CMSgt Leadership Academy

Program Description
The Chief Master Sergeant Leadership Course (CLC) is a 140-hour professional military education course taught at Maxwell Air Force Base-Gunter Annex, Alabama, and is the pinnacle of the Enlisted Airmanship Continuum. The course equips chief master sergeants with strategic insight to bridge operational execution and enterprise-level leadership, and empowers to inspire, lead and mentor Airmen for current and future challenges.

Guided by the U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff’s 2024 vision for transformative change to sustain air superiority, the new CLC focuses on four pillars: national security; joint, interagency, intergovernmental, and multinational (JIIM) operations; organizational functions and domains; and command leadership. This comprehensive framework prepares chiefs to navigate complex global warfighting environments. Through immersive training in mission command, joint operations and operational collaboration, chiefs sharpen critical thinking and enterprise-level decision making, enabling them to lead agile, resilient organizations capable of deterring and prevailing in high-end conflicts across all domains. The CLC fosters expertise in strategic leadership and JIIM operations, ensuring chiefs drive collaboration and apply command principles for mission success in a dynamic world.

The course was developed at the Thomas N. Barnes Center for Enlisted Education, with input from major command representatives, combatant command experts, Air University faculty, field leaders, subject matter experts and recent graduates.

Duration and Structure
The CLC is a 140-hour virtual and in-resident program. It begins with 10 days (20 hours) of facilitated distance learning, combining self-paced modules with facilitated virtual sessions to deliver foundational leadership principles and strategic insights in a flexible format tailored to warfighters’ needs. This is followed by an immersive 15-academic-day (120-hour, excluding weekends) in-residence experience, combining hands-on training and advanced education to refine leadership expertise. There are seven courses each year with 72 to 84 carefully selected students.

Eligibility
CLA is a senior level in-resident force development opportunity and is required for newly selected RegAF before 12 months TIG and AFR CMSgts. This course is optional for AFR/ANG CMSgts, per Department of the Air Force Instruction 36-2685, section 3.3.4.

Faculty
The CLC faculty comprises active duty and retired chief master sergeants, supported by civilian educators and staff. Instructors are rigorously selected based on their professional experience, academic credentials and faculty qualifications, ensuring unparalleled mentorship in this premier leadership program.

CLC class	Facilitated distance learning	In-residence
27-A	2 Oct – 15 Oct 26	19 Oct – 6 Nov 26
27-B	9 Nov – 20 Nov 26	30 Nov – 18 Dec 26
27-C	28 Jan – 10 Feb 27	22 Feb – 12 Mar 27
27-D	18 Mar – 31 Mar 27	5 Apr – 23 Apr 27
27-E	29 Apr – 12 May 27	19 May – 10 Jun 27
27-F	14 Jun – 25 Jun 27	12 Jul - 30 Jul 27
27-G	18 Aug – 31 Aug 27	8 Sep – 28 Sep 27

Please contact your unit training manager or base formal training office for all matters related to EPME scheduling, deferments or declinations. Detailed procedures can be found in the Enlisted Professional Military Education (EPME) Scheduling, Deferment, and Declination Procedures PSDG on myfss.us.af.mil. (CAC required)