Annual Meeting & Member Reception Were Terrific
At our Annual Meeting held on 11 May in Washington, D.C., we reported the Naval Institute’s key 2016 results:
• We increased membership for the fifth year in a row—finishing 2016 with more than 51,000 members.
• We finished in the black for the fourth year in a row.
• We are making tremendous progress on our 2016–2018 Strategic Plan.
We were honored that Acting Secretary of the Navy Sean Stackley gave the keynote remarks. He reminded us that the Naval Institute’s mission of providing an independent forum for those who dare to read, think, speak, and write remains crucial to the profession and the advancement of ideas. Current events both at home and abroad demonstrate that U.S. sea power is as critical today as it has been at any time in our history. This is an important time to have a strong Naval Institute.
The Annual Meeting provided the opportunity to recognize publicly the Honorable Gordon England for the previously announced chair named in his honor. The Gordon England Chair of Professional Naval Literature directs the professional naval books program of the Naval Institute Press. The chair furthers the organization’s strategic initiative to become the preeminent source of information for professional advancement in the naval services. The chair also oversees the revision of many of the classic professional books while developing new titles to address the evolving duties of the nation’s Sailors, Marines, and Coast Guardsmen. We are all delighted that Lieutenant Commander Tom Cutler, U.S. Navy (Retired), longtime Naval Institute Press editor and author, is the chair’s first incumbent.
We also announced the naming of the The James Stavridis Proceedings Chair. This chair will ensure we continue to identify issues important to the naval services and increase the dare factor for everything published in Proceedings. Admiral James Stavridis, U.S. Navy (Retired), our current serving Chair of the Naval Institute’s Board of Directors, truly embodies the organization’s mission, vision, and values. He dared to write for Proceedings at every commissioned rank. He has published more than 40 contributions in the magazine and authored six books published by the Naval Institute Press.
I am pleased to report that Fred Rainbow will be the first incumbent of the new Stavridis Chair. (With the April 2016 Proceedings, Fred returned as Editor-in-Chief of Proceedings.) Fred brings his intelligence, energy, and passion back to the magazine and leads a new editorial team. This past year was his 21st year as Editor-In-Chief! In 1975, Midshipman Stavridis asked a young Proceedings assistant editor for advice on the midshipman’s humor magazine The Log. That editor, Fred Rainbow, fresh from the fleet—cut a deal with Midshipman Stavridis: the editor would help the midshipman if the midshipman would help the editor make Proceedings better. Fred helped with The Log for maybe a year; more than 40 years later, Admiral Stavridis continues to make Proceedings better. It is fitting to honor Admiral Stavridis with the named Proceedings Chair and have Fred be the first person to hold the chair.
Perhaps most important, we recognized our award winners in several categories.
Press Author of the Year
Colonel William Reeder Jr., USA (Retired)
Naval History Author of the Year
Commander Alan D. Zimm, USN (Retired)
Proceedings Author of the Year
Lieutenant Colonel Frank G. Hoffman, USMCR (Retired)
General Prize Essay Contest Awards
Third Prize
Commander Benjamin “B. J.” Armstrong, USN
Second Prize
Captain Dale C. Rielage, USN
First Prize
Lieutenant (junior grade) Daniel Stefanus, USN
The Annual Meeting was followed by a wonderful reception where members and guests enjoyed one other’s company. The meeting and member reception were made possible by the generous sponsorships of USAA and Leonardo DRS.
To view any part of the Annual Meeting, go to www.usni.org/annualmeeting.
Dues Will Increase on 1 August
The Board of Directors voted on 3 November to raise dues for the first time in four years, to $65.00 a year for members receiving the hard copy of Proceedings. All other dues remain as before.
Please go to www.usni.org/membership to renew your membership for one or three years at the current rates.
Marine Corps Essay Contest Is Back
One of the key objectives of our Strategic Plan is to “advance naval professionals and their profession and develop future leaders.” I am pleased to report we are bringing back the Marine Corps Essay Contest. We are announcing it in this issue, and winners will be published in the November Proceedings. See the ad on the opposite page.
This essay contest is made possible through the support of three retired Marine officers: General Peter Pace, General John Allen, and Lieutenant General Wallace C. “Chip” Gregson. Our open, independent forum will serve an important role in fostering discussion of Marine Corps issues across all the Sea Services – and beyond.
Naval History Advisory Board Launches
We established a Naval Institute Naval History Advisory Board of distinguished historians to help us execute our Strategic Plan objective to “keep alive the lessons of naval history to benefit current and future generations.” The initiatives under this objective include: “capture more primary-source naval history and bring it to a broader audience”; “encourage and publish more naval historians”; and develop “partnerships with like-minded organizations.”
The Naval History Advisory Board met for the first time on 11 May. The members are:
• Dr. John B. Hattendorf, Ernest J. King Professor Emeritus of Maritime History, U.S. Naval War College
• James D. Hornfischer, author of many naval histories, including Neptune’s Inferno: The U.S. Navy at Guadalcanal, The Story of the USS Houston, Fleet at Flood Tide, and The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors
• Dr. Nicholas A. Lambert, visiting professor at the U.S. Naval Academy
• Dr. Scott Mobley, Class of 1957 Postdoctoral Research Fellow for History in Naval History, 2016–2017, at the U.S. Naval Academy, and author of Progressive in Navy Blue: Maritime Strategy, American Empire, and Transformation of U.S. Naval Identity, 1873–1898, to be published soon by the Naval Institute Press
• Dr. Craig Lee Symonds, retired professor and chairman of the U.S. Naval Academy’s History Department, a distinguished historian of the American Civil War and maritime history, and author of Lincoln and His Admirals, which received the Lincoln Prize
In addition, retired Navy Rear Admiral Samuel Cox, director, Naval History and Heritage Command, and Curator of the Navy, serves as a liaison to the board.
The first meeting provided thoughtful insights. The board members and members of the Institute’s senior staff exchanged information, perceptions, and suggestions/recommendations to make the Naval Institute’s service to the naval profession and members stronger.
Sponsor Memberships for Future Leaders
Five years ago, a handful of dedicated members came together to support an idea to ensure our future Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard officers are exposed to the incredible resources – intellectual, deliberative, and historical – of the Naval Institute. By introducing the rising generation to the Naval Institute and Proceedings magazine early in their naval careers and encouraging them to dare to read, think, speak, and write, the Naval Institute prepares future officers to advance as leaders of their profession. The Proceedings archive, oral histories, and professional books give these young men and women a competitive edge and introduce them to critical thinking about the profession they will put to use over many years.
As the new academic year approaches, now is the time to consider sponsoring the students in your Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps (NROTC) unit, Naval Academy company, or Coast Guard company. Contact Heather Lancaster at [email protected] for additional information.
Sign Up Now for Three-Year Membership AND Save
On 1 August, the U.S. Naval Institute will raise annual dues for regular membership to $65 per year/$166 for three years. Sign up now to extend your membership at the current rate—$148.
CNO Naval History Essay Contest Is a Winner
This contest is an incredible story. On 28 December 2016, the Naval Institute, U.S. Naval Academy, Naval War College, and Naval History and Heritage Command received an email from Vice Admiral James G. Foggo, director of the Navy Staff, exploring the possibility of launching a CNO-sponsored naval history essay contest in 2017 and linking recognition of the winners with the Naval Academy’s McMullen History Conference in September. While nine months may seem like a long time, creating an essay contest, establishing the ground rules, developing a marketing plan, and finding the funding in time to launch in February or March—to give potential authors enough time to write quality essays for a 30 June deadline—is a formidable challenge.
The goal was to have the winning essays in the two contest categories—professional historian and rising historian—published in the September-October Naval History and the September Proceedings, respectively. Obviously the plan came together and has produced wonderful results.
The CNO Naval History Contest, sponsored with support from General Dynamics, motivated 292 individuals to submit essays drawing lessons from our Naval Services’ histories that might serve us today.
The winners are:
Professional Historian Category
First Prize ($5,000): “Recapturing the Interwar Navy’s Strategic Magic,” by Lieutenant Commander Joel Holwitt, USN
Second Prize ($2,500): “High Velocity Learning at Guadalcanal,” by Trent Hone
Third Prize ($1,500): “Sea Power Goes Viral: Lessons from Interwar Era Naval Publicity,” by Ryan Wadle, Ph.D.
Rising Historian Category
First Prize ($5,000): “There Are No Benign Operations,” by Lieutenant John Miller, USN
Second Prize ($2,500): “Mobile Afloat Basing for Naval Maneuver Warfare—The Distinctly American Solution,” by Lieutenant Colonel James W. “Wes” Hammond III, USMC (Ret.)
Third Prize ($1,500): “Of Suns and Dragons: Imperial Japan’s Rise, the United States Navy, and America’s Approach to Contemporary China,” by Lieutenant (j.g.) Daniel Stefanus, USN
All judging was in the blind, with final selection made by two separate boards of distinguished judges Winners will be recognized by CNO Admiral John Richardson at the McMullen History Conference at the U.S. Naval Academy on 14 September.
Join Us for Our History Conference
The Naval Institute and U.S. Naval Academy are sponsoring our Annual History Conference on 5 October. This year the theme is “Military and Politics: Proper Participation or Perilous Partnership?” This program is made possible by a generous grant from The William M. Wood Foundation.
For more details about conference participants and registration information, see the ad on page 93 or go to https://www.usni.org/events. We hope you will join us.
Naval Institute Leader Passes
It is with heavy heart I report the passing of Captain James Alden Barber, Jr., U.S. Navy (Retired), who served as the Naval Institute’s Secretary-Treasurer/Executive Director/Publisher from 1984 to 1999.
Jim’s career comprised duty in surface combatants, academia, and the Pentagon. He commanded three ships, culminating in the cruiser USS Horne (CG-30). He later used his shipboard experiences in writing Naval Shiphandler’s Guide, published in 2005 by the Naval Institute Press.
Among the innovations introduced on his watch at the Naval Institute were the introduction of personal computers as an everyday tool for staff members; the creation of the organization’s first website; the formation of the Naval Institute Foundation; the launch of the seminar program, which has since become quite robust; the 1999 move of the headquarters from its 60-year home in Preble Hall to Beach Hall in the former naval hospital; and the establishment of Naval History magazine.
During Jim’s service to the Naval institute he helped give voice to thousands of authors in Naval Institute Press books and on the pages of Proceedings and Naval History.