|
 Command and Staff College
The Command and Staff College is located at Quetta, the capital city of
Balochistan, at the entrance to the picturesque Urak Valley. To the north,
south-east and south-west stand the lonely sentinels of 'TAKATU' 'MURDARGHAR'
and 'CHILTAN', rising to heights of 930 metres (10,000 feet) to 1020 metres
(11,000 feet). Stark, bare and ostensibly inhospitable citadels of sheer rock
structure, but enchanting, in a strange way, to the primeval memory of mankind.
Lower than the 'MURDARGHAR' and closer to the Staff College, the SLEEPING
BEAUTY displays her charms, undiminished by the ravages of that dreaded
hangman, "Time". This hill feature takes its name from its uncanny resemblance
to a lady in repose. She is at her best when the first winter snow throws her
in sharp contrast against the skyline.
The Command and Staff College, Quetta is a modern military institution
recognised the world over. It is a reputed seat of learning for warfare and
allied staff aspects with a student body of 270 officers, which include nearly
30 officers from over 26 allied nations. The Allied Officers form an important
segment of the College community, adding colour and giving a cosmopolitan touch
to life at the College.
The Command and Staff College is dedicated to providing the highest standards
of training, education and professional excellence. The faculty commits itself
to the primary goal of preparing students to shoulder higher responsibilities
in a multi-dimensional environment in peace and war.
The student is made to understand and apply principles - analytically,
logically, speedily and decisively. He should be able to communicate his
reasoning and decisions with ease, supervise implementation and ensure
execution. Particular attention is paid to the development of intelligent
inquiry, intellectual honesty, professional values and technical standards. To
achieve these goals, there are about 46 members on the faculty at any one time
making an instructor to student ratio of 1:7, which is amongst the highest in
the world.
The College provides an active and eventful campus that is unparalleled among
Pakistan Army training institutions. The curriculum is progressive and
challenging, with a balanced injection of co-curricular and extra-curricular
activities that demand total commitment from the officers and the active
cooperation of their families. To ease this task, the College provides them
with an enviable level of comfort, administrative support and recreational
facilities. This healthy interaction and involvement helps in maintaining a
highly conducive campus environment that nurtures in the officers and their
families a course espirit de corps that identifies them for the rest of their
service life. Thus, the Staff College year begins on an expectant note,
progresses on a fast pitch and demanding tempo, and ends on nostalgia and
lasting bonds.
The mission of the College is "to train selected officers for war and in so
doing fit them for grade 2 staff appointments and with further experience, for
command". In order to achieve this mission, instruction in staff duties and
staff and command aspects of the operations of war receive a greater emphasis.
Stress is laid on the need for good teamwork. Practicable, common sense
solutions are sought to tactical problems. Originality is encouraged. The
ultimate objective being to equip the future officers of the Army to be able to
handle any kind of staff or command problem with an analytical, educated and
methodical approach whereby reasonably competent options are highlighted.
In order to widen the officer's mental horizon he is also exposed to a cross
section of guest speakers on several subjects. This is to improve his
understanding of the strategic, geopolitical, economic, social and military
aspects of Pakistan and the region. The College designs, develops, implements
and ultimately evaluates the study programmes that prepare officers for grade
two staff appointments at brigade, division and higher echelons. It grooms
officers to assume greater responsibilities of command as they grow in service.
To ensure progressive development of the Course, the syllabus is reviewed each
year keeping the requirements of the Army in view. The faculty members, under
the guidance of the Commandant and the Chief Instructor, critically review and
analyse the aim and scope of each subject, so as to bring them in harmony with
the latest doctrines.
Methodology:
The College uses the latest methodology and modern technology to provide the
highest quality of education and learning environment. The syndicate method is
employed to exchange ideas and benefit from the varied experiences,
qualifications and opinions of Pakistani and allied officers. Self-paced
instruction is used for learning facts, techniques and procedures. The College
thus blends various methods of teaching techniques to optimise learning.
A syndicate is assigned to a Directing Staff of the rank of Lieutenant Colonel
for a period of one term. The Directing Staff have high academic credentials
and are amongst the best officers of the Army. They impart instructions, guide
and direct the students for the entire duration of the term, after which new
syndicates are formed. Hence, each student has four Directing Staff during the
academic year. This arrangement provides a fair chance to each student officer,
for evaluation and assessment of his performance on the Course.
Conduct:
The college conducts only one course in a year. The Course starts in mid
February and terminates in the third week of December. The duration of the
Course is 44 weeks. This period is divided into four terms, each of 8 to 11
weeks duration. After the first and third terms students get a well deserved
one week break, whereas after the second term the break is of two weeks
duration. The allied officers usually plan their tours and travel around
Pakistan during these breaks. The student officers are grouped into three
divisions. A division has 9 syndicates of 10 officers each. Each syndicate has
one or two allied officers. One faculty member acts as the Directing Staff for
a syndicate. Most of the instructions are imparted on a syndicate basis. The
medium of instruction is English. A ten days pre-course training is organised
for allied officers on arrival. This training helps in settling down and
understanding the functioning of the College.
Educational Philosophy:
The Command and Staff College is dedicated to the highest standards of
training, education and professional excellence. Student officers and the
faculty commit themselves to the primary goal of preparing officers for
multi-dimensional duties, with pre-eminence to operational training.
The curriculum is designed to develop a student officer's reasoning and
decision making abilities, character, expression and team work. The students
are trained to identify a problem, determine the basic issues involved, obtain
necessary information for its solution and formulate a befitting response. The
development of the ability to take sound and timely decisions in any given
situation after considering relevant facts and applying the concerned
principles, is the focal point of the educational philosophy. The curriculum
also focuses on the improvement of thinking, reasoning and communication skills
of the student. Particular attention is paid to the development of intellectual
honesty, integrity, professional values and standards.
Objectives:
The Command and Staff College prepares its students not only to handle and
employ their outfits confidently, but more importantly, provides them a broad
outlook and intellectual depth to deal efficiently with more complex modes and
methods of warfare under challenging leadership environments. At the end of the
year, our graduate should:-
Selection Criteria:
The Pakistani student officers who attend the Course must meet the following
prerequisites and qualifications:-
a. Rank/Service Captains/Majors with 8-12 years service.
b. Courses Respective arm/service Mid Career Course and Promotion Examinations.
c. Selection Criteria Based on merit list of a competitive examination, service
record and professional standing.
d. Civil Preferably Bachelor of Arts/Science to qualify for the award of
Bachelor of Science (Honours) War Studies degree from the University of
Balochistan.
System of Studies:
The Staff Course is a self generating course and though the student officers
have a Directing Staff for guidance, learning and teaching is through a process
of individual study, group discussions, critiques and implementation of plans
and formulation of written papers. The Course, generally, is challenging and
demands considerable interest from participants. The curriculum has been
divided into three main groups of studies, ie Professional Studies,
Developmental Studies and Research Studies. The College strives to produce a
dynamic staff officer who, with experience, should be able to assume higher
command responsibilities.
Foundation Studies:
These studies are designed to acquaint the students with the conceptual aspects
of defensive and offensive operations and other related aspects. The Course
deals with these in enough depth to enable student officers to apply this
knowledge during operations of war as well as in routine command and staff
functions.
Staff Duties:
The aim is to familiarise student officers with operational and peace time
staff duties thus enabling them to apply this knowledge for production of
completed staff work at division and brigade levels. The subject has been
divided into two categories:
a. Operational staff work.
b. Routine staff work.
Operations:
This is the most important aspect of the Course wherein student officers study
major operations of war in detail with special emphasis on defence and attack
at brigade and division levels in corps environment. The basic study in this
subject begins in First Term and is completed in the Second Term while the
Third and Fourth Terms contain major exercises and war games related to these
operations.
Specialised Operations:
Those operations of war, which are of a peculiar nature and derived from the
major operations, are grouped under this heading. These include Armour
Operations, Attack Across Water Obstacles, Built Up Area Operations, Operations
in Aid of Civil Power, Desert Warfare, Mountain Warfare, Psychological Warfare
and Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Warfare. Additionally, students are also
exposed to the latest trends like Low Intensity Conflict and impact of
Information Technology on the warfare.
Joint Warfare:
This subject deals with basic knowledge about the use of the air force in
support of the army, the fundamentals of naval operations and the employment of
all three services in joint operations. The study of this subject culminates in
the Fourth Term in the form of a tri-service exercise in which officers from
all the three services participate.
Training:
This forms an important segment of the curriculum; the aim being to develop an
understanding of the mechanics of planning and conducting training at the
brigade and division levels. The subject culminates in writing of divisional
level exercises by the students under varying terrain and operational
environment.
Leadership:
To familiarise students with the leadership concepts and management techniques,
sufficient time is devoted to this package. A host of experts are also invited
to deliver talks on the modern management skills essential for the potential
staff officers.
War Games:
A number of war games and telephone battles are conducted during the Course.
Each lasts for a week and has a different focus, objective, methodology and
operational setting. A tri- service exercise is also conducted with
participation by students of all services. In these exercises, students are
provided the opportunity to apply the acquired knowledge and deepen their
understanding of tactics. They practice staff skills, techniques and procedures
and get the opportunity to analyse problems, develop solutions, write, speak
and interact with other staff members.
Military History:
A progressive and objective Military History Package is organised each year to
enable the students to carry out comprehensive analysis of the assigned study
theme and draw pertinent lessons for the present and future.
Developmental Studies block of instruction reinforces professional studies and
the contents are designed to expand a student's horizon, encouraging maturity
of thought. This group of studies primarily consists of three packages:
Strategic Studies, Analysis Papers and Seminars. The block encompasses the
following.
Strategic Studies:
A comprehensive package in which a variety of subjects, both international and
regional, focusing on various facets are covered. This block of studies is
mostly conducted through lectures by eminent military and civilian guest
speakers, who are experts in their own field. The package is progressively
developed from preliminary level to complex issues and runs throughout the
course in all four terms.
Analytical Papers:
In order to develop their ability in grasping the essentials and evolving
original and viable options, a number of analytical papers are to be attempted
by the students throughout the Course. This provides them an opportunity to
refine their writing skills. The activity also helps them to think
independently and take positions on important professional and national issues.
The students are given adequate time and reference material for study before
the conduct of activity. The subjects are either professional in nature
requiring a staff response or those concerning international and national
issues.
Seminars:
The aim of the College seminars is to provide a forum to the students for
critical study of a subject of professional importance, with a view to
recommending doctrinal, organisational and administrative changes. A variety of
eminent civil and military guest speakers deliver their talks on allotted
themes, which is followed by an exhaustive interaction with students.
The aim of Research Studies block is to develop an understanding of the
research methodology, broaden the outlook of students, deepen their
understanding in specific areas and provide stimulus for further studies.
Research Studies focus at enhancing the abilities of student officers to carry
out research on subjects of general interest and the military profession, and
consist of Individual Research Paper (IRP) and Group Research Paper (GRP).
Bachelor of Science (Honours) War Studies Degree Programme:
The College is affiliated with the University of Balochistan for the grant of
Bachelor of Science (Honours) Degree in War Studies to the officers who possess
a Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Science degree (ie civilian education for 14
years) and successfully complete the Staff Course. Successful graduates of the
Course are also awarded the symbol of 'psc' (passed staff course).
|
