10 U.S.C. § 2154 — Joint professional military education: three-phase approach

There shall be a course of instruction, designated and certified by the Secretary of Defense with the advice and assistance of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff as Phase I instruction, consisting of all the elements of a joint professional military education (as specified in section 2151(a) of this title), in addition to the principal curriculum taught to all officers at an intermediate level service school^* or at a joint intermediate level school^*.

There shall be a course of instruction, designated and certified by the Secretary of Defense with the advice and assistance of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff as Phase II instruction, consisting of—

There shall be a course of instruction, designated and certified by the Secretary of Defense with the advice and assistance of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff as the Capstone course, for officers selected for promotion to the grade^* of brigadier general or, in the case of the Navy, rear admiral (lower half) and offered in accordance with section 2153 of this title.

Any distance education program offered to satisfy Phase I or Phase II instruction under paragraph (1) or (2) of subsection (a) shall include a pathway for a student who is a member of a reserve component to fully complete the course of instruction asynchronously and while physically separated from the course instructors and without any in-person attendance required to graduate from such program.

In this subsection, the term “distance education” has the meaning given such term in section 103 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1003).