NWC symposium focuses on maritime strategy, implementation

NEWPORT, RI, UNITED STATES

03.24.2016

Courtesy Story

U.S. Naval War College

By Daniel L. Kuester
U.S. Naval War College Public Affairs

NEWPORT, R.I. – U.S. Naval War College (NWC) hosted maritime security experts from academia, defense and policy fields March 24-26, to focus global military attention on maritime strategy, concepts needed to implement strategy, and international reactions to strategy during the annual EMC Chair Symposium.

This 11th symposium, titled "Maritime Strategy," was hosted by Derek Reveron, EMC informationist chair and professor of national security affairs, and focused on the document "A Cooperative Strategy for 21st Century Seapower" released last year by then Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jonathan Greenert, former Marine Corps Commandant Joseph Dunford Jr., and current Coast Guard Commandant Paul Zukunft.

The document outlines maritime priorities in support of the national interest and replaced a similar 2007 document, accounting for changes in the global security environment, new strategic guidance, and a changed fiscal environment.

"The idea behind this year’s symposium was to take a look at the strategy from many different perspectives," said Reveron. "We have international reaction to it with Australian, British, Colombian and Indian representatives engaging in the event. We have maritime historians looking at it for a deeper context. We also have people looking at it from a force development perspective. And based on the guidelines we are looking at, we are examining what sort of maritime forces does the country need.

"People who came to this conference are really the thought leaders on these topics."

Keynote speaker for the symposium was Vice Adm. Charles Michel, vice commandant of the Coast Guard, who enjoyed the wide-ranging and frank interactions with the attendees.

"This symposium allows me, as a representative of the Coast Guard, to explain where my organization is moving towards and how that supports the cooperative strategy," said Michel. "So it is very much an information-gathering event so I can talk with key decision makers."

Throughout the two-day event, panel discussion topics included "International Perspectives on Maritime Strategy," "Reflections on Maritime Strategy," "Navy Force Development," "New Perspectives on Maritime Strategy," "Maritime Warfare," and "Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief."

The wide variety of far-reaching topics was by design, said Reveron.

"I like to bring in different people to discuss different topics," he said. "Navies do much more than fight wars."

Reveron said this conference is one of the more thought-driven of all maritime conferences.

"This is one of the few annual maritime conferences in the country that brings together both practitioners from sea services and thinkers from academia and think tanks," he said. "We view the conference as a part of the college’s commitment to professional development for the Navy, so education doesn’t end when the students graduate and continues through events like this."

The diversity of attendees leads to a robust exchange of ideas, according to Michel.

"I benefit greatly from the Naval War College’s ability to bring together the best and brightest, from our military services, foreign partners and academia, who engage in the most rich discussions including the really hard questions," said Michel. "But I like that. The questions help me as refine different ideas.

"This is absolutely vital to keep the cooperative strategy a living document that we all can use to serve the nation from all our naval services. This is a very diverse group of people who approach the world from very diff viewpoints, and they add the richness to the document."

Reveron added that NWC leadership allows for the wide variety of ideas.

"Our Naval War College President Rear Adm. P. Gardner Howe III empowers all of us to bring people together to push the bounds of naval thinking," said Reveron.

Reveron hopes that discussions here will help sharpen the focus on how to address maritime issues for all attendees.

"We hope to stimulate thinking and see the ideas discussed here end up in each individual’s work," he added.

Photos from the symposium can be viewed and downloaded at http://flic.kr/s/aHsktxyeaZ.

• Date Taken: 03.24.2016
• Date Posted: 03.27.2016 16:25
• Story ID: 193615
• Location: NEWPORT, RI, US