The members of the U.S. Naval Institute are in the process of voting on an amendment to modify the mission of the organization and to elect the members of the Board of Directors and Editorial Board. The proposed new mission states: "Its objectives shall be to provide an independent forum for those who dare to read, think, speak, and write in order to advance professional, literary, and scientific understanding of sea power and other issues critical to national defense."
This new mission emphasizes the importance of individuals who participate in the Naval Institute's open forum, where ideas are raised, examined, and debated—and often embraced—to make things better. The people willing to write for publication and to speak at seminars make a difference in this country and are why the Naval Institute exists. The new mission also recognizes that today's national defense and security issues cross individual service lines. Still, the Naval Institute is committed to serve the sea services.
To encourage busy people to write, we sponsor a series of essay contests with the help of many fine organizations and companies. In this issue are the winners of the Enlisted Essay Contest, made possible through a grant from Booz • Allen • Hamilton, and the Naval Intelligence Essay Contest cosponsored with the Naval Intelligence Foundation and Naval Intelligence Professionals. In addition to publishing their essays in Proceedings, we attempt to honor the winning authors at Naval Institute seminars. The winning authors in this issue will be recognized at our Western Exposition and Symposium in San Diego on 3 February.
As a part of a new initiative to stimulate more and better writing on technology and innovation issues, Battelle and the Naval Institute have teamed to create an annual prize—worth $5,000—to recognize the best technology and innovation article published in Proceedings each year. The winner of the first Battelle-Naval Institute Technology and Innovation Prize is Navy Lieutenant Commander David Adams for his February 2003 article "Naval Rail Guns Are Revolutionary." Commander Adams also will receive his prize at West, where he will be participating on a panel addressing the importance of experimentation that brings new systems to operators faster.
We encourage you to write for publication and to attend our seminars and symposia. Please mark your calendars for these upcoming events:
- 31 March–1 April, Annapolis—History Seminar, "Transformation of the U.S. Navy at the Dawn of the 20th Century," cosponsored by six sea service organizations.
- 6–7 May, New Orleans—First Gulf Coast Military Expo, cosponsored by the Marine Corps Association and the U.S. Naval Institute.
- 7 September, Crystal City—Forum 2004, cosponsored by the Marine Corps Association and the U.S. Naval Institute.
The bottom line is that the Naval Institute provides individuals with opportunities to make contributions that can make a difference.