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.
The Fleet Seminar Program delivers Joint Professional Military Education Phase I to students who cannot attend the U.S. Naval War College in-residence. Courses offered at multiple Naval bases and stations across the United States. The academic year runs from the first week in September to the third week in May and each course requires one academic year to complete.
The Graduate Degree Program 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.
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.
The Maritime Operational Planners Course (MOPC) is part of a series of Professional Military Education courses. MOPC 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 (MSOC) is part of a series of Professional Military Education courses. MSOC provides 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.
The Naval Command and Staff online program educates students on the fundamentals of U.S. national security policy, military strategy, and the relationship between them. The program is organized into five educational blocks and all blocks must be completed to earn Joint Professional Military Education Phase I credit.
U.S. Naval War College (NWC) Monterey is a satellite office of NWC, College of Distance Education located on campus at the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) in Monterey, California. In partnership with NPS, we provide qualified officers and select DoD civilians attending NPS the opportunity to earn an NWC diploma and Joint Professional Military Education Phase I credit.
The Executive Level Operational Level of Warfare Course (ELOC) is part of a series of 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.
The Joint Force Maritime Component Commander Course is part of a series of 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.
Professor Sappenfield joined the Naval War College faculty in July 2014. Commissioned in the United States Marine Corps in 1989 and he was designated a Field Artillery Officer. During his Marine Corps career he served in a variety of positions in the United States and overseas and held a range of planning and leadership billets. He has extensive planning experience at the combatant command, component, and Joint Task Force levels. Retiring in 2009, he served as a Deliberate Planning Specialist and Joint Operational Planner at HQ Marine Corps Forces Pacific. He was formally an adjunct professor for the Naval War College, College of Distance Education, where he taught Joint Maritime Operations
U.S. Naval War College’s Newport Arctic Scholars Initiative held a three-day seminar Jan. 22-24 to kick off its second round of work on Arctic security issues.
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. 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).
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.
Maj. Gen. Glen D. VanHerck is the vice director of the Joint Staff, the Pentagon, Arlington, Virginia. He assists the director of the Joint Staff and provides oversight to Joint Staff support activities, including administrative and action management, budget, support services and security. He is a graduate of the University of Missouri and was commissioned through the ROTC program. He has a diverse background that includes operational and training assignments in the F-15C, F-35A, B-2A and B-1B. He has served as an instructor pilot and flight examiner in the F-15C, B-2A and T-6A. Additionally, he served as a U.S. Air Force Weapons School instructor in the F-15C and B-2A. Maj. Gen. VanHerck has commanded at the squadron, group and wing command levels. His staff assignments include tours at Air Combat Command, Air Force Global Strike Command and U.S. Strategic Command. Prior to assuming his current position, he commanded the Air Force Warfare Center, Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada.
Brig. Gen. Jeff Hurlbert is the deputy inspector general of the Air Force, Office of the Secretary of the Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Virginia. The inspector general reports to the Secretary and Chief of Staff of the Air Force on the readiness, efficiency and military discipline of all components of the Air Force: active duty, Air Force Reserve, and Air National Guard. The inspector general provides inspection policy and oversees the inspection and evaluation system for all Air Force nuclear and conventional forces; oversees counterintelligence operations; investigates fraud, waste and abuse; oversees criminal investigations; and provides oversight of the complaint’s resolution programs. The inspector general is also responsible for two field operating agencies, the Air Force Inspection Agency and the Air Force Office of Special Investigations.
Rear Adm. Edward Cashman is a native of Brockton, Massachusetts. He is a 1987 graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he received a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering. He was commissioned through Navy Officer Candidate School in 1988 and holds a Master of Science in Nuclear Engineering from the University of Maryland and a Master of Arts in National Security Studies from the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island. At sea, Cashman commanded USS Mustin (DDG-89) operating as part of the forward deployed Naval Force from Yokosuka, Japan. He also commanded Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 50, forward deployed in Manama, Bahrain. Previous assignments at sea include main propulsion assistant, USS Arkansas (CG-41); operations officer, USS Merrill (DD-976); main propulsion assistant, USS John C. Stennis (CVN-74); executive officer, USS Valley Forge (CG-50) and surface operations officer, Carrier Strike Group (CCSG) 3.