Welcome aboard Expeditionary Warfare School
class of Academic Year 2025-2026!
REPORTING REQUIREMENTS. Prior to reporting to EWS, students complete the following requirements:
1. Reading.
1.a. Required Reading. To prepare for the first block of instruction at EWS, before school begins you must thoroughly read the following:
39th Commandant’s Planning Guidance
39th CMC FRAGO 01-2024 "Maintain Momentum"
39th Commandant’s Guidance to the Force
MCDP 1: Warfighting
The Armed Forces Officer. Chapters 1-3
Clausewitz, Carl von, Michael Howard, Peter Paret, Bernard Brodie. On War. Book 1 Chapters 1-7 and Book 2 Chapters 1-4
Sun Tzu and Lionel Giles. The Art of War. Chapters 2-8
1.b. Suggested Reading.
MCDP 1-3: Tactics.
MCDP 5: Planning.
MCDP 6: Command and Control.
The Armed Forces Officer. Chapters 4-10
(Joint and International Students) Organization of the USMC Lesson 1: Organization of the USMC
(Joint and International Students) Organization of the USMC Lesson 2: Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF)
1.c. Auxiliary Reading.
Swain, Richard M., “Advanced Reading Skills: Techniques to Getting Started.” Marine Corps Gazette Blog. Marine Corps Association, April, 2019.
Shore, Zachary. Grad School Essentials: A Crash Course in Scholarly Skills. Oakland, CA: University of California Press, January 5, 2016.
Paul, Richard, and Linda Elder. The Miniature Guide to Critical Thinking: Concepts and Tools. London, UK: Rowman & Littlefield, 2020.
2. Onboarding Course. All students must enroll via EWS AY26 Student Onboarding course located on the Marine Corps University Students page. Enrollment must be completed by 1 July 2025.
All Joint Service and International students will need to create a MarineNet Account. Please click on the link provided for step-by-step instructions for creating your MarineNet account.
3. 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.
4. 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 2025 should initiate procurement of a new card.
5. 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 2026, you should request that your Unit Security Manager initiate a reinvestigation.
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Sponsorship of International Military Students. 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, please contact Marine Corps University International Military Student Office at MCU_IMSO@usmcu.edu or 703-784-3157/6. Specific information on MCU's Students page.
Initial Assessment. All Students will complete an inventory assessments during the first week.
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.
Knowledge Assessment. 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.
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 onboarding / registration contact the Marine Corps University Registrar at (703) 432-5503
Student Services Office
Questions regarding the administrative join process and reporting into Marine Corps University should be directed to the Student Services office. It is open: 0800 - 1600 (Eastern), Monday - Friday. The office is located at:
Warner Hall, Rm 1182
2044 Broadway Street
Quantico, VA 22134
Student Services OMB
MCU_STUDENT_SERVICES@usmcu.edu
EWS POINTS OF CONTACT:
Administration Office: (703) 784-2592 DSN 278-2592
Operations: (703) 432-0161 DSN: 432-0161