School of Advanced Nuclear Deterrence Studies

The School of Advanced Nuclear Deterrence Studies (SANDS) is the Air Force's premier program on strategic deterrence, located within Air Command and Staff College at Air University. It is a 10-month graduate-level program focused on developing field grade officers into experts in nuclear deterrence. The program's core mission is to study military theory focused on strategic deterrence, including the history of deterrence application, modern operational deterrence theory, and future trends.