Joint Services Command and Staff College

JSCSC combined the single service provision of the British Armed Forces: Royal Naval College, Greenwich, Staff College, Camberley, RAF Staff College, Bracknell, and the Joint Service Defence College, Greenwich. Initially formed at Bracknell in January 1997, the college procured new buildings at Watchfield in Oxfordshire under a Private Finance Initiative contract in June 1998. The new buildings were designed by HLM Architects,^[1] built by John Laing Construction at a cost of £100 million,^[2] and were officially opened in August 2000. The facilities were subsequently managed by Serco.^[3]

JSCSC is a component of the Defence Academy and the commandant is a full member of the DA Management Board, reporting to the director of the Defence Academy. The commandant is a two-star appointment (rear admiral, major general or air vice marshal) and can be filled by candidates from each of the three services. Within JSCSC itself, each service is represented by a one-star assistant commandant, each with responsibility for both single service issues and delivery of training. The dean of academic studies leads King's College London's Defence Studies Department, which provides theoretical and conceptual academic education in partnership with the military directing staff.^[4]

As of 2016, the JSCSC provides the following courses, amongst others:

• Higher Command and Staff Course: aimed at OF-6 rank (Commodores, Brigadiers & Air Commodores) or OF-5 (Captains RN, Colonels & Group Captains)
• Advanced Command and Staff Course: aimed at OF-4 rank (Commanders, Lieutenant Colonels & Wing Commanders)
• Intermediate Command and Staff Course: aimed at OF-3 rank (Lieutenant Commanders, Majors & Squadron Leaders)

• Intermediate Command and Staff Course (Maritime): Aimed at Lieutenant Commanders, Lieutenants and civil servants
  • Elements:
    • Command, Leadership, Management, Ethos and Ethics
    • Staff and Communication Skills, including Defence Writing
    • Strategic Studies: The International Environment and UK Defence Management
    • Maritime Studies: Strategy, Environment, Capabilities, and the Royal Navy
    • Joint Studies: Capabilities, Environment, and Joint and Combined Operations^[5]
• Intermediate Command and Staff Course (Maritime Reserve)^[6]
• Advanced Amphibious Warfare Course^[7]

• Intermediate Command and Staff Course (Land): Aimed at Army and Royal Marine Majors, and civil servants
  • Elements:
    • Staff and Communication Skills
    • Command Leadership and Management
    • Global Effects on Defence
    • Higher Management of Defence and the Army
    • Equipment and Capability
    • Land Warfare – including Formation Level Planning and Military Assistance to stabilisation and Development^[8]
• Intermediate Command and Staff Course (Land Reserve)^[9]

• Intermediate Command and Staff Course (Air): Aimed at Squadron Leaders and civil servants
  • Elements
    • Introduction
    • Air and space power
    • Strategic context
    • Warfighting and planning
    • Command, Leadership and Management^[10]

The college badge features an anchor, crossed swords and an eagle, representing each of the three Armed Services. Previously, a cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo) was used as the symbol of the Joint Service Defence College; Britain's largest seabird flies, swims on the sea surface and catches its fish underwater, yet builds its nest on dry land (either on cliffs or in riverside trees). The alumni association of the college, open to graduates of the Higher Command and Staff Course, the Advanced Command and Staff Course, and staff of the college, is named the Cormorant Club.^[11]

The following have commanded the college:^[12][13]

• 1 September 1997 Major General T J Granville-Chapman
• 4 January 2000 Air Vice-Marshal B K Burridge
• 28 January 2002 Rear Admiral R J Lippiett
• 3 March 2003 Major General J McColl
• 1 March 2004 Major General N R Parker
• July 2005 Air Vice-Marshal N D A Maddox
• 4 September 2007 Rear Admiral N Morisetti
• 8 October 2009 Major General G Binns
• 2 September 2010 Air Vice-Marshal R Lock
• 31 August 2012 Rear Admiral J Morse
• August 2014 Major-General J R Free
• February 2017 Air Vice-Marshal Chris Luck
• May 2019 Major General Andrew Roe (from 2022, as commandant of the Defence Academy)
• May 2024 Major General Peter Rowell (as commandant of the Defence Academy)^[14]

• JSCSC