School of Advanced Nuclear Deterrence Studies Published June 10, 2026 Air Command and Staff College, Air University, Maxwell AFB, AL School of Advanced Nuclear Deterrence Studies The SANDS Concentration is a U.S. Air Force-boarded concentration that produces nuclear deterrence experts who go on to command, plan, and advise in the US Nuclear Enterprise. The SANDS Concentration began in 2015 as a stand-alone course at Kirtland Air Force Base, Albuquerque, New Mexico. In 2018, the Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC) Commander decided to move the SANDS course under the Air Command and Staff College (ACSC). SANDS students complete approximately seventy percent of the core ACSC curriculum, with three key distinctions from the standard program. First, SANDS students take two core Deterrence Classes in lieu of Air Power and Contemporary Warfare. Second, SANDS students take an elective focused on nuclear strategy, planning, and operations. Finally, SANDS students complete a master's-level thesis to fulfill their second elective requirement. Classroom instruction is reinforced with several experiential learning trips to Combatant Commands (COCOMs), Major Commands (MAJCOMs), Nuclear Labs, NATO Headquarters, and operational units. Additionally, all SANDS students graduate with an Advanced level of knowledge in all six nuclear competencies outlined in DAFI 13-504. The significance of this mission was underscored in General Davis’s April 2026 testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee’s Subcommittee on Strategic Forces, in which he identified SANDS as Air Force Global Strike Command’s flagship Professional Military Education effort and highlighted its role in developing deterrence experts to advise senior leaders across the Department of War.