Naval War College

History

The college was established on October 6, 1884. Its president Commodore Stephen B. Luce was given the building that formerly housed the Newport Asylum for the Poor on Coasters Harbor Island in Narragansett Bay. Among the first four faculty members were Tasker H. Bliss, a future Army Chief of Staff; James R. Soley, the first civilian faculty member and a future assistant secretary of the Navy; and Captain Alfred Thayer Mahan, who became renowned for the scope of his strategic thinking and influence on naval leaders worldwide.

The College engaged in wargaming various scenarios beginning in 1887, and it became a laboratory for the development of war plans. Nearly all of the U.S. naval operations of the twentieth century were originally designed and gamed at the NWC.From its initial class of nine students in 1885, the college has grown to produce over 50,000 graduates. Its alumni network currently includes about 300 active-duty admirals, generals, and Senior Executive Service leaders. The institution's Joint Professional Military Education (JPME) programs focus on preparing these professionals for strategic and operational leadership, sharpening their skills as effective decision-makers and problem solvers.

Academic programs

College of Naval Command and Staff

The College of Naval Command and Staff (CNCS) is a multidisciplinary program designed for U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard officers in the grade of lieutenant commander, U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Army, and U.S. Air Force officers in the grade of major, and civilians of equivalent seniority from various federal agencies. This intermediate level service college course provides an initial opportunity for joint professional military education wherein students prepare for increased responsibilities as commanders / lieutenant colonels, and as junior captains / colonels.

College of Naval Command and Staff students pursue studies in each of the Naval War College's three core subject areas in the following order of presentation: Strategy and War, Theater Security Decision Making, and Joint Maritime Operations. While this basic curriculum is essentially the same as that of the more senior students enrolled in the College of Naval Warfare, individual courses are tailored to the experience level and career needs of the CNCS's mid-grade officers. Each student in the College of Naval Command and Staff is also required to enroll in one Elective Program course of his or her choice per trimester. A limited number of students may, with selection committee approval, forego up to one trimester of the core curriculum to participate in the Center for Naval Warfare Studies' Advanced Research Program.

Beginning in 1914, NWC imparts its competent, executive-level programs beyond campus through its, now web-based, College of Distance Education (CDE). The three main CDE courses are Strategy and War, Theater Security Decision Making, and Joint Maritime Operations.

Maritime Advanced Warfighting School (MAWS)

Originally established in 1998 as the Naval Operational Planner Course, the Maritime Advanced Warfighting School (MAWS) is a 13-month program that educates U.S. officers of all services to:

Be operational planners and ultimately, operational leaders

Understand and apply maritime power effectively

Form and lead Operational Planning Teams (OPTs)

Think creatively and critically by developing solutions to complex, chaotic security problems

MAWS integrates the College of Naval Command and Staff core curriculum with specialized education and hands-on, real-world projects in the operational planning domain. MAWS is the U.S. Navy's peer school to the U.S. Army's School of Advanced Military Studies (SAMS), the U.S. Marine Corps' School of Advanced Warfighting (SAW), the U.S. Air Force's School of Advanced Air and Space Studies (SAASS), and the Joint Forces Staff College's Joint Advanced Warfighting School (JAWS).

National Security Affairs Department

The National Security Affairs Department (NSA) curricula provide military officers and federal government civilians a foundation in contemporary security studies to analyze how the U.S. government makes foreign policy decisions and the role the U.S. plays in the world. This includes: the ability to develop and communicate analyses of current and emerging security issues facing the U.S. and its international partners and allies, the understanding of U.S. decision making dynamics at the strategic level, and the ability to assess political, budgetary, bureaucratic, organizational, and leadership factors influencing decision making and implementation of U.S. foreign policy and strategy development. In support of the Naval Command and Staff College, it teaches Theater Security Decision Making and in support of the College of Naval Warfare, it teaches National Security Decision Making.

College of Naval Warfare

The College of Naval Warfare is a multidisciplinary program designed for U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard officers in the grades of commander or captain, U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force officers in the grades of lieutenant colonel or colonel, and civilians of equivalent seniority from various federal agencies. This senior level professional military education program provides students with executive-level preparation for higher responsibilities as senior captains / colonels and as junior flag officers / general officers.

College of Naval Warfare students pursue studies in each of the Naval War College's three core subject areas in the following order of presentation: Joint Military Operations, Strategy and Policy, and National Security Decision Making. During all trimesters, College of Naval Warfare students are joined in lectures and in seminars by international students of the Naval Command College. Each College of Naval Warfare student is also required to enroll in one Elective Program course of his or her choice per trimester. A limited number of students in each class may, with selection committee approval, forego up to one trimester of the core curriculum to participate in the Center for Naval Warfare Studies' Advanced Research Program.

Accreditation and degrees

The Naval War College is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE). It was accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges from 1984 until 2018, when the Association's university accreditation body split off and became NECHE. In 1990 the Naval War College earned the authority to award to students in some of its programs a Master of Arts in National Security and Strategic Studies. Naval War College students are also permitted to transfer up to 18 credits to the Graduate Program in International Relations at Salve Regina University. The arrangement allows Naval War College students to complete a Master of Arts degree in International Relations from Salve Regina University by taking six additional courses.

Publications

The Naval War College Press has published the scholarly quarterly journal the Naval War College Review since 1948. It also publishes the "Newport Papers", as well as an historical monograph series and occasional books.

Research and instruction

The Henry E. Eccles Library, housed in Hewitt Hall, supports the Naval War College's mission by providing information literacy training, reference tutorials and assistance, electronic literature searches, and access to over 90 databases, and interlibrary loan services to Professional Military Education/Joint Professional Military Education, faculty research and analysis, and College of Distance Education.

The library also aids curricula development by assisting faculty research, publishing bibliographies and research guides covering a wide range of topics of interest for those studying international relations, foreign area studies, contemporary and historical military topics, and security studies.

The Naval Historical Collection (NHC) is the depository for the Naval War College archives, manuscripts, oral histories, and special collections relating to the history of naval warfare and the history of the U.S. Navy in Narragansett Bay. Established in 1969 and located in Mahan Hall, the NHC's primary source material are of interest to naval historians, scholars, and students of American military and diplomatic history, Naval War College students, faculty and staff, and the general public.

Buildings and structures

Over the years, the Naval War College has expanded greatly. The original building, the former Newport Asylum for the Poor, now serves as home to the Naval War College Museum. In 1892, Luce Hall was opened as the college's new home, at a cost of $100,000. At the time, the building housed lecture rooms and a library. Wings at either end provided two sets of quarters, occupied by the president of the College and members of the faculty. When the Naval War College was enlarged in 1932, this original building was renamed Luce Hall in honor of the institution's founder and first Superintendent (later President), Stephen B. Luce. This original pair of buildings was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1964, and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Luce Hall was again listed on the National Register in 1972.

Mahan Hall, named after Rear Admiral Alfred Thayer Mahan (NWC President from 1886–1889 and 1892–1893), was completed and opened in 1904, and encompasses the historic Mahan Rotunda and Reading Room, as well as student study areas. The Mahan Rotunda also serves as an impromptu museum of gifts and artifacts donated by graduating international students over the years.

Pringle Hall (named after Vice Admiral Joel R. P. Pringle, Naval War College President from 1927–1930) was opened in 1934, and was the principal site for war gaming from the time of its completion in 1934 until the Naval Electronic Warfare Simulator was built in Sims Hall in 1957. The exterior facing of the building is pink Milford granite, similar in appearance to the ashlar granite of Luce Hall, to which it is connected by two enclosed bridges. Pringle Hall contains a 432-seat auditorium, the Quinn Lecture Room, the Naval Staff College, the Graphic Arts Studio, the Photography Branch, and the Naval War College Press.

In 1947, the Naval War College acquired an existing barracks building and converted it to a secondary war gaming facility, naming it Sims Hall after former War College President Admiral William Sowden Sims (Naval War College President from February to April 1917 and again from 1919–1922). In 1957 Sims Hall became the primary center for the Naval War College's wargaming department, serving as such until 1999. Sims Hall is undergoing renovations that are expected to be completed in 2021.

The 1970s saw the War College's most active expansion, with the opening of three separate buildings. In 1972, Spruance Hall, named after former NWC President Admiral Raymond A. Spruance (March 1946 – July 1948), was completed, housing faculty offices and an 1,100 seat auditorium.

Partnership with Brown University

On June 6, 2014, NWC and Brown University's Watson Institute for International Studies signed a Research and Education Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between the two institutions. The agreement promotes collaborative research and teaching between NWC and Brown, serves as an opportunity to establish and conduct programs to improve education in science-related fields to meet long-term national defense needs, and establishes cooperative education programs for undergraduate education at Brown and postgraduate education at both Brown and NWC.

Notable U.S. graduates

U.S. Navy

Admiral Jeremy Michael Boorda, 25th Chief of Naval Operations, 1994–1996

Admiral William J. Fallon, Commander, U.S. Pacific Command, 2005–2007; Commander, U.S. Central Command, 2007–2008

Admiral Mark P. Fitzgerald, Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe and Allied Joint Force Command Naples, 2007–2010

Admiral William E. Gortney, Commander, U.S. Fleet Forces Command, 2012–2014; Commander, U.S. Northern Command and Commander, North American Aerospace Defense Command, 2014–2016

Fleet Admiral William F. Halsey Jr., Commander, 3rd Fleet during World War II

Admiral Kent Hewitt, World War II decorated officer (two time recipient of the Navy Cross)

Fleet Admiral Ernest J. King, first Commander in Chief, United States Fleet and 9th Chief of Naval Operations, 1942–1945

Admiral George McMillin, 38th and final Naval Governor of Guam, one of the first WWII POWs at First Battle of Guam 1940–1941

Admiral Thomas H. Moorer, 18th Chief of Naval Operations, 1967–1970; Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, 1970–1974

Vice Admiral David C. Nichols Jr., Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command / U.S. Fifth Fleet, 2003–2005; Deputy Commander, U.S. Central Command, 2005–2007

Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, CINCPAC 1941–1945, 10th Chief of Naval Operations, 1945–1947

Rear Admiral Alan Shepard, first American in space, 1961; fifth man on the Moon, 1971

U.S. Coast Guard

Admiral John B. Hayes, USCG, Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, 1978 - 1982

Admiral Robert E. Kramek, USCG, Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, 1990–1994

Admiral Robert J. Papp Jr., USCG, Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, 2010–2014

Admiral Paul F. Zukunft, USCG, Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, 2014–2018

U.S. Marine Corps

General Walter Boomer, USMC, Assistant Commandant, U.S. Marine Corps, 1992–1994

General James E. Cartwright, USMC, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, 2007–2011

General Michael Hagee, USMC, Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps, 2003–2006

U.S. Army

General Randy George, Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army, 2023–2026

General Stanley McChrystal, Commander, International Security Assistance Force/United States Forces Afghanistan, 2009–2010

General John Shalikashvili, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, 1993–1997

General Raymond T. Odierno, Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army, 2011–2015

Lieutenant General Michael Flynn, Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, 2012–2014

General Mark A. Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, 2019–2023

U.S. Air Force

General Bruce Carlson, USAF, Commander, Air Force Materiel Command, 2005–2008

General John D. W. Corley, USAF, Commander, Air Combat Command, 2007–2009

General Charles A. Gabriel, USAF, Chief of Staff of the U.S. Air Force, 1982–1986

General John A. Gordon, USAF, Deputy Director, Central Intelligence Agency, 1997–2000

General Richard E. Hawley, USAF, Commander, Air Combat Command, 1996–1999

General C. Robert Kehler, USAF, Commander, Air Force Space Command, 2007–2011; Commander, U.S. Strategic Command, 2011–2013

General Robert C. Oaks, USAF, Commander, Tactical Air Command, 1984–1985

General Jerome F. O'Malley, USAF, Commander, United States Air Forces in Europe, 1990–1994

U.S. Space Force

General John W. Raymond, USSF, Chief of Space Operations, 2019–2022

Colonel Bree Fram, USSF

U.S. Foreign Service

Ambassador Christopher R. Hill, U.S. Ambassador to Iraq, 2009–2010; Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, 2005–2009

Ambassador James B. Smith, U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, 2009–2013

U.S. Civil Service

Kat Cammack, U.S. Representative, Florida's 3rd congressional district, 2021-

Frank Jimenez, former General Counsel, U.S. Department of the Navy, 2006–2009

Hugo Teufel III, 2nd Chief Privacy Officer, Department of Homeland Security in the Government of the United States, 2006–2009

Sean Spicer, 30th White House Press Secretary, 2017–2017

Notable foreign graduates

Vice Admiral Zahir Uddin Ahmed, Chief of Naval Staff, Bangladesh Navy, 2009–2013

Vice Admiral Tomás Gomez Arroyo Spanish Navy, 1972–1973.

Admiral Panagiotis Chinofotis, Chief of the Hellenic National Defense General Staff, 2005–?.

Rear Admiral Benjamin Ohene-Kwapong Chief of the Naval Staff, Ghana Navy, 1985–1990.

Admiral Arun Prakash, Chief of the Naval Staff, Indian Navy, and Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee, India, 2004–2006.

Vice Admiral Mohammed Farid Habib, Chief of Naval Staff, Bangladesh Navy, 2013–current

Vice Admiral Kamal Habibollahi, Last Commander of the Imperial Iranian Navy 1975–1979.

Rear-Admiral Lai Chung Han, Chief of the Republic of Singapore Navy, 2014–2017.

Admiral Devendra Kumar Joshi, Chief of the Naval Staff, Indian Navy, 2012–2014.

President Émile Lahoud, 15th President of Lebanon from November 1998 to November 2007.

Admiral Radhakrishna Hariram Tahiliani, Chief of the Naval Staff, Indian Navy, 1984–1987.

Vice Admiral Mateo M Mayuga AFP Flag Officer In Command, Philippine Navy 09 Dec 10 - 09 Dec 07

Vice Admiral Mark Mellett, Chief of Staff of Defence Forces Ireland 2015–2021

Notable faculty

Stephen E. Ambrose, historian and biographer

Edward L. Beach Jr., author of Run Silent, Run Deep, inaugural holder of the Stephen B. Luce Chair of Naval Science

Jessica D. Blankshain, Expert on civil-military relations and foreign policy analysis.

Lindsay Cohn, Expert on military organizations, civil-military relations, international law of war, and foreign policy/public opinion.

Yoram Dinstein (born 1936), Israeli President of Tel Aviv University

Nikolas Gvosdev, international relations scholar.

John B. Hattendorf, naval historian, Ernest J. King Professor of Maritime History

Joan Johnson-Freese, emeritus Professor of National Security Affairs

Stephen Knott, emeritus Professor of National Security Affairs

Alfred Thayer Mahan, historian, author of The Influence of Sea Power upon History

Tom Nichols, emeritus Professor of National Security Affairs, writer and academic specialist on international affairs.

Sarah C. Paine, historian, author, and professor of strategy and policy

Derek S. Reveron, expert on foreign policy and defense strategy.

James R. Soley, naval historian and first civilian faculty member