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NAVADMIN 068/10

MSGID/GENADMIN/CNO WASHINGTON DC/N3N5/FEB//

SUBJ/ADVANCED WARFIGHTING SCHOOL EDUCATION IN SUPPORT OF NAVAL 
OPERATIONAL PLANNER WARFIGHTING EXPERTISE//

RMKS/1.  THIS NAVADMIN SOLICITS NAVY COMMANDERS TO ENCOURAGE THEIR 
HIGHEST CALIBER OFFICERS TO APPLY TO THE NAVAL OPERATIONAL PLANNER 
COURSE (NOPC) AT THE NAVAL WAR COLLEGE (NWC).  NAVAL STAFFS SHOULD 
ENSURE THEIR PLANNER BILLETS ARE APPROPRIATELY CODED TO RECEIVE 
SUFFICIENT NUMBERS OF THESE SKILLED OPERATIONAL PLANNERS.

2.  CNO ESTABLISHED THE NOPC AT THE NWC IN 1998.  THIS 13-MONTH COURSE 
OF STUDY IS CONDUCTED CONCURRENTLY WITH THE COLLEGE OF NAVAL COMMAND 
AND STAFF, PROVIDING OFFICERS OF ALL U.S. MILITARY SERVICES WITH 
SPECIALIZED ADVANCED WARFIGHTING EDUCATION TO PREPARE THEM MORE 
THOROUGHLY FOR KEY NAVY AND JOINT PLANNER BILLETS AROUND THE WORLD.  
THIS PROGRAM HAS EXPANDED IN BOTH BREADTH AND DEPTH OVER THE PAST 
TWELVE YEARS AND IS NOW ADMINISTERED AT NWC UNDER THE DIRECTORSHIP OF 
THE MARITIME ADVANCED WARFIGHTING SCHOOL (MAWS).  THIS NWC INITIATIVE 
IS VERY MUCH IN KEEPING WITH CNO'S GUIDANCE TO DEVELOP NAVY EXPERTISE 
AT THE OPERATIONAL LEVEL OF WAR.

3.  THE MAWS/NOPC EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM EMPHASIZES CREATIVE, CRITICAL 
THINKING; DEVELOPMENT AND REFINEMENT OF LEADERSHIP SKILLS; AND ADAPTIVE 
AND CRISIS PLANNING AT THE OPERATIONAL LEVEL.  THIS COURSE OF STUDY 
IMPARTS NAVAL AND JOINT PLANNING PROCESS COMPETENCIES TO FRONT-RUNNING 
OFFICERS, PREPARING THEM NOT ONLY TO CAPABLY LEAD AN OPERATIONAL 
PLANNING TEAM ON A MAJOR STAFF, BUT ALSO TO COMMAND EFFECTIVELY WITHIN 
THEIR RESPECTIVE WARFARE COMMUNITIES, AND IN THE JOINT WARFIGHTING 
ENVIRONMENT.

4.  MAWS/NOPC GRADUATES EARN THE "JP1" ADDITIONAL QUALIFICATION 
DESIGNATOR (AQD).  THE "JP1" AQD IS SUBSEQUENTLY UPGRADED TO "JP3" WHEN 
THE OFFICER SERVES IN A MAJOR STAFF OPERATIONAL PLANNING BILLET.  
OFFICERS ALSO EARN JPME PHASE ONE (JS1) WHEN THEY SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETE 
THIS COURSE.

5.  OPNAV N3/N5 IS THE SPONSOR OF MAWS/NOPC AND THE "JPX" (JP1/2/3) AQD 
FAMILY.  TO MAXIMIZE THE BENEFIT OF THIS CRITICAL OFFICER EDUCATION 
RESOURCE TO THE NAVY AND THE LARGER JOINT COMMUNITY, AND TO CONTINUE TO 
DEVELOP NAVY WARFIGHTING CAPACITY AT THE OPERATIONAL LEVEL, THE 
FOLLOWING ACTIONS ARE ESSENTIAL:
A.  OFFICERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO SEEK ASSIGNMENT TO THE NWC RESIDENT 
INTERMEDIATE LEVEL COLLEGE AND MAWS/NOPC, AS WELL AS TO THE OTHER 
ADVANCED WARFIGHTING SCHOOLS:  U.S. MARINE CORPS SCHOOL OF ADVANCED 
WARFIGHTING (SAW); U.S. ARMY SCHOOL OF ADVANCED MILITARY STUDIES (SAMS); 
U.S. AIR FORCE SCHOOL OF ADVANCED AIR AND SPACE STUDIES (SAASS); AND 
THE JOINT ADVANCED WARFIGHTING SCHOOL (JAWS).  NAVY GRADUATES OF JAWS 
AND THE OTHER SERVICES' ADVANCED WARFIGHTING SCHOOLS ALSO RECEIVE THE 
"JP1" AQD.  THE CLASS CONVENES AT MAWS/NOPC IN AUGUST AND AT OTHER 
SERVICE SCHOOLS IN JUNE, SO INTERESTED OFFICERS SHOULD SEEK QUOTAS FROM 
THEIR DETAILERS NOW.
B.  NAVAL STAFFS SHOULD EVALUATE MANPOWER DOCUMENTS TO ENSURE 
APPROPRIATE OPERATIONAL PLANNER BILLETS ARE CODED "JP3".  THE "JP3" 
BILLET CODE IS THE TRIGGER FOR ASSIGNMENT OF JPX-CODED OFFICERS.  
MAWS/NOPC GRADUATES ARE AVAILABLE FOR PCS IN THE SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 
TIMEFRAME, WHILE ALL OTHER ADVANCED WARFIGHTING SCHOOL GRADUATES ARE 
AVAILABLE IN JUNE.
C.  ALL MAJOR STAFFS SHOULD ENCOURAGE OFFICERS WHO ARE CURRENTLY 
PERFORMING PLANNING FUNCTIONS BUT WHO ARE NOT FILLING A JPX-CODED 
BILLET TO APPLY TO PERS-45E FOR THE JP2 AQD.  THIS WILL CODIFY THEIR 
VALUABLE PLANNING EXPERIENCE.
D.  ALL MAJOR STAFFS SHOULD MAINTAIN DIALOGUE WITH NAVPERSCOM PLACEMENT 
OFFICERS TO ENSURE PLANNER BILLETS ARE FILLED WITH "JPX" OFFICERS.  
"JPX" OFFICERS WILL BE CONSIDERED FOR PLANNER JOBS UNLESS PRECLUDED BY 
TIMING OF CAREER MILESTONES.  THESE HIGHLY SKILLED OFFICERS WILL 
CONTINUE TO BE TRACKED AND GROOMED FOR KEY LEADERSHIP AND/OR SENIOR 
PLANNER POSITIONS.
E.  IN ORDER TO SUPPORT THE MORE THAN 150 PLANNER BILLETS AT MAJOR 
STAFFS, A PERCENTAGE OF THE PLANNER BILLETS WILL ALSO BE AVAILABLE FOR 
OFFICERS WHO SELECT TO BECOME FULL-TIME OPERATIONAL PLANNERS (LS-8) 
THROUGH THE SPECIALTY CAREER PATH (SCP) PROGRAM.  THESE OFFICERS WILL 
REQUIRE THE JP-1 EDUCATION AND WILL CONDUCT MULTIPLE UTILIZATION TOURS 
AS OPERATIONAL PLANNERS.  IT WILL TAKE A NUMBER OF YEARS TO GROW THIS 
SCP COMMUNITY TO ITS DESIRED GOAL OF ABOUT 40% OF OPERATIONAL PLANNER 
(JP-3) BILLETS.

6.  EDUCATED AND EXPERIENCED OPERATIONAL PLANNERS ARE ESSENTIAL TO THE 
NAVY SUCCESSFULLY MEETING THE CHALLENGES OF MARITIME, JOINT, 
INTERAGENCY, AND MULTINATIONAL OPERATIONAL PLANNING EFFORTS.  THE NAVY 
MUST CONTINUE TO IDENTIFY AND EDUCATE A SUFFICIENT CADRE OF OPERATIONAL 
PLANNERS AND IDENTIFY THE CORRECT BILLETS IN WHICH TO PLACE THESE 
OFFICERS IN ORDER TO MAXIMIZE OUR WARFIGHTING EFFECTIVENESS.

7.  POC:
A.  OPNAV:  CAPT MARK MONTGOMERY (N513); DSN 223-8604 OR COMM 703-692-
8604; EMAIL: MARK.MONTGOMERY(AT)NAVY.(SMIL.)MIL.
B.  OPNAV:  LT MATT DONOVAN (N513); DSN 223-9620 OR COMM 703-614-9620; 
EMAIL: MATTHEW.F.DONOVAN1@NAVY.(SMIL.)MIL
C.  NWC:  CAPT PATRICK MOLENDA; COMM 401-841-2532; EMAIL: 
patrick.molenda@usnwc.edu

8.  RELEASED BY RADM R. A. SPICER, N3/N5B//

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