There is still time for you to register for the 2015 History Conference, “Marine Corps Actions Shaping History,” scheduled for 14 October. Cohosted by the Naval Institute and the U.S. Naval Academy, with the generous sponsorship of the William M. Wood Foundation, the daylong event will be held at the Academy’s Alumni Hall and will feature an extraordinary cast of speakers, including former Commandant General Alfred M. Gray Jr., USMC (Ret.); former Commandant General James Amos, USMC (Ret.); General John Allen, USMC (Ret.), Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL; renowned World War II historian Richard B. Frank; and a sharp panel of younger active-duty and retired officers and noncommissioned officers addressing “What Do Young Marines Expect from Their Corps Today?”
To view the full schedule and register to attend, go to www.usnihistoryconference.org.
We linked the Naval History Essay Contest to the same theme we feature in our history conference: “Marine Corps Actions Shaping History.” These winners will be recognized at the conference on 14 October. The 2015 essay winners are:
• “A Most Timely Little Skirmish: The Battle of Alcatraz”by Lieutenant Colonel George S. Converse, USMC (Ret.)$5,000Note: This essay will be published in the November-December issue of Naval History.
• “Semper Sealift: The U.S. Marine Corps, Merchant Marine, and Maritime Prepositioning”by Salvatore R. Mercogliano$2,500
• “Japanese Success at Okinawa, 1945”by Lieutenant Commander Richard Lee, CHC, USN$1,000
As with the history conference itself, the Naval History Essay Contest is sponsored through the generosity of the William M. Wood Foundation.
We are proud to announce the launch of the Emerging & Disruptive Technology Essay Contest: What Are the Game Changers?, a new Naval Institute essay contest made possible by a grant from Leidos. While this is a hot topic in defense circles, the phrase “emerging and disruptive technologies” means different things to different people.
Program managers are concerned about disruptive impacts on their ability to meet cost, schedule, and performance requirements. Resource sponsors want affordable solutions. Operators want capability, capacity, and availability, and they need to be ready to fight today.
Everyone recognizes the need to keep up with rapidly changing technologies that are driven by the market rather than solely by DOD requirements. Against this backdrop, and most important, new technologies must be integrated into our force structure in a way that maintains continuity in our warfighting edge for the Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard.
The deadline for submissions is 29 February 2016. For more details, see the ad on page 5.
And don’t forget the Naval Mine Warfare Essay Contest. The deadline for this is 31 October. See page 13 for details.
A small group of Navy and Marine Corps officers started the Naval Institute 142 years ago in large part because they were frustrated that the Sea Services were not innovating when the poor state of the Navy and Marine Corps demanded action.
In the spirit of this tradition, the Naval Institute continues to invest in innovation by publishing new ideas by free-thinking naval professionals and others interested in advancing the naval profession.
In addition to the Innovation & Risk: Striking the Right Balance Essay Contest, sponsored by Engility and currently being judged, and the announcement of the Emerging & Disruptive Technologies Essay Contest, the Naval Institute has supported initiatives of the Defense Entrepreneurs Forum. This group of highly motivated free thinkers endeavors to give voice to those who rarely have a chance to speak publicly.
In 2014, as a part of Defense Entrepreneurs Forum’s second annual conference, the Naval Institute sponsored the group’s first Innovation Competition. The winners describe their projects in “Ripples in a ‘Latent Talent Pool,’” on pages 66–71.
Next month, on 6–8 November in Chicago, the Naval Institute again will sponsor the Defense Entrepreneurs Forum Innovation Competition. In addition, I have been invited to participate in the formal program where these forward thinkers will help the Naval Institute identify new ways to serve as a catalyst for innovation.
Life Member and Member since 1978