Fort Leavenworth ? Dozens of officers graduating this week from the Army’s School for Advanced Military Studies will head directly from the classroom to the battlefield.

On Thursday, 108 officers were graduating from the school at Fort Leavenworth with advanced degrees, while 16 others are completing the advanced operational arts studies fellowship.

Thirty-four of the officers are slated to deploy to Afghanistan.

Gen. Pete Chiarelli (kuh-REHL’-ee), the Army’s vice chief of staff, was scheduled to speak at the graduation.

The School for Advanced Military Studies was established in the 1980s to train and educate future military leaders, including officers from other countries and other government agencies.