Like every active duty General Officer, he was a War College selectee. However, not every selectee goes to the actual War College. Some with special skills or backgrounds attend equivalent very competitive studies. For instance, though an Army War College selectee, I held a fellowship at the Walsh School of Foreign Service, Contemporary Arab Studies, Georgetown University, while other selectees went to Harvard, or other major universities, or other service War Colleges. One of those alternatives is as a Senior Command and General Staff College's Advanced Operational Art Studies Fellowship (a far more advanced version of the SAMS course offered selected majors following staff college.). He is very much a War College selectee and graduate. However, as you suggest, LaNeve was Hegseth's military assistant before being nominated to the VCOS position. I have no doubt he has a high level of personal confidence in him.