Template:Deletion Shran 20:48, 29 Jul 2005 (UTC) Starfleet's Command School is the crucible for its future leaders. It was established with the intent to have senior captains and admirals share their own experiences in leadership. The Command School is usually attended by officers who have been in the fleet for some time (Lieutenant to Lieutenant Commander) in preparation for possible future command postings, such as First Officers or Captains, although this is not always the case. The year-long course of instruction is only about 25% classroom instruction with the vast majority of the instruction being simulated situations during which reactions are recorded and latter analyzed mercilessly by the instructors and the entire class. These simulations range from dealing with crew members who can’t seem to get along to full throttle space battles. The emphasis is placed on the acquisition and use of key leadership principles in the process of decision making. Student responses to simulations are analyzed to determine process not necessarily outcome. The students also get to receive the hindsight perspective of current Starfleet commanding officers about situations that they learned from (good or bad). Many commanding officers in between assignments are often asked to spend a few months serving as instructors at Starfleet Command School, providing a wealth of knowledge and experience to students of the school. Graduation from Command School in no way assures that an officer will be placed in a command position in the future, nor is it meant to be viewed as an endorsement that an officer can command, rather it provides a strong basis for skills an officer would need to develop in order to be an effective leader. Although attendance to Command School is not mandatory for taking a command position, it is extremely recommended and considered a definite advantage (not to mention boding well in an officer’s service record).
Comparable 20th/21st century institutions include the US Army War College and the US Naval War College.
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