In His Own Words: Ali Wambold
I first became involved with the Naval Institute through a former Institute Board member and business associate who knew of my father’s career as an Air Force officer and my interest in security. He persuaded me that the Institute is relevant beyond the Navy, both to the other services and to civilians. If the Naval Institute does not have specific application to my career, per se, it is an important shared interest among like-minded business people. American commerce would be vulnerable without the protection of the U.S. military, and the Institute certainly contributes to the Navy’s credibility and effectiveness.
The Naval Institute does a terrific job of communicating useful, timely information on matters vital to national security. Its position outside the formal military structure gives it an independence that is reassuring to a civilian reader who could be concerned that the Navy is merely “talking its book.”
Until I started paying attention to the Naval Institute’s work, I really had not appreciated just how vital the Navy is to U.S. national—but also economic—security. Nor did I understand how superior the U.S. Navy’s capabilities are to other countries’ or how it essentially guards the whole world’s security and economic well-being by maintaining freedom of the seas. No other nation today could be trusted to fulfill this mission with the capability and integrity of the United States and its Navy.
In February 2014 I was given the opportunity to participate in a brief embark on board the carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70). During my visit, I was greatly impressed by the professionalism of our naval personnel, both officers and enlisted.
True professionalism requires a perspective, around the context in which one is working, that is broader than the day-to-day tasks. The Naval Institute provides that perspective for both military personnel and civilians as a concise, pertinent, knowledgeable, and objective source on vital topics. Civilians vote on matters that determine the position of our military, and there is always a conflict between resources needed for national security and other priorities. All citizens need to be properly informed in deciding how they stand on such matters, and the Institute can make a big difference in educating the civilian electorate.
I do not think of supporting the Naval Institute as “philanthropy,” because I consider the Institute’s work to be a public good benefiting all—as opposed to helping “the unfortunate,” which is more how I think of the term. That said, my wife and I also give to cultural institutions for similar reasons, including the argument that they are valuable, and somebody has to support them or they would not exist.
Advancing the Next Generation of Naval Leaders
The following is an update on sponsored Naval Institute membership for Sea Service midshipmen, cadets, and students since program inception:
• NROTC Units: 40 of 58 sponsored
• U.S. Naval Academy companies: 22 of 30 sponsored
• U.S. Coast Guard Academy companies: 8 of 8 sponsored
• Naval War College: Naval Command College
• The Basic School: 2 of 9 companies sponsored
• Naval Academy Prep School
• Navy Senior Enlisted Academy
• Marine Senior Enlisted Course
• Coast Guard Senior Enlisted Leader Course
• Marine Corps Command and Staff College
• Marine Corps Expeditionary Warfare School
• Submarine Officers Advanced Course
• Surface Warfare Officer Department
• Head School
For more information, or to sponsor midshipmen at your alma mater, please visit www.usni.org/donate-student-memberships, or contact Heather Lancaster at 410-295-1048 or at [email protected].