NEWPORT, R.I. - The U.S. Naval War College’s (NWC) College of Distance Education (CDE) hosted their Naval Command and Staff online program graduation in a virtual ceremony honoring 222 graduates on April 8.
The class gathered virtually to hear remarks from Rear Adm. Shoshana Chatfield, U.S. Naval War College president.
“I want to take this time to recognize the incredible amount of extra effort that you put forth to earn this diploma and certification. The investment that you chose to make in your own education and development to succeed in your profession is admirable,” said Chatfield.
Chatfield went to on to discuss the changing environment and why their education is important.
“The reality of an ever-changing world, our senior leaders view learning and education as a key strategic enabler to the success of our national defense and interagency team. Your personal investment in your education is a direct contribution to our U.S. Navy warfighting advantage, said Chatfield. “Always press to the edges and seek opportunities to collide your intellect with others whose specialties and viewpoints differ from your own. That is where you will develop innovative ideas – the key to our future success. Take with you what you learned here – how to think through a different lens – to view the challenges you will inevitably face in the future.”
The keynote address was delivered by retired Rear Adm. Louis Tripoli.
“Who could have predicted that this format of distance education, once considered a lesser cousin to the real thing, will become the predominant paradigm of the American higher educational system?” asked Tripoli. “Having a plan and one that has been exercised turned out to be a significant advantage when the pandemic hit. The Naval War College was well ahead of its time.”
Tripoli talked about why planning and the online program was important to the military.
“When the entire team understands the military planning process and everyone’s role in it, then that team works efficiently and effectively. Plans give us a basis for reacting to events, even unpredictable ones, and a system for managing the unexpected," said Tripoli. “The education that I received here in the military planning process played an important role in my management of the pandemic while serving as command surgeon for U.S. Indo-Pacific Command.”
The graduates for this ceremony included officers from the Navy, Marine Corps Army, Air Force, Coast Guard and Merchant Marines.
The Naval Command and Staff online program is designed to engage students in the challenging complexities of the national security and theater security environments to facilitate critical thinking. Students understand the fundamentals of U.S. national security policy, military strategy and the relationship between them. The program is organized into five educational blocks, and graduates receive a Joint Professional Military Education (JPME) Phase I credit.
There have been 873 graduates from The Naval Command & Staff College.
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: https://www.youtube.com/user/usnavalwarcollege.