{"id":668348,"date":"2026-05-27T16:15:16","date_gmt":"2026-05-27T16:15:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/668348\/"},"modified":"2026-05-27T16:15:16","modified_gmt":"2026-05-27T16:15:16","slug":"sams-graduates-prepared-for-wars-changes-pace-article","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/668348\/","title":{"rendered":"SAMS graduates prepared for war’s changes, pace | Article"},"content":{"rendered":"


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From left to right, Col. Dwight Domengeaux, director, School of Advanced Military Studies, Dave Cotter, Dean of Academic, U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, Col. Ethan Diven, Commandant, CGSC, and Maj. Gen. Trevor Bredenkamp, President and Commanding General, Army University, stand at attention during the Armed Forces Medley at the conclusion of the SAMS graduation ceremony May 21, 2026, on Fort Leavenworth. More than 120 service members and interagency partners graduated from SAMS’ Advanced Military Studies Program, the Advanced Strategic Leadership Studies Program, and Advanced Strategic Planning and Policy Program during the event. (U.S. Army Photo by Jim Shea, U.S. Army Command and General Staff College)
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U.S. Army Command and General Staff College’s Dean of Academics, Dave Cotter, center, and Lt. Col. Jeffrey Meinders, right, and Col. Dwight Domengeaux, director, School of Advanced Military Studies, left, pose for a photo during the SAMS graduation ceremony May 21, 2026, on Fort Leavenworth. Meinders was one of more than 120 service members and interagency partners who graduated from SAMS’ Advanced Military Studies Program, the Advanced Strategic Leadership Studies Program, and Advanced Strategic Planning and Policy Program. (U.S. Army Photo by Jim Shea, U.S. Army Command and General Staff College)
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Maj. Gen. Trevor J. Bredenkamp, President and Commanding General, Army University, speaks at U.S. Army School of Advanced Military Studies graduation ceremony May 21, 2026, at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. The ceremony recognized students graduating from the Advanced Military Studies Program, the Advanced Strategic Leadership of the Studies Program, and Advanced Strategic Planning and Policy Program. (U.S. Army photo by Jim Shea, U.S. Army Command and General Staff College)
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Maj. Gen. Trevor Bredenkamp, President and Commanding General, Army University, left, and Lt. Col. Tyler B. Folan, right, pose during awards presentation portion of the School of Advanced Military Studies graduation ceremony May 21, 2026. Folan was presented the Col. Michael “Scott” Flurry award as the top joint service graduate who best exemplifies the full spectrum of attributes embodied by distinguished former AMSP graduate\u2014the late Marine Lt. Col. Michael \u201cScott\u201d Flurry\u2014and his legacy of academic excellence, physical fitness, and superior leadership.
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FORT LEAVENWORTH, Kansas \u2013 The current nature of warfare is at historic levels of complexity and volatility.<\/p>\n

The School of Advanced Military Studies\u2019 latest graduating class, celebrated May 21, 2026, in a ceremony on Fort Leavenworth, spent 10 months preparing to be the strategic response to the military\u2019s call for answers to the historic change of the national security picture.<\/p>\n

Speed and unpredictability are foundational focuses of SAMS\u2019 three programs Col. Dwight Domengeaux Jr., director, SAMS said, calling each a \u201cwarrior scholar prepared to meet the highest priority of the nation and allies.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThese graduates are ready now. They’ll immediately help commanders in the operational force to fight and win in a complex environment. In fact, several members of the 2026 class departed early, and are already on their way to operational deployments, where commanders will expect them to perform on day one, and the soldiers on the line are depending on their confidence and leadership,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n

A total of 129 master\u2019s and doctorate degrees were conferred to graduates of the Advanced Military Studies Program, the Advanced Strategic Leadership Studies Program, and the Advanced Strategic Planning and Policy Program.<\/p>\n

SAMS curriculum is practicum-driven, and experience focused to include nearly a dozen hands-on exercises, 800 contact hours, a 10,000-word monograph, and direct planning support to division and corps of Ukraine, U.S. Army Combined Arms Command and other combatant commands.<\/p>\n

Guest speaker Maj. Gen. Trevor Bredenkamp, President and Commanding General, Army University, explained SAMS is a program with no joint-force equivalent, emphasizing the graduates\u2019 educational significance to national security.<\/p>\n

This level of strategic, operational thinking becomes a \u201chabit of mind\u201d, Bredenkamp said, that will be tested from day one.<\/p>\n

\u201cBe Ready. Be confident. SAMS has prepared you well. Senior leaders fight to receive SAM graduates. That is why they put you in the most challenging positions,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Bredenkamp\u2019s wife is a SAMS graduate, which provided him a personal experience with senior leader expectations of SAMS planners.<\/p>\n

To combat the potential pressures of their next assignments, Bredenkamp gave graduates three pieces of guidance; maintain an appropriate perspective, bring solutions, speak up.<\/p>\n

He explained that perspective should remain beyond the tactical issue plaguing a command.<\/p>\n

While more than capable of solving that level of problem, the investment in their careers lives beyond the obvious, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour commander did not bring you in to solve the tactical problem. The reason they brought you onto the team is the second order problem that the tactical problem was hiding,\u201d Bredenkamp said.<\/p>\n

Solutions created by SAMS graduates may be imperfect, but are innate to their critical and creative thinking skills the joint force must capitalize on, Bredenkamp explained.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou were trained to do something most staff officers cannot do, which is hold a complex problem in your head long enough to design a way through it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Finally, the inaugural president of Army University challenged the graduates to communicate, specifically risk, with confidence.<\/p>\n

\u201cSAMs has prepared you to be the person to speak up when others are silent. You don’t have to speak loudly or theatrically. Just speak clearly. Truthfully, and with conviction, because that is what your commander deserves, and they will appreciate you. Maybe not the first time, but eventually,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou are all part of a noble profession, and as SAMS graduates will be held to a higher standard where much is expected. I know you are up to the task,\u201d Bredenkamp concluded.<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s ceremony also recognized the founder of SAMS, retired Brig. Gen. Huba Wass de Czege, who died November 25, 2025.<\/p>\n

In addition, the following students were presented awards for their performance during their time at SAMS.<\/p>\n

Iron Leader Award: Maj. Kory Osigian, U.S. Army<\/p>\n

Presented to the student with the highest physical fitness as assessed by the highest overall score on the Army Fitness Test.<\/p>\n

Lt. Col. Michael \u201cScott\u201d Flurry Award: Lt. Col. Tyler Folan, U.S. Marine Corps<\/p>\n

Presented to the top Joint Service graduate who best exemplifies the full spectrum of attributes embodied by distinguished former AMSP graduate\u2014the late Marine Lieutenant Colonel Michael \u201cScott\u201d Flurry\u2014and his legacy of academic excellence, physical fitness, and superior leadership.<\/p>\n

Maj. Gen. Edwin Harding Award: Dr. Barry Stentiford and Maj. Ronald Apostle<\/p>\n

Presented to one faculty member and one student for their outstanding contribution to professional military journals as assessed by the school leadership.<\/p>\n

Col. Arthur D. Simons Center for the Study of Interagency Cooperation Award: Lt. Col. Jacob Griego<\/p>\n

Presented to the author of the best monograph on an interagency topic<\/p>\n

Best Class Monograph: Col. Joerg Vitoschek, Federal Republic of Germany<\/p>\n

Presented to the student in both ASLSP and AMSP whose research paper is judged to be the best in the class<\/p>\n

Best AMSP Monograph: Maj. Kaleb Castillo<\/p>\n

Presented to the student with the best monograph from AMSP<\/p>\n

Col. Thomas Felts Leadership Award: Maj. Karlos Esteban, U.S. Army<\/p>\n

Presented to the student who best exemplifies all the desired attributes of an Advanced Military Studies Program graduate. Named in honor of Col. Thomas Felts, who graduated from AMSP in 1998 and was a student in the SAMS senior service program in 2005.He was killed in action in Iraq in 2006 while serving as an advisor to the Iraqi Army.<\/p>\n

Watch the graduation ceremony on the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College\u2019s YouTube page: https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/live\/3tCcBE1W_kI?si=zuBN2GAhDIiw9LKY<\/a><\/p>\n

Additional photos from the event can be viewed on CGSC\u2019s Flickr page: https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/usacgsc\/albums\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"1 \/ 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption \u2013 From left to right, Col. Dwight Domengeaux, director, School…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":668349,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[23,3,21,19,22,20,25,24],"class_list":["post-668348","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-united-states","tag-america","tag-news","tag-united-states","tag-united-states-of-america","tag-unitedstates","tag-unitedstatesofamerica","tag-us","tag-usa"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/668348","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=668348"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/668348\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/668349"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=668348"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=668348"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=668348"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}