Fort Leavenworth ? A top Army official will speak Friday to the latest graduating class of the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth.

Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Lloyd Austin will address more than 1,000 officers, including 69 international officers and 16 students from other government agencies. The class began in August 2011 and is the intermediate level of officer education in the Army.

Austin commanded U.S. forces in Iraq before his appointment as vice chief of staff in January. He also commanded U.S. troops in Afghanistan in 2003.