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THE CUTTING EDGE

BRIEF HISTORY OF THE NAVAL WAR COLLEGE

"On October 6, 1884, the Secretary of the Navy, William E. Chandler, issued General Order No. 325 establishing a 'College for an advanced course of professional study for naval officers, to be known as the Naval War College'.  Founded in Newport, Rhode Island, the Naval War College is the oldest war college in the nation. Commodore Stephen B. Luce was the first president of the College, and his faculty included a naval professor and an army officer.  Today, this joint faculty has grown to include officers of all armed services as well as representatives of appropriate fields in the social and physical sciences.  The second president of the War College, a former member of the faculty, was the great naval historian, Captain Alfred Thayer Mahan.  His lectures and writing on seapower contributed much to the development of the curriculum and brought prestige to the College.

The War College numbers among its graduates such distinguished naval officers as Admirals Sims, Spruance, King, Nimitz and Halsey, as well as many international naval officers who have held or are presently holding prominent positions in their respective countries.

The mission of the Naval War College is to enhance the professional capabilities of its students to make sound decisions in the highest command and management positions and to conduct research leading to the development of naval forces.

From its initial single course of instruction, the Naval War College has evolved into four resident colleges with more than 500 students graduating annually.  The student body consists of U.S. military officers from all branches of the armed forces, career civilians from a variety of government agencies, and international naval officers.  The College of Naval Warfare (CNW) is the senior U.S. School, and its counterpart for senior international officers is the Naval Command College (NCC).

The College of Naval Command and Staff (CNC&S) is for middle grade U.S. officer and career civilians.  Each of these colleges offers a course of study which is ten months long.  The Naval Staff College (NSC) provides a five month course of study for mid-career international officers.  Qualified graduates from CNW and CNC&S receive a Master of Arts degree in National Security and Strategic Studies.

The curriculum is divided into trimesters:  Strategy, the study of fundamental military strategy with emphasis on maritime applications, foreign policy, and their interrelationships; National Security Decision Making, the study of the allocation of limited national resources to defense programs consistent with national goals; and Operations , a study of the application of military forces to the national and maritime strategies in joint and combined operations.

Also, part of the curriculum, the Electives Program , a component of the regular academic program offers approximately 65 separate professional courses which compliment the core curriculum.  Courses include subjects ranging from military theory, operations tactics and logistics to area studies and international relations, management, philosophy and law.  About 30 of these courses are offered each trimester in 10 weekly sessions, meeting twice a week.

The objective of the Electives Program is to provide students with a variety of professionally relevant subjects in addition to those in the prescribed curriculum.  The Program also utilizes the talent of the faculty and staff by offering them the opportunity to teach independent courses in their fields of specialization, thereby diversifying and enriching the entire curriculum.

In addition to the four resident collages, the Naval War College extends its academic program off-campus through the College of Continuing Education in a series of correspondence courses and an Off-Campus Seminar Program.  Three 12-day Reserve Officer courses in National Security Decision Making, Strategy, and operations are also offered annually for candidates selected by the Chief of Naval Reserve.

Created by the Chief of Naval Operations under the President of the Naval War College, the Center for Naval Warfare Studies (CNWS) serves as a focal point, stimulus, and major source of naval strategic and campaign thought; links strategic concerns with technological developments; and integrates strategic, campaign, and tactical warfighting concepts, and tests and evaluates these concepts through gaming methodologies.  Over the past decade, the CNWS has contributed to the maritime component of the national maritime strategy and has been at the forefront of efforts to assess the nature of the changing national security environment.  Studies, games, conferences, and participation in national or international policy forums by members of CNWS have explored the whole range of political-military issues ranging from the national security strategy, interservice and interagency coordinated actions, multinational cooperation, oceans law and policy, and naval policies and strategies.  The departments of CNWS provide both for War College student and staff research and gaming and for policy and strategy analysis for the unified and service commands and agencies of the U.S. Government.

Some of the most significant changes at the Naval War College in decades came last year when the College was reorganized and the Navy established the Navy Warfare Development Command (NWDC) as a part of the Naval War College.

The NWDC's mission is to partner with the fleet in developing new doctrine based on lessons learned.  To support this missions, the NWDC is comprised of three departments.  The first, the Concept Development Division, is responsible for gathering ideas and concepts from a variety of sources.  Second, the Maritime Battle Center, acts as the catalyst for the co-evolution of concepts, doctrine, organization, and technology; and finally, the Doctrine Division coordinates doctrine developments with the operational fleet.

The 'New Naval War College' will help ensure our Navy's ability to maintain freedom of the seas and to provide forward deployed combat power into the next century."

CURRENT STRATEGY FORUM

BACKGROUND

"The Current Strategy Forum has its origins in the Round Table Discussions first held at the Naval War College in May, 1949.  Their purpose was to bring together a small number of prominent civilian and military guests to discuss future U.S. strategy with senior officers attending the Naval War College.  In 1951, Vice Admiral Richard L. Conolly, President of the Naval War College, gained Secretary of the Navy sponsorship of this annual event under the title Global Strategy Discussions.  The program was expanded to include a broader cross-section of America's civilian leadership and to encourage a free and open exchange of views on major national and international issues. In 1973, the title was changed to Current Strategy Forum and the program focus narrowed to examination of one issue of strategic national importance each year.  The Current Strategy Forum has thus evolved, despite shifts in title and scope, in consonance with the original objective of providing a forum for the open exchange of viewpoints on important national issues."

PRGRAM FORMAT

"Each Forum focuses on one issue of strategic national importance.  This year the theme is 'Discerning the Future: Implications of Global Change for Military Force'.  Various facets of the theme will be examined in a series of addresses by distinguished speakers, and each address will be followed by a question and answer period.  All plenary sessions will convene in Spurance Auditorium.  Alternating with the addresses will be informal classroom seminars; each chaired by a faculty moderator, in which guests and students will discuss case studies on topics of current strategic concern.  Seminar discussions add an interesting dimension to the Forum and allow all participants to enjoy a greater perspective of the theme."

CUTTING EDGE COMMENT

As you will realize when you read the Verbatim Transcripts of the addresses, our American Naval War College and the entire military organization, is committed to the globalization of all military power and authority, to be placed at the disposal of the United Nations first, and Antichrist second.  Truly, the End of the Age is upon us.

Are you spiritually ready? Is your family? Are you adequately protecting your loved ones? This is the reason for this ministry, to enable you to first understand the peril facing you, and then help you develop strategies to warn and protect your loved ones. Once you have been thoroughly trained, you can also use your knowledge as a means to open the door of discussion with an unsaved person. I have been able to use it many times, and have seen people come to Jesus Christ as a result. These perilous times are also a time when we can reach many souls for Jesus Christ, making an eternal difference.