MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. -- True lethality in 21st-century warfare requires more than mastering an airframe or logistics; it requires global integration. U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Cory Walker, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit maintenance officer, is currently immersed in this philosophy at the Air University’s School of Advanced Air and Space Studies.
Through an 11-month course at SAASS that trades traditional academics for the rigorous debate of complex security problems, Walker is gaining the intellectual humility and joint-service perspective necessary to lead in an environment dominated by multi-domain capabilities.
"It is almost like going through boot camp again, but a mental boot camp,” said Walker. “The goal is to break habits the service doesn't want and build the ones they do. SAASS takes that exact same philosophy and breaks cognitive habits you’ve developed over the years."
This joint-service environment forces leaders to test their ideas against peers from different backgrounds, forging a lethal readiness that no single military branch can achieve in isolation.
"The longer your ideas are challenged, the more it builds a habit of taking your temperature and making sure you’re not letting those biases creep back in,” said Walker. “It gives you a habit of mental maintenance."
As a Marine, Walker admits to a natural pride in the Corps’ traditions and land-centric focus. However, being embedded in a joint environment dominated by Air Force capabilities has broadened his perspective on how the United States projects power.
"I’m personally an air power enthusiast," Walker said. "Coming here has given me an opportunity to understand the breadth and scope of the Air Force’s immense capabilities that I didn’t realize before."
For Walker, whose background is in aviation maintenance, the most pressing strategic gap is one of logistics. He expressed concern that grand strategy. The high-level coordination of national resources, must better address the magnitude of sustaining a force in a potential conflict with great power competitors.
As he nears the end of the program, Walker aims to return to the fleet equipped with a new analytical toolkit, positioning him to lead at the intersection of military operations and high-level national strategy.
By integrating officers from various military branches, SAASS fosters a collaborative educational environment that bridges the gap between individual service doctrines and the unified strategy required for modern, multi-domain warfare.
“Their operational experience dismantles parochial stovepipes and injects essential cross-domain perspectives that sharpen our curriculum,” said Col. Robert O’Keefe, SAASS commandant and dean. “The result is a richer, more holistic understanding of airpower that equips every graduate to deliver greater lethality and decisive advantage in future conflict.”
O’Keefe emphasized that integrating sister-service officers like Maj. Walker into the SAASS program is critical to producing the strategic leaders the Joint Force demands.
"You’ve really got to foster an environment where people feel comfortable disagreeing with you," Walker said. "Otherwise, there are weaknesses in your plan that aren’t going to get worked out because you don’t get that quality control from different perspectives."
As the military prepares for an era of rapid technological change and shifting global alliances, Walker believes the tools he acquired at SAASS are no longer optional.
"I would not be capable of doing what I’m expected to do as a planner and strategist for the Marine Corps if I didn’t get the education I had here," Walker said.
As Walker transitions from the academic rigors of Air University to the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina, he does so not just as a Marine officer, but as a refined strategist equipped for the complexities of modern conflict.