NWC College of Distance Education Celebrates Naval Command and Staff Online Program Graduation
NEWPORT, R.I. - The U.S. Naval War College’s (NWC) College of Distance Education (CDE) celebrated their Naval Command and Staff online program graduation Dec. 16 in a virtual ceremony honoring 284 students.
The graduates, who are military officers in the U.S. Navy, Coast Guard, and Marine Corps, received the Naval Command and Staff diploma, including the Joint Professional Military Education (JPME) Phase I credit.
The class gathered virtually to hear remarks from Rear Adm. Shoshana Chatfield, president, U.S. Naval War College.
“I want to take this time to recognize the extra effort and sacrifices that you put into earning your joint professional military education. You’ve each dedicated countless hours in the evenings and on weekends to classes, research, reading and writing,” said Chatfield. “The investment that you have made in your own education and in your own development, in order to succeed in your profession, is admirable. You’ve sacrificed a great deal in your personal lives to take advantage of an opportunity to improve yourselves and to improve each of your organizations. And for that, I commend you.”
Later, Chatfield challenged the graduates.
“Take with you what you learned here and the different viewpoints and lenses that you encountered through this program to appraise and solve the challenges you will face in your operational assignments,” she said. “You are duty bound to take your strength and intellect, your improved analytical skills and your expanded perspectives to your next assignment and lead your organizations into the future.”
The Naval Command and Staff online program spans the operational and strategic levels of war. It is designed to engage students in the challenging complexities of the national security environment to facilitate critical thinking. Students learn and understand the fundamentals of U.S. national security policy, military strategy and the relationship between them.
Established in 1884, the U.S. Naval War College is the oldest institution of its kind in the world. More than 75,000 students have graduated since the first class of nine students in 1885.
You can watch the graduation on NWC’s YouTube channel here: NWC's College of Distance Education Graduation Ceremony