Instructor Opportunities
Thank you for your interest in joining the Defense and Strategic Studies faculty in the Department of Military Instruction.
DEFENSE & STRATEGIC STUDIES MISSION
The Defense and Strategic Studies Major provides cadets a greater doctrinal understanding of tactics, operations, and strategy relevant to the current and future U.S. Army in order to produce leaders with a significant edge in professional military development.
OVERVIEW
Each year we select branch-qualified captains to attend a one to two-year advanced civil schooling program, with a three-year follow-on assignment to the USMA faculty in the Defense and Strategic Studies program. Our officers attend top graduate programs and receive a master's degree in areas such as International Security Policy, International Affairs, Communication, Diplomacy and Military Studies, Defense Analysis/Irregular Warfare, and National Security Affairs. In the past, we have sent officers to Harvard University, Naval Postgraduate School, University of Connecticut, University of Kentucky , and Hawaii Pacific University. As professors in our Defense and Strategic Studies major, our officers teach, perform professional service, do scholarly research and outreach to the Army, and participate in the mentorship and development of cadets, both in an out of the classroom. We primarily teach juniors and seniors in a variety of subjects including Tactics, Military Strategy, Counterinsurgency Operations, Comparative Military Systems, Military Communication, Special Operations/Low Intensity Conflict, Transformation, and Theory and Practice in Modern War.
CURRENT INSTRUCTORS
Our instructors have academic credentials from world-class institutions such as Harvard, Florida State, St. Mary's University, Naval Postgraduate School, Kansas State University, Texas A&M, George Washington, and Georgetown.
OPENINGS
DSS has no instructor positions open at this time. The next selection board will occur in 2014 to begin graduate school in the Fall of 2015 with USMA arrival in the Summer of 2017.
ELIGIBILITY
Officers from all commissioning sources are encouraged to apply for open positions.
We have one TDA position for MI officers and one TDA position for SF officers. All other positions are branch immaterial.
We normally select officers to begin graduate school in their 6-8th year of service.
Officers must be branch-qualified captains to attend ACS with a follow-on assignment to USMA.
To be eligible for consideration, applicants can have an undergraduate degree in any field.
APPLICANT FILE Transcripts. Copy of your undergraduate (all schools if you attended more than one) and, if applicable, graduate transcripts.
Evaluations. Copy of last five OERs and/or AERs.
GRE. Copy of current (under 5 years at start of ACS) GRE. .
Letters of Recommendation. We recommend that you provide two letters of recommendation commenting on your potential to do outstanding work at a top American university and be an effective college-level instructor. If you will not have a command OER in time for our selection process, we recommend that you get a letter from your senior rater assessing your performance.
LORs should be addressed to: LTC Brian M. DeToy Ph. D.
Director, Defense and Strategic Studies Program
745 Brewerton Rd. Rm. 5107
West Point, NY 10996
Letter of Intent. Tell us why you want to teach in our department and why you think you will do a great job.
ORB.
DA Photo.
APFT Score card.
It is not necessary for you to provide all of this information all at once. Send information as it becomes available. Start early because we can help you more if we have more time.
CONTACT INFO
Or by mail to:
MAJ Nathaniel Davis
Department of Military Instruction
745 Brewerton Rd. Rm. 5107
West Point, NY 10996
Phone:(845) 938-6402