The National War College (NWC) of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

is a school in the National Defense University. It is housed in Roosevelt Hall on

Fort Lesley J. McNair Fort Lesley J. McNair is a United States Army post located on the tip of Greenleaf Point, the peninsula that lies at the confluence of the Potomac River and the Anacostia River in Washington, D.C. To the peninsula's west is the Washington Channe ...

, Washington, D.C., the third-oldest Army post still active.

History

The National War College (NWC) was officially established on July 1, 1946, as an upgraded replacement for the Army-Navy Staff College, which operated from June 1943 to July 1946. The college was one of James Forrestal's favorite causes. According to

Lt. Gen. Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

Leonard T. Gerow, President of the Board that recommended its formation: Mid-level and senior military officers who are likely to be promoted to the senior ranks are selected to study at the War College to prepare for higher staff and command positions. About 75 percent of the student body is composed of equal representation from the land, air, and sea (including Marine and Coast Guard) services. The remaining 25 percent are drawn from the Department of State and other federal departments and agencies. In addition, international fellows from several countries join the student body. The curriculum is based upon critical analysis of strategic problem solving with an emphasis on strategic leadership. As of the 2014–2015 academic year, the curriculum was based upon a core standard throughout National Defense University. Because of the NWC's privileged location close to the White House, the Supreme Court, and Capitol Hill, it has been able throughout its history to call upon an extraordinarily well-connected array of speakers to animate its discussions. All lectures at the National War College are conducted under a strict "no quotation nor attribution" policy, which has facilitated discussion on some of the most challenging issues of the day.

Commandants

# Vice Admiral Harry W. Hill (June 1946–1949) # Lieutenant General Harold R. Bull (1949–1952) # Lieutenant General Harold A. Craig (1952–1955) # Vice Admiral Edmund T. Wooldridge (1955–1958) # Lieutenant General Thomas L. Harrold (1958–1961) # Lieutenant General Francis H. Griswold (1961–1964) # Vice Admiral Fitzhugh Lee III (1964–1967) # Lieutenant General

Andrew Goodpaster Andrew Jackson Goodpaster (February 12, 1915 – May 16, 2005) was an American Army General. He served as NATO's Supreme Allied Commander, Europe (SACEUR), from July 1, 1969, and Commander in Chief of the United States European Command (CI ...

(1967–1968) # Lieutenant General John E. Kelly (1968–1970) # Lieutenant General John B. McPherson (1970–1973) # Vice Admiral Marmaduke G. Bayne (1973–1975) # Major General James S. Murphy (1975–1976) # Major General

Harrison Lobdell Jr. Harrison Lobdell Jr. (March 12, 1924 – July 30, 2014) was an American Air Force major general who was commandant, National War College, National Defense University, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C. from 1976 to 1978. Biography Lobdell wa ...

(1976–1978) # Rear Admiral John C. Barrow (1978–1980) # Major General Lee E. Surut (1980–1983) # Major General Perry M. Smith (1983–1986) # Rear Admiral John F. Addams (1986–1989) # Major General Gerald P. Stadler (1989–1992) # Major General John C. Fryer Jr. (1992–1995) # Rear Admiral Michael McDevitt (1995–1997) # Rear Admiral Thomas Marfiak (1997–1999) # Rear Admiral Daniel R. Bowler (1999–2000) # Major General Reginal G. Clemmons (2000–2003) # Rear Admiral Richard D. Jaskot (2003–2006) # Major General Teresa Marné Peterson (2006–2007) # Major General Robert P. Steel (2007–2010) # Rear Admiral Douglas J. McAneny (2011-2013) # Brigadier General Guy "Tom" Cosentino (2013-2015) # Brigadier General Darren E. Hartford (2015-2017) # Brigadier General Chad T. Manske (2017-2019) # Rear Admiral Cedric E. Pringle (2019–2021) # Brigadier General Jeff H. Hurlbert (2021-present) Source for commandants up to 2010.

Alumni and influence

American graduates of the National War College include a secretary of state and a secretary of defense, national security advisors, a senator and congressman, and a White House chief of staff, in addition to chairmen of the joint chiefs of staff and numerous other current and former flag officers, general officers, and U.S. ambassadors. No other graduate institution of national security policy in the world has had more impact in the development of the United States senior cadre of national security leaders. Graduates from other countries include prime ministers from nations as diverse as Iran and Bulgaria, as well as many national military leaders from every continent on earth except Antarctica. Notable graduates include: --A-- *

John R. Allen John Rutherford Allen (born December 15, 1953) is a retired United States Marine Corps four-star general, and former commander of the NATO International Security Assistance Force and U.S. Forces – Afghanistan (USFOR-A). On September 13, 2014, ...

, retired Marine Corps General, president of the

Brookings Institution The Brookings Institution, often stylized as simply Brookings, is an American research group founded in 1916. Located on Think Tank Row in Washington, D.C., the organization conducts research and education in the social sciences, primarily in e ...

David W. Allvin David Wayne Allvin (born ) is a United States Air Force four-star general who currently serves as the 40th vice chief of staff of the Air Force. He previously served as the director for strategy, plans, and policy, J-5, on the Joint Staff, and i ...

, general and vice chief of staff of the United States Air Force * Gholam Reza Azhari, prime minister of

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

--B-- * Robert H. Barrow, 27th Commandant of the Marine Corps *

Edward L. Beach Jr. Edward Latimer Beach Jr. (April 20, 1918 – December 1, 2002) was a highly decorated United States Navy submarine officer and best-selling author. During World War II, he participated in the Battle of Midway and 12 combat patrols, earning 10 d ...

, World War II submarine officer and best-selling novelist * William B. Black, Jr., deputy director

National Security Agency The National Security Agency (NSA) is a national-level intelligence agency of the United States Department of Defense, under the authority of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI). The NSA is responsible for global monitoring, collecti ...

* John Beyrle, U.S. Ambassador to Russia * Arnold W. Braswell, retired Air Force General * Bernard Brodie, one of the initial nuclear theorists *

William Brownfield William Rivington Brownfield (born 1952) is a List of United States Foreign Service Career Ambassadors, Career Ambassador in the United States Foreign Service and the former Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of International Narcotics an ...

, U.S. Ambassador to Venezuela, Chile, and Colombia * John Ray Budner, the late Brigadier General, formerly in command of the North American Air Defense Command Combat Operations Center --C-- * Richard D. Clarke U.S. army general, commander, special operations command * Wesley Clark, former NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe *

Bernard A. Clarey Bernard Ambrose Clarey (May 4, 1912 – June 15, 1996), nicknamed "Chick", was an admiral of the United States Navy. A submarine commander during World War II, he served during the late 1960s as Vice Chief of Naval Operations and in the ea ...

, U.S. admiral --D-- *

Raymond G. Davis Raymond Gilbert Davis (January 13, 1915 – September 3, 2003) was a United States Marine Corps four-star-general who had served in World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. Davis was decorated several times, he was awarded the Navy C ...

, 14th Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps *

Eugene Peyton Deatrick Eugene Peyton Deatrick Jr. (November 17, 1924 – December 30, 2020) was a United States Air Force colonel, test pilot, and combat veteran. He is best recognized for his role in the rescue of United States Navy Lieutenant Dieter Dengler duri ...

, USAF general * Roy L. DeHart, USAF Colonel, Author of Fundamentals of Aerospace Medicine * Martin Dempsey, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff * R. Scott Dingle, U.S. army general 45th surgeon general of the United States Army --F-- * John D. Feeley, U.S. ambassador --G-- * Charles A. Gillespie Jr., U.S. ambassador to Colombia *

Alan L. Gropman Alan Louis Gropman (born 4 February 1938) is an American retired military officer, college professor, and author. Gropman served 27 years on active duty in the United States Air Force, finishing his career as a colonel. After retiring from the ...

, military officer, author, and academic --H-- * Mark P. Hertling USA Lieutenant General, Commander of US Army in Europe *

Eric T. Hill Eric T. Hill is a retired United States Air Force major general who last served as the deputy commander of the Air Force Special Operations Command. Prior to that, he was the commanding general of the Special Operations Joint Task Force-Operati ...

, U.S.A.F major general --J-- * James L. Jones, 32nd Commandant of the Marine Corps, 14th NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe, 21st National Security Advisor --K-- * John F. Kelly, retired Marine Corps General, 28th White House chief of staff * Kristie Kenney, U.S. ambassador to

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...

and to the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

* Donald Keyser, State Department China expert accused of espionage *

Mark Kimmitt Mark Traecey Patrick Kimmitt (born 21 June 1954) is the former Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs, serving under George W. Bush from August 2008 to January 2009; he was the 16th person to hold the post. Prior to joini ...

, assistant secretary of state for politico-military affairs, the State Department * Charles C. Krulak, 31st Commandant of the Marine Corps --L-- * Bruce Laingen, U.S. ambassador to

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

, American hostage in Iranian Hostage Crisis *

Jeannie Leavitt Jeannie Marie Leavitt (née Flynn; born 1967) is a United States Air Force (USAF) general officer. She became the U.S. Air Force's first female fighter pilot in 1993, and was the first woman to command a USAF combat fighter wing. In April 2021, s ...

, first U.S.A.F. fighter pilot, general * Homer Litzenberg, Marine Corps

Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on th ...

--M-- * James Mattis, Marine Corps General, 5th Commander of the United States Joint Forces Command, 11th Commander of the United States Central Command, 26th Secretary of Defense *

John McCain John Sidney McCain III (August 29, 1936 – August 25, 2018) was an American politician and United States Navy officer who served as a United States senator from Arizona from 1987 until his death in 2018. He previously served two te ...

, former U.S. Senator * Robert Macfarlane,

National Security Advisor A national security advisor serves as the chief advisor to a national government on matters of security. The advisor is not usually a member of the government's cabinet but is usually a member of various military or security councils. National sec ...

under president Ronald Reagan * Thomas McInerney, U.S.A.F lieutenant general *

Merrill A. McPeak Merrill Anthony "Tony" McPeak (born January 9, 1936) is a retired 4-star general in the United States Air Force whose final assignment before retirement was as the 14th Chief of Staff of the Air Force from 1990 to 1994. In 1993, McPeak served a ...

, former U.S.A.F Chief of Staff * Godfrey McHugh, former military aide to President John F. Kennedy --N-- *

Lucien Nedzi Lucien is a male given name. It is the French form of Luciano or Latin ''Lucianus'', patronymic of Lucius. Lucien, Saint Lucien, or Saint-Lucien may also refer to: People Given name * Lucien of Beauvais, Christian saint *Lucien, a band membe ...

, U.S. congressman * Richard Norland U.S. ambassador to

Libya Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Suda ...

--O-- * Robin Olds, brigadier general, "triple ace" in World War II and Vietnam --P-- *

Peter Pace Peter Pace (born November 5, 1945) is a retired United States Marine Corps general who served as the 16th chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Pace was the first Marine officer appointed as chairman and the first Marine officer to be appointed ...

, Marine Corps General, 6th Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, 16th Chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff * Donald Parsons former US Military Attaché to Canada *

Andika Perkasa General Muhammad Andika Perkasa (born Fransiskus Xaverius Emanuel Andika Perkasa; 21 December 1964) is an Indonesian general who previously served as the 21st Commander of the Indonesian National Armed Forces (). He was appointed by President of I ...

, commander, Indonesian National Armed Forces * Czesław Piątas, chief of general staff, Polish army * Colin Powell, former U.S. Secretary of State and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff * Edward Pietrzyk, commander in chief, Polish land forces, two-time Polish ambassador --R-- * John M. Richardson, admiral, 31st chief of naval operations * Robert C. Richardson III, brigadier general, principal in the Laconia incident --S-- *

Beth Sanner Beth Sanner is a former American government official, having served as the Deputy Director of National Intelligence for Mission Integration. She was appointed to the position in May 2019. Biography Sanner is a Distinguished Graduate of the Natio ...

, deputy director of national intelligence * Norton A. Schwartz, former U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff * Dorothy Shea U.S. ambassador to

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus lie ...

Robert Lee Scott Jr. Robert Lee Scott Jr. (12 April 1908 – 27 February 2006) was a brigadier general in the United States Air Force and a flying ace of World War II, credited with shooting down 13 Japanese aircraft. Scott is best known for his memoir, ''God is ...

, USAF brigadier general and fighter ace * Hugh Shelton, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff *

Abraham Sinkov Abraham Sinkov (August 22, 1907 – January 19, 1998) was a US cryptanalyst. An early employee of the U.S. Army's Signals Intelligence Service, he held several leadership positions during World War II, transitioning to the new National Security A ...

, U.S. cryptanalyst and NSA official * Eric Shinseki, former U.S. Army Chief of Staff and Secretary of Veterans Affairs * Jay B. Silveria, superintendent, United States Air Force Academy *

James G. Stavridis James George Stavridis (born February 15, 1955) is a retired United States Navy admiral, currently Vice Chair, Global Affairs and Managing Director of the global investment firm the Carlyle Group, and Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Rockefe ...

former Supreme Allied Commander Europe, admiral, U.S. Navy * J. Christopher Stevens, the late U.S. Ambassador to

* Stephanie S. Sullivan, U.S. ambassador to Ghana *

James C. Swan James Christopher Swan (born December 10, 1963) is an American diplomat. He was the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, United Nations Secretary-General for Somal ...

, United Nations secretary general's special representative for Somalia --W-- *

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, USAF general * Cedric T. Wins, U.S. army general --Y-- * Donald Yamamoto, U.S. ambassador to Somalia * Stefan Yanev, prime minister of

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedo ...

*Marie Yovanovitch U.S. ambassador to Ukraine --Z-- *Anthony Zinni, Marine Corps General, 6th Commander, United States Central Command *Elmo Zumwalt, former U.S. Chief of Naval Operations *James P. Zumwalt, U.S. ambassador to Senegal

Roosevelt Hall

Roosevelt Hall (National War College), Roosevelt Hall (built 1903–1907) is a Beaux Arts architecture, Beaux Arts–style building housing the NWC since its inception in 1946. Designed by the New York architectural firm McKim, Mead & White, it is now designated a National Historic Landmark. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. File:National War College (9294170263).jpg, Roosevelt Hall of National War College

References

External links