President’s Forum

On a recent flight from the west coast I was seated next to an articulate young business executive, who asked me, “Why does the Navy have a war college?” As a businessman, he was wondering about the “return on investment” that the American taxpayers get for the portion of the Navy’s budget that we consume each year. It was a fair question, and I think the answer I gave to this impromptu question is worth sharing with you

President\u27s Forum

The Naval War College has two main missions: to educate future leaders and to help define the future Navy. These are, remarkably, the basic mis- sions for which the College was established over a century ago. The times have certainly changed, the technology of maritime warfare has improved, and the geopolitical landscape would hardly be recognizable to our founder, Stephen B. Luce. But the mission has remained constant—to be a force for change and to serve as the intellectual center of the Navy