponce, USMC

CDEV                                                                                                        Maj Steven Valenti, USMC

CEDV                                                                                                        Maj Alec Meyer, USMC

CDEV                                                                                                        MAJ Michael Conforti, USA

CDEV                                                                                                        Maj Eric Cash, USMC

CDEV                                                                                                        Maj Erinn Harp, USMC

CDEV                                                                                                        LCDR  James Lambert, USN

CDEV                                                                                                        LT Teresa Anderson, USN

CDEV                                                                                                        LT Matthew Esper, USN

 


 

Faculty Advisers (FACAD)

FACAD Conference Group 1                                                                   Maj Heidi Sykas, USMC

FACAD Conference Group 2                                                                   Maj Christorpher Cracchiolo, USMC

FACAD Conference Group 3                                                                   Maj Seth Holland, USMC

FACAD Conference Group 4                                                                   Maj David Perez, USMC

FACAD Conference Group 5                                                                   Maj Evan Nordstorm, USMC

FACAD Conference Group 6                                                                   Maj Christopher Bartos, USMC

FACAD Conference Group 7                                                                   Maj David Grant, USMC  

FACAD Conference Group 8                                                                   Maj Jay Snelling, USMC

FACAD Conference Group 9                                                                   Maj Brandon Spears, USMC

FACAD Conference Group 10                                                                 Maj Michael Dorsey, USMC

FACAD Conference Group 11                                                                 Maj Marc Mundy, USMC

FACAD Conference Group 12                                                                 Maj Jessica Aich, USMC

FACAD Conference Group 13                                                                 Maj Joshua Winters, USMC

FACAD Conference Group 14                                                                 Maj Ryan Roop, USMC

FACAD Conference Group 15                                                                 Maj Grant Hertzog, USMC

FACAD Conference Group 16                                                                 Maj Russell Cox USMC

Faculty Applicants

If you are interested in becoming a member of the Expeditionary Warfare School (EWS) Faculty, please follow these steps:

  1. Contact your monitor to express your interest.

  2. Reach out to either of the following EWS representatives for further information and assistance:

Contact Staff

Per​​sonnel and Administration (703) 784-1864, DSN 278-1864​​

Operations (703) 432-0161, DSN 378-0161

Logistics (703) 784-0032, DSN 278-0032

Professional Communications  (703) 432-0139/0111, DSN 378-0139/0111

Web Content Manager/Copyright Manager  (703) 432-0144, DSN 378-0144

Chief Academic Officer  (703) 784-2537, DSN 278-2537

Chief Instructor  (703) 432-0132, DSN 378-0132

Director of Curriculum Development  (703) 432-0130, DSN 378-0130

Curriculum Development  (703) 432-0750/0751, DSN 378-0750/0751

Deputy Director   (703) 784-1843, DSN 278-1843

​​​Director  (703) 784-1864, DSN 278-1864

Welcome aboard Expeditionary Warfare School class of 2025!

1. REPORTING REQUIREMENTS. Prior to reporting to EWS, students must complete the following requirements:

 a. Advanced Reading. In order to prepare for the first block of instruction at EWS, before school begins, you must thoroughly read the following:

(1) Required Reading

(a) (Read, Highlight, Tab) Swain, Richard M. The Armed Forces Officer. National Defense University Press, 2017

(b) (Read, Highlight, Tab) Marine Corps Doctrinal Publication (MCDP) 1: Warfighting

(c) (Read, Highlight, Tab) 38th Commandant's Planning Guidance

(d) (Read, Highlight) The 38th Commandant’s Intent

(e) (Read, Highlight, Tab) 39th CMC Guidance To The Force

(f)  (Read, Highlight, Tab) 39th CMC FRAGO 01-2024 "Maintain Momentum"   

(g)  (Read, Highlight, Tab)  Force Design 2030

(h)  Marine Corps Doctrinal Publication (MCDP) 1-3: Tactics

(2) Suggested Reading

(a) Mullen, W.F. “Advanced Reading Skills: Techniques to Getting Started.” Marine Corps Gazette Blog. Marine Corps Association, April, 2019.  https://mca-marines.org/wp-content/uploads/Mullen_BLOG.pdf  

(b) Marine Corps Doctrinal Publication (MCDP) 5: Planning

(c) Marine Corps Doctrinal Publication (MCDP) 6: Command and Control

(d) Marine Corps Doctrinal Publication (MCDP) 7: Learning

(e) AY23 8672 Organization of the USMC Lesson 1: Organization of the USMC 

(f) AY23 8672 Organization of the USMC Lesson 2: Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF)

(3) Tertiary Reading

(a) Clausewitz, Carl von, Michael Howard, Peter Paret, and Bernard Brodie. On War. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1984. Chapters 1-7.

     i. Open this URL: 

https://oll.libertyfund.org/title/maude-on-war

 

b. Initial Assessment. All Students will complete an inventory assessment during the first week. There are four elements to this assessment:

(1) Grammar Diagnostic Assessment. The assessment will be a timed, closed book, multiple choice exam to assess your knowledge of grammar and punctuation. To prepare, students should review rules of grammar and punctuation. The basic grammar reference used by EWS is A Writer's Reference, 7th Ed. by Diana Hacker, et al., Boston: Bedford/St. Martins 2010.

(2) Knowledge Assessment. In order to establish a baseline of tactical and technical knowledge across the student body, all EWS students will complete a knowledge assessment. The purpose of this assessment is twofold. First, this will give the faculty a clearer understanding of students' knowledge of Marine Corps doctrine and warfighting functions. Secondly, this assessment will provide students with an understanding of gaps in their current knowledge, better enabling them to focus their efforts throughout the year. The assessment will be timed and closed book; questions will be in the form of short answers, fill-in the blank, true/false, matching, and multiple choice.

c. Defense Travel System (DTS). All US students must ensure they are detached/dropped from their current unit's DTS hierarchy prior to checking in at EWS.

d. Government Travel Credit Card (GTCC). Students must update their address and contact information on their on-line Citibank profile upon arrival. You must bring the card with you to check-in. Students possessing a GTCC expiring before 1 August 2023 should initiate procurement of a new card.

e. Security Clearance/Defense Information System for Security (DISS). All students should have an active security clearance while attending EWS. Students should verify their security clearance with their Unit Security Manager and must request to be ‘detached’ in DISS prior to executing orders. If your clearance is due to expire before graduating from EWS in May 2024, you should request that your Unit Security Manager initiate a reinvestigation.

f. Sponsorship of International Military Students. Marine students interested in sponsoring an International Military Student (IMS) while attending EWS can find specific information on MCU's New Student Check-in page. Sponsoring an IMS is a fantastic opportunity to enrich your EWS experience and assist an international officer as they acclimate in their new surroundings and culture. If you're interested in volunteering, fill out the IMS Sponsor Form (Coming Soon) and contact Marine Corps University International Military Student Office at MCU_IMSO@usmcu.edu or 703-784-3157/6.

2. REPORTING PROCEDURES. Procedures and timelines for student check-in will be contained on the Marine Corps University Webpage under the “Students” tab.

For questions regarding student check-in contact Marine Corps University Student Services section:

Director, Administrative Services (703) 432-4632

Dep Director, Administrative Services (703) 784-5665

Student Service Chief (703) 432-5465

Student Service Clerks (703) 432-4867 / 3713

For questions regarding student registration contact the Marine Corps University Registrar at (703) 432-5503

3. EWS POINTS OF CONTACT:

Administration Office:                               Operations:

(703) 784-2592   DSN 278-2592                (703) 432-0161  DSN: 432-0161

 
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