180404-N- FC129-438 NEWPORT, R.I. (April 4, 2018) Rear Adm. Jeffrey A. Harley, president, U.S. Naval War College (NWC), poses for a group photo with students from Yale University on a visit to NWC. (U.S. Navy photo by Edwin L. Wriston/Released)
NEWPORT, R.I. – A dozen students from Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut visited U.S. Naval War College (NWC), April 4, at the invitation of Rear Adm. Jeffrey A. Harley, NWC’s president.
During their visit, the students met with NWC faculty and staff and toured the campus.
“The purpose of this visit was to engage with staff and faculty for global maritime strategy briefs with current and future leaders in both a military and Ivy League context,” said Harley. “It was an important opportunity to bring leaders together in this type of setting to continue the dialogue of maritime strategy across institutions of higher education with an international perspective.”
In previous years, Harley has been a guest lecturer at Yale at the request of Michael Fotos, a lecturer in political science, ethics, politics and economics at Yale and a visiting assistant professor in the graduate public policy program at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut. Harley’s lecture consisted of briefs on maritime strategy.
During their visit, the students received briefs from Robert S. Winneg, deputy dean of international programs; Margaret M. Polski and Richard A. LaBranche, associate professor and chair of wargaming; and David Kohnen, associate professor of maritime history within the John B. Hattendorf Center for Maritime Historical Research.
“I provided a brief on the International Programs Department’s mission and history here at the college,” said Winneg. “I discussed the relationship between naval leaders of other nations while studying here in Newport.
“It’s extremely important to expose future leaders and all citizens to all the important work that goes on here at the college. Our mission (in international programs) is about building peace through relationships and partnerships, and they all seemed to be genuinely interested in that.”
Following their international programs brief, the students received a wargaming brief from Polski and LaBranche and then toured the Naval War College Museum with Kohnen.
“The event exposed many of the students to senior military leadership for the very first time,” said Harley. “The response from the visiting students was positive and gave me promise for the future in an ever-changing, dynamic strategic environment.”