Established in 1884 as an advanced course of professional study for naval officers, the U.S. Naval War College educates and develops leaders at specific stages in their careers from all services, U.S. government agencies and departments, and international navies.
Advanced Strategist Program is a specialized track for students skilled in the practice of formulating, developing, and executing strategy at various leadership levels in order to fill key billets in Navy, Joint, and high-level political staffs. This course is completed in conjunction with the College of Naval Warfare and College of Naval Command and Staff curricula.
Fleet Seminar Program (FSP) offers joint intermediate-level Professional Military Education through a set of three courses: Strategy & War, Theater Security Decision Making, and Joint Maritime Operations. These courses are offered at multiple locations, in keeping with efforts of the Chief of Naval Personnel, to foster a deliberate and flexible learning environment. Each course normally requires one academic year to complete. An FSP academic year runs from September through the following May.
Graduate Certificate in Ethics and Emerging Military Technology is a specialized elective track for students that are looking to deepen their expertise in the ethical complexities imposed by new technology. This course is completed in conjunction with the College of Naval Warfare, College of Naval Command and Staff, Naval Command College, and Naval Staff College curricula.
The Graduate Degree Program (GDP) offered by College of Distance Education provides an opportunity for Fleet Seminar Program students and graduates who meet the program's eligibility requirements and are accepted into the program to earn a Master of Arts degree.
International Maritime Staff Operator Course provides international students the skills needed to support the planning and execution of maritime operations and integrate with existing operational planning teams. Designed to meet the learning needs of maritime officers, the course uses the U.S. Navy Maritime Operations Center as an organizing concept, and is informed by NATO, UN joint and U.S. Naval doctrine, with a special emphasis on the U.S. Navy Planning Process.
International Wargaming Course introduces international partners to the fundamental concepts of wargaming through the project management process and practical application. This course enables students to better understand how to develop their national wargaming organization to conduct research, analysis, gaming, and education.
M.A. in Defense and Strategic Studies for resident students is divided into trimesters with core teachings and electives. Core courses are primarily taught in seminar format but include capstone exercises, wargame participation, and writing assignments.
Maritime Advanced Warfighting School is a resident program that is completed in conjunction with College of Naval Command and Staff curriculum. Objectives for this course are to develop strategic and operational leaders with the skills required to plan, execute, and assess combined, joint, and naval operations.
Maritime Operational Planners Course develops planners capable of performing in dynamic, complex, and high-tempo maritime operational environments. This course produces officers that are capable of forming, organizing, and leading operational planning teams and are proficient in the detailed application of the Navy Planning Process.
The Maritime Staff Operators Course provides resident education in the application of the Maritime Operations Center concept, organization and processes; maritime operational level of warfare concepts, terminology and processes; and the Navy Planning Process in order to produce graduates capable of immediately supporting the commander’s decision cycle at the operational level of warfare in a dynamic and complex environment.
Naval Staff College Diploma (NSC) is a graduate-level curriculum that emphasizes naval planning and decision making, with particular attention to broadening the officers’ understanding of the importance and role of sea power in international affairs. It consists of three major areas of study, electives program, Field Studies Program, and country presentations. U.S. students may apply to be embedded in NSC.
Naval Postgraduate School offers students enrolled in the master’s degree program to earn a U.S. Naval War College, College of Distance Education Command and Staff diploma. The program consists of three core courses: Strategy and War, Theater Security Decision Making, and Joint Maritime Operations. It is designed to educate professional naval officers in areas that will enhance their performance in command and in decision-making positions on major staffs.
Web Enabled Program is offered to eligible students located throughout the world with internet access. During this course, the student will study Joint Maritime Operations, Strategy & War, and Theater Security and Decision Making. Class work includes a variety of written assignments in the form of assessments, answers to multiple choice questions, and essays.
The Executive Level Operational Level of Warfare Course (ELOC) is the second course in series of four Professional Military Education courses. ELOC focuses at the senior leadership level; the course will ensure the attendees are properly educated in, and understand the intricacies of, effectively participating in the decision-making process and managing a Maritime Operations Center and its resources.
M.A. in National Security and Strategic Studies for resident students is divided into trimesters with core teachings and electives. Core courses are primarily taught in seminar format but include capstone exercises, wargame participation, and writing assignments.
Naval Command College Diploma is a residence graduate-level study program for senior international officers. The program consists of orientation, core curriculum, electives, Field Studies Program, and the cultural exchange. International Students are fully integrated with their U.S. counterparts in the College of Naval Warfare and must complete all class, seminar exercises, and writing assignments.
Combined Force Maritime Component Commander Flag Course educates students to focus on the operational level while working toward maritime security. The course serves as a forum to develop and deepen relationships based upon trust and confidence among stakeholders and nations in the framework of regional challenges. It also helps to evolve the Combined Maritime Command and Control concepts and mechanisms, while advancing the understanding of those security issues facing participating nations.
Joint Force Maritime Component Commander is the third course in a series of three Professional Military Education courses. This course is designed to prepare U.S. and International students for theater-level combat leadership and to give them a broad perspective of operational and strategic levels of war.
Nearly a century after Stephen B. Luce founded the Naval War College as “a place of original research on all questions relating to war and the statesmanship connected with war, or the prevention of war,” the Center for Naval Warfare Studies was established within the College for broadly based, advanced research on the naval contributions to national strategy. The Center has complemented the curriculum at the Naval War College by providing a place for dedicated research that fuels our mission to educate future leaders, helps to define the future Navy, and informs national policy.
Dr. Polski has provided analysis and research at home and abroad to address a wide range of national security decision making and operations. Trained as an experimental political economist and management consultant, she has helped organizations innovate to address threats and emerging opportunities, and to improve operating performance. Dr. Polski's research is focused on strategic behavior in complex physical and social systems and includes work in experimental design, game theory, cognitive neuroscience, and computational social science. Her current research interests are related to understanding the behavior of heterogeneous systems.
U.S. Naval War College debuted a new video series, “NWC Talks,” recorded at the college’s historic campus.
Naval Station Newport is home to 50 military commands, educational institutions, and services. While your focus will be on academics, you’ll also have the opportunity to enjoy what the city of Newport and the naval station have to offer.
The U.S. Naval War College (NWC) distance education programs were designed to fit into the geographic and time constraints of students unable to participate in our traditional residential program. The College of Distance Education at NWC offers access to the same rigorous curriculum and world-class faculty.
U.S. Naval War College welcomes senior and midcareer officers from navies around the world. Each year, we bring together U.S. and international students from diverse cultures to share their maritime traditions, experiences, and challenges.
Vice Adm. Bruce Lindsey graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1982 with a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and was designated a naval flight officer in 1983. He is a graduate of the Joint Forces Staff College and the Navy’s nuclear power program. Lindsey holds a Master of Arts in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island, and earned a doctorate in public policy from George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia.
Rear Adm. Kenneth Whitesell is a native of Stuarts Draft, Virginia, and graduated from Old Dominion University in 1983 with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering. He received his commission from aviation officer candidate school in February 1985 and earned his naval aviation wings in October 1986. He is a graduate of the Joint Forces Staff College and the Naval War College with a Master of Arts in National Security and Strategic Studies.
President Trump announced the nomination of Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Milley to be the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, replacing current Chairman Gen. Joseph Dunford when his term expires in October 2019. General Mark A. Milley assumed duty as the 39th Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army August 14, 2015, after most recently serving as the 21st Commander of U.S. Army Forces Command at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. General Milley’s education includes a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Princeton University and masters degrees from Columbia University (International Relations) and from the U.S. Naval War College (National Security and Strategic Studies). He is also a graduate of the MIT Seminar XXI National Security Studies Program.
Vice Adm. Chas Richard is a native of Decatur, Alabama, and is a 1982 graduate with honors from the University of Alabama. He has earned master's degrees with honors from the Catholic University of America and the Naval War College. Richard previously served as the deputy commander, U.S. Strategic Command.
Vice Adm. Bill Merz is a native of San Diego, California. He is a 1986 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy with a Bachelor of Science in Ocean Engineering. He has since earned master’s degrees from The Catholic University of America and U.S. Naval War College.
Adm. Phil Davidson is the 25th Commander of United States Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM), America’s oldest and largest military combatant command, based in Hawai’i. Prior to becoming CDRUSINDOPACOM on May 30, 2018, he served as the commander of U.S. Fleet Forces Command/Naval Forces U.S. Northern Command. He previously served as the commander, U.S. 6th Fleet, and the commander, Naval Striking and Support Forces NATO, while simultaneously serving as the deputy commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe and U.S. Naval Forces Africa. He is a distinguished graduate of the U.S. Naval War College. He has a Master of Arts in National Security and Strategic Studies, and a Bachelor of Science in Physics.
Vice Adm. Lisa Franchetti is a native of Rochester, New York. She received her commission in 1985 through the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps Program at Northwestern University, where she received a Bachelor of Science in Journalism. She also attended the Naval War College and holds a master’s in organizational management from the University of Phoenix. On March 1, 2018 Vice Adm. Franchetti assumed command of U.S. 6th Fleet. Her operational tours include auxiliaries officer and first division officer on USS Shenandoah (AD 44); navigator and jumboization coordinator on USS Monongahela (AO 178); operations officer on USS Moosbrugger (DD 980); combat systems officer and chief staff officer for Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 2; executive officer of USS Stout (DDG 55); and assistant surface operations officer on USS George Washington Strike Group. She commanded USS Ross (DDG 71) and DESRON-21, embarked on USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74). She also served as commander of Pacific Partnership 2010, embarked on USNS Mercy (T-AH 19).
The chief of staff of the Army has announced that U.S. Naval War College alumnus Brig. Gen. Alfred F. Abramson III has been assigned as program executive officer, ammunition and commanding general, Picatinny Arsenal, New Jersey.
Secretary of the Navy Richard Spencer and Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson announced that Rear Adm. Curt Copley will be assigned as deputy chief of staff, Intelligence, Resolute Support and deputy director, Intelligence - Plans, U.S. Forces, Kabul, Afghanistan. Copley graduated with highest distinction from the College of Naval Command and Staff.
Secretary of the Navy Richard Spencer and Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson announced that Rear Adm. Jeffrey W. Hughes will be assigned as commander, Navy Personnel Command; and deputy chief of Naval Personnel, Millington, Tennessee. He graduated with distinction from the Naval War College, receiving a Master of Arts in National Security and Strategic Studies.