At the end of May, the U.S. Naval Academy graduated the latest group of ensigns and second lieutenants now bound for the fleet. Now headed out into the wider world, these young women and men have spent 47 months being readied for what they might face. But as Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin reminded the graduates, “Long after you leave the Yard, you’ll steer by the values that you learned on the Yard.” He then asked them to “commit yourselves today to lifelong learning.” Today, U.S. Naval Academy mission is as much focused on the future of these young men and women as it is on their present courses and evolutions. This is important, as the professional purpose of the commissioning source is designed for far longer than the first few years of junior officer experience.
In the spring of 2024, the U.S. Military Academy at West Point announced a change to its mission statement, replacing the classic phrase “duty, honor, country” with a commitment to “the Army Core Values.” ("Duty, Honor, Country" remain the motto of the Military Academy, but the words were taken out of the mission statement.) While West Point has adjusted its mission statement numerous times in the past 60 years, the Naval Academy’s mission has largely remained consistent since 1960. But press reports about the changes on the Hudson offer those on the Severn, both within the walls at the Naval Academy and in the alumni community, the opportunity to reflect on what the Naval Academy does for the nation.
Some History of the Mission
The first formal mission of the Naval Academy was adopted in 1923. In the aftermath of World War I, Annapolis went through an era of reform. Academic rigor was emphasized and faculty hiring began to include professors who held doctorates in their fields. The first classes in leadership and leadership theory were added, with a focus on the relatively new field of psychology, in addition to the experience-based leadership lessons of Bancroft Hall. The new approach had the Academy equally valuing education alongside the more commonly understood training requirements. The new mission statement started with the clear goal to, “Mold the material received into educated gentlemen, thoroughly indoctrinated with honor, uprightness, and truth.”
This era of reform developed midshipmen to a higher level than the “trade school” approach that dominated the Academy’s early decades in the 19th century. The changes led to the formal accreditation of the Academy, which led to authority to confer bachelor’s degrees with the class of 1933—the generation of officers that made up the bulk of the leaders in World War II.
The mission presented in the 1920s lasted for nearly 40 years.1 But as the Cold War began, Annapolis entered another era of reform and change. The formal position of Academic Dean was created for an experienced civilian academic to lead the educational enterprise, a peer of the Commandant of Midshipmen who ran the training efforts. Faculty took on a larger role in the governance of the curriculum, and a focus on science and engineering began to rise in the makeup of the courses. In this new era of improvement, Captain Lloyd Abbot was tasked with taking a new look at the official Naval Academy mission.
Abbot’s mandate, as he saw it, was to continue the “search to describe the proper balance of effort” in the development of midshipmen. Minor changes had been made to the 1923 mission during the intervening years, changes which to Abbot’s mind had made adjustments but “without altering the meat of it.” The 1923 mission was focused on the immediate results of the Naval Academy program, the “finished” naval officer that would make a good junior officer in the fleet. The new mission, as introduced by Abbot, looked toward that “balance” between the different elements of a fully developed officer and cast an eye toward something that would last much longer than just the junior officer years.
The new mission, formally adopted by Secretary of the Navy William Franke in 1960, started with similar sentiments as the earlier vision, but then expanded. Today, it remains almost unchanged and reads:
To develop midshipmen morally, mentally, and physically and to imbue them with the highest ideals of duty, honor, and loyalty in order to graduate leaders who are dedicated to a career of Naval Service and have potential for future development in mind and character to assume the highest responsibilities of command, citizenship and government.2
More than Creating Junior Officers
There are three sections to today’s mission. The first is the clear call to develop the midshipmen morally, mentally, and physically. The second, a recognition of the ideals of duty, honor, and loyalty that are the baseline of a career of naval service. The third is a projection into the midshipman’s future well beyond the five years of service commitment required on graduation.
Today, it is easy to focus on the first. The commandant and his staff are responsible for the moral development and leadership training of the future officers. The academic dean and provost is responsible for the mental development and education of the future officers. The Athletic Association, in combination with the provost’s physical education department, are responsible for the physical element of the mission. Day to day, these are the main lines of effort on the Yard. “Morally, mentally, and physically” tends to encompass the “what” and the “how” of the staff and faculty efforts to prepare midshipmen for commissioning.
The next section of the mission includes the second of the three “tridents.” The first is the moral, mental, and physical mission, but this second trident summarizes the key virtues that offer the foundation of what the naval services and nation expect from our officers. Young women and men who have internalized the highest ideals of duty, honor, and loyalty will have the compass needed to navigate the challenges they face both at home and abroad during their service. The first two tridents focus on what the midshipmen are learning, but the second half of the mission focuses on why they learn these things.
It is this second half that offers the bigger picture of the mission. The Academy aims to create officers who “have potential for future development in mind and character.” The Naval Academy is not solely about producing fleet-ready junior officers; it aims to create curious officers with a dedication to lifelong learning. This distinction often falls by the wayside when discussing Annapolis. Graduation day is not the end of the voyage, it is just the beginning.
Ultimately, the “how” of the mental, moral, and physical combined with the ideals of duty, honor, and loyalty, leads to the final trident of the mission. Four years by the bay create graduates who will continue to develop themselves and who will be ready to assume the highest responsibilities of command, citizenship, and government. It is imperative to point out that only one of these roles, command, is something that necessarily happens in uniform. A Naval Academy education produces not only officers who will continue to grow into their responsibilities, but young men and women who will become leading citizens during and after their uniformed service.
The Big Picture in Annapolis
The Naval Academy mission has remained relatively constant for more than half a century. It explains the grand ideals of what midshipmen are taught and how they are developed. But it also offers important guidance on why an Annapolis education is built on a liberal arts foundation. In addition to the moral, mental, and physical development of midshipmen, and instilling the virtues of duty, honor, and loyalty, there is a much more important goal than the simple preparation of future officers for their duties as ensigns or second lieutenants. The distinguished graduates honored by the Naval Academy Alumni Association demonstrate the wide range of what it can mean to assume the highest responsibilities of command, citizenship and government.
Sailing further into the 21st century, the naval services and the nation face new challenges and multiple competitors. The rise of artificial intelligence and machine learning, expansion of the cyber domain, and all the technical challenges of the 21st century are joined by the cultural and political challenges of growing illiberalism and authoritarianism globally, a new era of great power competition, and the human complexity of economic and diplomatic challenges. The United States needs officers who can balance the technological and the human, who are rooted in the history of the nation and the human experience around the world and can understand complex technological problems. This takes women and men who have learned how to learn, and who can adapt as they grow through their time in service, in uniform as well as in the civilian world. The Naval Academy’s educational character will adjust with the times, but its nature must remain rooted in the balance and wisdom of an unwavering mission.
1. There were some changes during the World War II years to simplify the statement as superintendents looked to put their stamp on the Academy, but it often returned to the 1923 model. See, “A Summary of the Missions of the Naval Academy,” U.S. Naval Academy Special Collections & Archives, Nimitz Library (Annapolis).
2. The only change was made in 2009. The phrasing “to provide graduates who are dedicated” was replaced with “to graduate leaders who are dedicated,” to emphasize the leadership role of officers.
