war college, Any of five U.S. institutions of higher education that offer professional military education to senior officers in the U.S. armed services, U.S. Department of Defense civilian employees, and foreign military officials. Four of the colleges—the U.S. Naval War College, the U.S. Army War College, the Air University, and the Marine Corps War College—are linked to their respective service branches. The fifth, the National Defense University, provides a joint educational program (one that promotes an in-depth understanding of subjects as they relate to multiple branches of the military) for senior military officers. Although their student bodies vary according to their missions, the colleges share similar goals: improving the professional education of the highest levels of military leadership and applying lessons learned during war.