The course was designed to support the educational requirements for Functional Area FA59 (FA59), U.S. Army Strategist, formerly called Strategic Plans and Policy.

According to the U.S. Army War College's Department of Military Strategy, Planning, and Operations, BSAP provides officers newly designated into Functional Area (FA) 59 (Strategist) an introduction to strategy and to the unique skills, knowledge, and behaviors that provide the foundation for their progressive development as Army strategists.

[3]Faculty from across the U.S. Army War College support BSAP, which also draws from world class academic and professional guest speakers and lecturers.

[3] Using the graduate seminar method, the course combines history, theory, exercises, guest lectures, and staff rides to develop a 'rich professional perspective on policy, strategy, and doctrine.

Topics of discussion include: "strategy and policy match, theories of victory, mirror imaging, civil-military relations, pre-war plans and wartime realities, and coalition warfare".

[4] The National Security and Decision-making module focuses on decision-making and organization within the executive branch of the U.S. government, including real-world case studies and a trip to Washington D.C. for U.S. government interagency visits including the Central Intelligence Agency, National Security Council, State Department, and others.