Senior executives who completed the two-year distance education program of the United States Army War College showed significant development of their strategic-level cognitive skills. The Modified Career Path Appreciation (MCPA) survey was administered to seventy participants at the beginning of their graduate program in strategic studies and at the completion of the program. These senior officer leaders showed a significant increase in their appreciation for strategic-level thinking as measured by the MCPA survey, focus group, and individual interviews. Focus group and individual interviews showed that senior officer leaders increase their ability to synthesize information by using online information networks, threaded discussions, and the application of course material to their current leadership experiences. (Contains 4 tables and 1 figure.)