U.S. Naval War College’s Maritime Advanced Warfighting School Graduates 37

U.S. Naval War College's (NWC) Maritime Advanced Warfighting School (MAWS) graduated 37 during a ceremony held at the college in Newport, Rhode Island, on Sept. 5, 2025.

The purpose of the course is to teach naval and joint operational planning and leadership skills to selected active-duty officers for follow-on assignment to numbered fleet, service component or joint force operational staffs. MAWS is a peer school of the Army School of Advanced Military Studies, the Marine Corps School of Advanced Warfighting, and the Air Force School of Advanced Air and Space Studies.

"Our advanced warfighting school prepares our next generation of high-performing warfighters across all service branches to understand the full battlespace at the strategic and operational levels, then return to the front lines as leaders, to execute their missions with great speed, skill and efficiency at the tactical level,” said Rear Adm. Darryl Walker, president of the NWC. “The U.S. Naval War College continues to make our armed forces stronger and more lethal every day."

MAWS students complete an integrated syllabus including core courses, Theater Security Decision Making, Strategy and Warfare, and an enhanced Joint Maritime Operations course; they also receive additional courses tailored to operational art theory, operational planning process, and major operations/campaigns; and a three-month capstone planning project in direct support of Navy and joint operational commanders. MAWS graduates are awarded with a Master of Arts degree in Defense and Strategic Studies, a NWC diploma, Joint Professional Military Education Phase I certification, and designation as joint operational planners.

As a Chief of Naval Operations-directed, 13-month, advanced warfighting curriculum, MAWS started in NWC in 1998.

Established in 1884, NWC informs today’s decision-makers and educates tomorrow’s leaders by providing educational experiences and learning opportunities that develop their ability to anticipate and prepare strategically for the future, strengthen the foundations of peace, and create a decisive warfighting advantage.