Our Mission

The college shall provide current, rigorous, and relevant professional military education (PME) programs supporting the Navy’s Professional Military Education Continuum. These PME programs must meet the standards required in law and policy and be accessible to the maximum number of qualified U.S. officers and Navy enlisted personnel, civilian employees of the U.S. Government, and international Senior Enlisted Leaders and Officers. The education should foster an active and growing community linked by PME including leadership with professional ethics that furthers global maritime security. The desired effect is a career continuum of PME, including leadership development and professional ethics, which produces a group of leaders of character. These leaders have trust and confidence in each other and are operationally and strategically minded, critical thinkers, proficient in joint matters, and skilled naval and joint warfighters prepared to meet the operational level of war (OLW) and strategic challenges of today and tomorrow.

Naval War College conducts research, analysis, and gaming to support the requirements of the Secretary of the Navy, the Chief of Naval Operations, the Combatant Commanders, the Navy Component Commanders, the Navy’s numbered Fleet Commanders, other Navy and Marine Corps Commanders, the U.S. intelligence community, and other departments and agencies of the U.S. Government.

Naval War College conducts operational level of war education, leadership and professional ethics education and training, and assessment activities to support the ability ofthe Navy’s joint force maritime component commanders and Navy component commanders to function effectively as operational commanders. This effort includes supporting the needs of Joint Force Commanders, Navy Component Commanders, and the Navy’s numbered Fleet Commanders for including operational planning, analysis, assessment, and war gaming to respond to emerging operational requirements.

Naval War College brings together Flag, senior and intermediate level naval leaders from other countries to develop them for high command in their Navies; promote an open exchange of views between international security professionals which encourages friendship and cooperation and builds trust and confidence; and study operational planning methods and common maritime security challenges. Naval War College shall develop research and gaming collaboration with its sister institutions in other Navies and work to improve the general level of maritime research and analysis.

Leader Development rests on the twin prongs of competence and character. Effective Navy leaders work from a foundation of humility, embracing our core values of honor, courage, and commitment. Behaving with integrity, accountability, initiative, and toughness, leaders commit to improving the character of themselves and their teams. As the Chief of Naval Operation’s Executive Agent for leadership and ethics, Naval War College helps the Navy to strengthen the ability of its leaders to always behave consistently with our core values, throughout their careers.

Naval War College holds the unique mission of educating service professionals about concepts of seapower and the military policy of the United States. Since the earliest lectures delivered at Naval War College in the 1880s, Rear Admiral Stephen B. Luce argued that “naval strategy adopts some of its most important measures during peace.” As Luce intended, the Maritime History Center performs the task of conducting original historical research of interest to contemporary practitioners, strategic thinkers, and the American public to inform the future military policy of the United States into the 21st century and beyond.

The SCIL is the world’s premier think tank for understanding, shaping and influencing the international law that affects military and other security operations. To support Navy, Joint and Combined operations, the SCIL educates future military and civilian leaders and conducts and publishes advanced research on public international law, including the law of the sea, law of naval warfare, law of armed conflict (LOAC), and the law of outer space and cyberspace. The Center disseminates research through publication of International Law Studies, the oldest journal of international law in the United States. It also publishes legal treatises, as well as articles and commentary in globally influential law and policy journals and other fora. Its research mission is further accomplished by conducting conferences, workshops and Track 1.5 dialogue with dozens of partners and nations, such as annual events with Harvard Law School, the International Committee of the Red Cross, the IMO International Maritime Law Institute and the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force. This research fulfills two key priorities: to lead the identification and analysis of emerging issues and to address faulty interpretations of international law that risk affecting the international security of the United States and its partners.