The U.S. Naval Institute Annual Meeting was held on 11 April at the Phoenix Park Hotel in Washington, D.C., with a fine turnout of Members. The meeting was very positive and well-attended. We discussed the state of the Institute, recognized our award-winning authors, and heard a terrific presentation from Ms. Sandra Grimes. We wrapped up with a wonderful Member reception at the Smithsonian National Postal Museum. The year 2012 was one of investment, and the Naval Institute made strong progress on improved content, website redesign, the rollout of USNI News, development of smartphone and tablet apps, an increase in membership, and an improved Member experience overall.
The key area under our control that we need to improve in 2013 is fundraising. We have put better structure, outreach, and case statements in place to set conditions for more successful Foundation results this year. We are a non-profit institution that depends on Foundation support to execute important parts of our mission that don’t necessarily generate revenue. We need to broaden our donation base, and I ask every Member to consider the Naval Institute for some level of giving in 2013. Help us to continue making progress!
New Chair of the Board
At the Annual Meeting, we proudly announced Admiral James G. Stavridis, U.S. Navy, has accepted the Naval Institute Board of Directors’ appointment as Chair of the Board. Admiral Stavridis anticipates departing his current duties this summer as Commander, European Command, and as NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander, posts he has held since early summer 2009.
Admiral Stavridis is a 1976 distinguished graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, a U.S. Naval Institute Life Member, and renowned author or editor of four Naval Institute Press books. He and his wife Laura Hall Stavridis are prize-winning Naval Institute Press Coauthors of the Year. He is also a previous winner of the Proceedings Author of the Year award. Upon learning of his selection by the Board, Admiral Stavridis said, “I am passionate about the Naval Institute, which has been the intellectual heart of our naval profession for well over a century—Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, and Merchant Marine. I look forward to taking on this responsibility after retirement from the Navy.”
Election Results
The following candidates were elected to the Board of Directors:
• Rear Admiral Daniel R. Bowler, U.S. Navy (Retired)
• Vice Admiral Nancy E. Brown, U.S. Navy (Retired)
• Vice Admiral Dirk J. Debbink, U.S. Navy Reserve (Retired)
• Lieutenant General Wallace “Chip” Gregson, U.S. Marine Corps (Retired)
• Captain Karl Hasslinger, U.S. Navy (Retired)
• Dr. J. P. “Jack” London, Captain, U.S. Navy Reserve (Retired)
• Captain David M. McFarland, U.S. Navy
• Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard (Retired) Vince Patton
• Captain Gordan E. Van Hook, U.S. Navy (Retired)
The following candidates were elected to the Editorial Board:
• Lieutenant Commander Benjamin Armstrong, U.S. Navy
• Commander Anthony J. Ceraolo, U.S. Coast Guard
• Sergeant Major Joseph M. Davenport III, U.S. Marine Corps
• Colonel Douglas G. Douds, U.S. Marine Corps
• Commander Stephen S. Erb, U.S. Navy
• Lieutenant Commander Rachael A. Gosnell, U.S. Navy
• Captain David B. Hagner, U.S. Marine Corps
• Command Master Chief Kevin D. Isherwood, U.S. Coast Guard
• Lieutenant Commander Andre Lester, U.S. Navy
Revised Constitution and By-Laws: Earlier this year, a draft revision of the Constitution and By-Laws for the Naval Institute was circulated to members with a ballot, and it garnered 97.3 percent support. The new C&BLs will strengthen the processes that guide the Institute while preserving our important purpose and mission.
With the election results now official, the Naval Institute extends its most sincere thanks to Vice Admiral Herb Browne, U.S. Navy (Retired), Mr. Ed Miller, Mr. Truck Morrison, and Vice Admiral Norm Ray, U.S. Navy (Retired), whose terms on the Board of Directors have ended. Over the past years, each has volunteered his unique expertise, experience, and insights to the work of the Board and to the benefit of the Institute. We are deeply grateful.
The Naval Institute also extends its most sincere thanks to those members of the Editorial Board whose terms have ended: Lieutenant Commander Thomas D’Arcy, U.S. Coast Guard, Lieutenant Robert McFall, U.S. Navy, and Lieutenant John Walsh, U.S. Navy. They have brought energy, knowledge, and lively debate aimed at ensuring that the Institute publishes the very best of those who dare to think, speak, and write on sea power and other issues critical to national defense. We wish them fair winds and following seas.
Award Winners
It was our great pleasure to announce and honor the U.S. Naval Institute’s award winners for 2012.
General Prize Essay
• First Prize: Captain Gerard D. Roncoloto, U.S. Navy (Retired), “America Must Be Careful Where it Pivots,” May 2012 Proceedings
• Second Prize: Lieutenant Commander Brian McGuirk, U.S. Navy, “Rekindling the Killer Instinct,” June 2012 Proceedings
• Third Prize: Lieutenant (Junior Grade) Matthew Hipple, U.S. Navy, “Cloud Combat: Thinking Machines in Future Wars,” July 2012 Proceedings
Naval History Authors of the Year
• Jonathan Parshall and J. Michael Wenger, “Pearl Harbor’s Overlooked Answer,” December 2011 Naval History
Naval Institute Press Author of the Year
• Elliot Carlson, Joe Rochefort’s War: The Odyssey of the Codebreaker Who Outwitted Yamamoto at Midway, Naval Institute Press, 2011
Annual Meeting Guest Speaker
In 2012, the Naval Institute Press published Circle of Treason: A CIA Account of Traitor Aldrich Ames and the Men He Betrayed by Sandra Grimes and Jeanne Vertefeuille. In its review of 12 December 2012, The Wall Street Journal wrote: “Circle of Treason has the advantage of being written by two intelligence professionals, not by academics or journalists, and thus is an authoritative account of the Soviet sources that were providing the U.S. with invaluable information during the Cold War until Ames betrayed them.” In her superb remarks as the Annual Meeting’s guest speaker, Sandy Grimes described the CIA tradecraft and commitment that she and her counterintelligence colleague Ms. Vertefeuille, who has since passed away, brought to their hunt for the mole inside the agency when others had given up on the case. Ms. Grimes’ presentation held the attention of the audience from start to finish!
EAST – Joint Warfighting 2013
On 14–16 May, the Naval Institute and our partner AFCEA will cohost the EAST - Joint Warfighting 2013 Conference in Virginia Beach. The subject is “Innovation in an Era of Austerity: What Capabilities Do We Need to Operate in a Non-Permissive Environment?” The best leaders and thinkers in the profession will participate in panel discussions focusing on command and control for the operators, budget challenges after the cliff, cyber security, coalition partnerships, development of the future mindset for warfighting, and acquisition.
The conference will also feature three engagement theaters focused on innovation, cyber security, small business, and acquisition with over 30 briefings. Confirmed Keynoters include: Admiral William E. Gortney, U.S. Navy, Commander, U.S. Fleet Forces Command; General John R. Allen, U.S. Marine Corps, former Commander, International Security Assistance Force–Afghanistan and former Commander, U.S Forces–Afghanistan; General Robert W. Cone, U.S. Army, Commanding General, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command; General Mieczyslaw Bieiek, Polish Army, Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Transformation, North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO); and Mr. Frank Kendall, currently serving as the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics. You may view the program and register at www.jointwarfighting.org. We hope to see you there!