BACKGROUND
Senior Enlisted Joint Professional Military Education (SEJPME) was established in 2005 by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Instruction (CJCSI) 1805.01 Enlisted Professional Military Education Policy (EPMEP). SEJPME was offered as an online academic program embedded within the National Defense University (NDU) Joint Forces Staff College (JFSC) distance education school from 2006 to 2015.
In May 2015, responsibility for delivering SEJPME transitioned from the JFSC to the Joint Staff J-7 Deputy Director of Joint Training and the Joint Knowledge Online (JKO) Division.
ISSUED MEMORANDUM
On 14 Feb 2022, Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman (SEAC) sent a memorandum outlining necessary changes to the SEJPME program. The memorandum directed, in part, changing the name of the SEJPME I/II courses to Enlisted JPME (EJPME) to illustrate a sequential joint education continuum more accessible to non-commissioned officers and petty officers.
WHAT THAT MEANS ON JKO
With the name change to the EJPME program, it follows that the JKO SEJPME branch would also undergo a change.
The SEJPME Branch of JKO is renamed the Joint Force Leader Development (JFLD) Branch to indicate JKO’s broadening of the branch effort to a wider student audience.
The JFLD Branch serves to increase the readiness and capability of company grade/junior officers, Joint civilians, and enlisted personnel. It encompasses the EJPME program as well as the evolving Joint Staff Training and Education Program (JSTEP) for joint assigned civilians and military officers (O1-O3). JFLD will continue to deliver the immensely popular EJPME I and EJPME II certificate courses.
JFLD will expand online course offerings to include primers for officers and civilians with limited Joint experience and provide them an opportunity to learn basic Joint concepts and best practices to enhance their ability to perform in a first-time Joint duty assignment.
The JFLD designation will be JKO’s core/flagship Joint section of “online learning programs and products.” The JFLD designation will be a tracked learning category in the JKO learning management system, separate from the certificate granting EJPME curriculum. A learning category is a clickable list of courses grouped by subject matter located under course catalog on JKO.
Creating a JFLD section and learning category of Joint content that JKO “owns” or “offers” establishes JKO as the central repository of online self-paced and required Joint training and education. This is a first step in developing a Joint training and education “jacket,” Joint focus special area of emphasis, and continuum of Joint learning and professional development opportunities.
OTHER JFLD NEWS
JKO's JFLD branch recently initiated the EJPME Spotlight series. This series recognizes and profiles current and former students serving in the Joint Interagency, Intergovernmental, Multinational (JIIM) environment or in named joint operations and exercises. This series aims to share EJPME student or alumni experiences to inspire current students and provide an example for others to emulate. Individuals can be nominated for this distinction by the JFLD branch manager or their command senior enlisted leader (CSEL).
Read about the first distinguished alumni Sergeant Major Richard D. Thresher, USMC, Command Senior Enlisted Leader (CSEL), U.S. Africa Command (USAFRICOM).
If you are a CSEL interested in nominating an EJPME student or alumni, please contact the Branch Manager, Mr. John Lipps, at john.r.lipps.civ@mail.mil.