Education for

Seapower Strategy
Thomas B. Modly

Acting Secretary of the Navy

Message from SECNAV

Further, the E4S report recommended 

organizational and functional changes designed to 

lift education to a strategic and budgeting priority 

alongside our platforms and weapons systems. 

It also identified, and follow-on Secretarial 

direction confirmed, the need for a comprehensive 

education strategy to unify the disparate elements 

of our Naval University System and to integrate 

education effectively into talent management 

initiatives. With that direction in mind, the 

Department of the Navy’s Chief Learning Officer, 

in coordination with the Chief of Naval Operations 

and the Commandant of the Marine Corps, 

developed the following, first-ever Education for 

Seapower Strategy 2020 to align the policies and 

resources required to produce a better educated 

and more agile naval force – for officers, enlisted, 

and civilians alike.

Above all, this strategy provides unified 

Departmental leadership direction to regard naval 

education as a critical warfighting enabler. It is 

only through a sound educational foundation, 

and supported, continuous lifelong learning that 

our naval leaders will be able to comprehend 

the dynamic geopolitical environment, and 

make key decisions that will ultimately affect the 

security and prosperity of the United States. By 

implementing and iterating this Education for 

Seapower Strategy 2020 for the long run, we will 

continue to build an integrated naval force that 

is intellectually agile and adaptive – a decisive 

force from the sea that can out-think and out-fight 

any challenger to American interests, while better 

enabling our national security to prevail despite 

an unpredictable future.

We live in a dynamic era. For our Navy and 

Marine Corps team, this dynamism will present 

challenges—known and unknown, seen and 

unseen. In fact, perhaps the most predictable 

thing we can say about the future is that it will 

be unpredictable. Preparing for that future 

surely means investing in more platforms and 

new weapons systems, but nothing will be more 

important than the investment that we make in 

learning, and in creating a force made up of people 

who thirst for it. Accordingly, the landmark 2018 

Education for Seapower (E4S) report recognized 

that the intellectual capability of our Navy and 

Marine Corps team and a lifelong passion for 

continuous learning will be our foundation of any 

credible deterrent to war. 

Contents

INTRODUCTION 1

INTENT OF EDUCATION FOR SEAPOWER STRATEGY 2020 3

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES | PILLAR 1

CREATE A CONTINUUM OF LEARNING FOR THE ENTIRE FORCE 6

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES | PILLAR 2

INTEGRATE EDUCATION INTO OUR TALENT MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORKS 10

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES | PILLAR 3

INVEST IN OUR NAVAL UNIVERSITY SYSTEM 12

CONCLUSION 18
Introduction

The United States Navy and Marine Corps have a 

long and successful history of creating world-class 

educational institutions to prepare their forces 

for all aspects of naval warfare. The United States 

Naval Academy, the Naval War College, the Naval 

Postgraduate School, Marine Corps University, and 

the Naval ROTC programs have produced some of 

our nation’s finest leaders in war and peace. We are 

proud of this legacy, which provides an outstanding 

foundation as we move towards the future. We must, 

however, continually seek to improve our approach to 

education to ensure our competitive advantage.

In recent years, Defense and Naval Leaders have 

repeatedly called for a renewed emphasis on 

professional military education as a foundation 

of national security. The 2018 National Defense 

Strategy observed that “the creativity and talent of 

the American warfighter is our greatest enduring 

strength,” but warned that our professional military 

education system had “stagnated.” The following 

year, the landmark Education for Seapower (E4S) 

report concluded that to maintain naval power in an 

era of great power competition and technological 

change, the Navy and Marine Corps need to 

strengthen and expand their educational efforts. 

In line with these conclusions, the Commandant’s 

Planning Guidance, the Chief of Naval Operations’ 

Fragmentary Order, and the Department of the 

Navy’s Human Capital Strategy all recognize the need 

for changes in the prioritization, integration, and 

resourcing of naval education. 

On February 5, 2019, the Secretary of the Navy 

issued his E4S Decision Memorandum calling for 

a bold new direction for naval education. The E4S 

Decision Memorandum ordered, among other 

things, the development of a comprehensive naval 

education strategy. Education for Seapower Strategy 

2020 responds to this mandate, and to calls for 

improvement from the Chief of Naval Operations and 

the Commandant of the Marine Corps, by providing a 

clear plan to help Sailors, Marines, and Department of 

the Navy civil servants develop the knowledge, critical 

thinking skills, and strategic perspectives necessary to 

prevail against any adversary across the full spectrum 

of conflict.

This strategy is informed by and responds to our 

current geopolitical context. At the end of the Cold 

War, the United States possessed a massive economic 

and technological edge over all potential opponents. 

Today, for the first time in decades, we are competing 

on a more level playing field and our advantage is 

declining. In this new era, the intellectual capability 

of our Navy and Marine Corps team will be the 

primary military differentiator between our nation 

and its adversaries and the true foundation of any 

credible deterrent to war.

1Education for Seapower Strategy 2020
Naval 

Community 

College

Naval University System

2 Education for Seapower Strategy 2020
This strategy seeks to advance the intellectual 

capability of our naval forces. The strategy will create 

a decisive competitive advantage by:

• Developing leaders and warfighters who possess

good judgment, creativity, a commitment to

ethics, and excellent analytic and problem 

solving skills;

• Providing naval forces with an intellectual

overmatch against our adversaries;

• Making the naval force more proficient by

improving strategic thinking, increasing

geopolitical awareness, building key technical

and professional capabilities, and deepening our

understanding of the conditions in which military

force can be used effectively.

Responsibilities

In order for this strategy to succeed, it will take much 

more than good plans, good intentions, and sufficient 

resources. Success will require every Sailor, Marine, 

and Department of the Navy civilian employee 

to invest in their educational and professional 

competencies.

Individual Sailors, Marines, and 

Civil Servants

Marines, Sailors, and civilians of all ranks should 

value learning as the cornerstone of their professional 

development. They have a responsibility to take 

full advantage of learning opportunities and to 

treat education as an integral component of their 

operational competence. They should value 

academic, technical, and ethical excellence and 

embrace a commitment to become lifelong learners.

Naval Leaders

Current and rising naval leaders bear a special 

responsibility in our education system. They should 

support, encourage, and advise the men and women 

they lead as those Sailors, Marines, and civilian 

employees chart their educational courses. Leaders 

must create a climate of intellectual exchange and take 

an active role in debates over the future of our force 

structures, strategy, and tactics. Most importantly, 

senior civilian and military leaders must ensure that 

our education system is properly designed, resourced, 

and supported so that we deliver on the educational 

promises we make to our force. 

Senior leaders should seek to become warriorscholars and warrior-diplomats, proficient in military 

history, strategy, planning, and operations. They must 

be lifelong learners and educational role models for 

the men and women they lead. 

Naval Educators 

Naval educators bear a particular responsibility to 

ensure that men and women in the Marine Corps 

and Navy receive the best military education in the 

world. Leaders of our military education institutions 

must run world-class, cost-effective institutions 

that produce high quality graduates with relevant 

strategic and warfighting skills. Faculty members 

must be leaders in their respective fields and 

consistently deliver high-quality education to Sailors 

and Marines operating across the globe, using the 

full range of education delivery methods. Above all, 

naval educators should uphold and enforce rigorous 

academic standards, support academic freedom, and 

encourage intellectual preparedness among their 

students and colleagues.

Assumptions 

The following key assumptions bear on this strategy’s 

approach to fulfilling the vision and specified tasks 

set forth in the Secretary of the Navy’s E4S Decision 

Memorandum: 

• The Navy and Marine Corps are composed of 

diverse officer and enlisted communities that 

have unique career path requirements and high 

operational tempos, which our approach to 

education should respect and value.

• This endeavor should optimize the quantity, 

quality, and accessibility of our programs 

and curricula – creating the right number of 

programs of the right size and delivery method, 

offered in the appropriate subjects—to meet our 

educational requirements. 

Intent of Education for 

Seapower Strategy 2020

3Education for Seapower Strategy 2020
• To target appropriate educational opportunities 

to the appropriate audience, the Navy and 

Marines Corps must identify what everyone 

needs to know, what many people need to 

know, and what a few people need to know (All, 

Many, Few).

• Certain external laws and policies, such as the 

Blended Retirement System, Department of 

Defense Joint Professional Military Education 

(JPME) requirements, and “Up or Out” policies 

bear directly on this strategy’s implementation. 

Where authority for change rests outside of the 

Department’s span of control, we will advocate 

for the changes necessary to achieve this 

strategy’s goals. 

• Learning is integral to every aspect of a 

naval leader’s career. Formal education is 

complemented by both experiential learning 

obtained in the operating forces and selfdirected study that taps into an individual’s 

natural curiosity and personal interests. 

Naval Education Pillars

Education for Seapower Strategy 2020 is based upon 

three pillars. First, the Navy and Marine Corps must 

create a continuum of learning for the entire force. 

Second, our organization must integrate education 

into our talent management frameworks. Finally, 

the Department of the Navy must strengthen and 

invest in the Naval University System. For each of 

these pillars, this strategy identifies objectives that 

the Department of the Navy should accomplish in the 

near-, mid-, and long-term, as well as specific action 

items to accomplish these objectives. 

Collectively, these three pillars seek to strengthen 

intellectual development in seven critical areas: 

creative and critical analysis; ethical decision-making; 

strategic thinking; warfighting excellence; geopolitical 

awareness; technical and technological competence; 

and resource management and acquisition acuity.

4 Education for Seapower Strategy 2020
5Education for Seapower Strategy 20200
Today’s Sailors, Marines, and Department of the 

Navy civil servants are well-educated. Many of 

them have graduated from great colleges and 

universities in the United States and abroad, 

attended rigorous professional military education 

and training programs, and pursued off-duty learning 

opportunities on their own time. Despite this, the 

Navy and Marine Corps have not taken full advantage 

of our force’s intellectual potential. Our enlisted 

Sailors and Marines should have the opportunity to 

study and learn in world-class education programs 

that are directly relevant to their professional careers. 

Our officers need a career roadmap that enhances 

their warfighting capabilities through professional 

military education and world-class civilian degree 

programs. Our civilian team members need access 

to long-term professional development support 

throughout their tenure with the Department of 

the Navy. Sustained career development through 

educational and professional opportunities 

contributes to the system of continuous learning that 

will forge the naval warfighters of tomorrow.

Objective A: Create the U.S. 

Naval Community College

Twenty years ago, General Charles C. Krulak, the 

31st Commandant of the Marine Corps, highlighted 

the growing strategic importance of the most junior 

non-commissioned officers. In the coming years, 

this trend will accelerate as warfighting becomes 

more technologically complex, the pace of combat 

decision-making accelerates, and ship crews become 

smaller and more versatile. 

To fully capitalize on the potential capabilities 

of enlisted Sailors and Marines and to support 

their intellectual development, the Department 

of the Navy will establish the United States Naval 

Community College (USNCC). All enlisted Sailors and 

Marines will be enrolled in the community college 

upon enlistment and will accrue appropriate college 

credit on their USNCC transcript when they complete 

military training schools. These Sailors and Marines 

will be able to begin to earn an associate degree at 

the USNCC at no cost once they have completed their 

accessions training pipeline. Eventually, select civil 

servant cohorts will have an opportunity to learn 

alongside their uniformed peers.

The USNCC will ultimately be a fully-accredited higher 

education institution, but degrees will initially be 

issued by high-quality, accredited civilian education 

partners with successful track records of delivering 

associate degrees online. The USNCC will create 

and offer a small number of “navalized” general 

education courses, but the majority of course work 

will be offered by civilian university or community 

college partners in fields relevant to modern naval 

warfighting, including but not limited to cyber, 

information technology, management, data analytics, 

and computer science. 

The USNCC will enter into transfer (articulation) 

agreements with its partners to ensure that all course 

work can transfer to civilian degree programs, which 

will provide a foundation from which Sailors and 

Marines can continue formal education. Since Sailors 

and Marines face many time constraints associated 

with service needs, the USNCC and its partners 

will offer courses in a variety of flexible formats - 

synchronous, asynchronous, and self-paced - so that 

rigorous naval education is available wherever and 

whenever needed. This new effort will supplement, 

not replace, traditional tuition assistance. Tuition 

assistance will still be available to Sailors and Marines 

to pursue degrees beyond the associate level, or in 

fields less relevant to warfighting.

Action: The USNCC is a top priority for the 

Department of the Navy. In support of this goal, the 

Department of the Navy will complete initial program 

design by February 28, 2020; seek Congressional 

authorization during 2020; and enroll students for its 

initial proof of concept in the January term of 2021. 

USNCC partnerships will continue to expand until the 

college is fully operational within the next five years.

Objective B: Strengthen 

and Align Mid-Career Officer 

Warfighting Curricula

The basic elements of a first-class officer education 

system are (a) an outstanding undergraduate 

education; (b) primary and intermediate 

career educational opportunities that advance 

professionalism, warfighting capability, and 

intellectual development; and (c) a senior inPillar 1

Create a Continuum of Learning for the Entire Force

6 Education for Seapower Strategy 2020
residence strategic educational experience that 

prepares the officer for senior leadership positions. 

While the Navy and Marine Corps’ programs for 

undergraduate and senior strategic education are 

excellent, the current methods used to educate junior 

and mid-grade officers are not as well aligned to 

educational goals and career paths. 

The Marine Corps offers the Expeditionary Warfare 

School and Marine Corps University Command and 

Staff College to officers in the O-3 to O-4 range through 

a wide variety of delivery methods. Comparable 

primary and intermediate curricula exist at the 

Naval Command and Staff College, but in-residence 

attendance is limited to O-4s and officer inventory 

makes filling its quotas a perennial challenge. The 

Navy also provides aspects of primary and intermediate 

education through the warfare communities’ tactical 

and leader development courses, but these do not 

uniformly bridge the gap between undergraduate and 

senior strategic studies programs. 

Strengthening standardized primary and intermediate 

warfighting curricula for Navy and Marine Corps officers 

is critical to advancing naval officer education and to 

promoting naval integration. The curriculum should 

offer approximately twenty courses directly relevant 

to current warfighting challenges. The courses will be 

free-standing and stackable and eventually could be 

pursued to meet requirements for Joint Professional 

Military Education (JPME) or a master’s degree in 

military science. These courses should continue the 

developmental effort that began during our officers’ 

undergraduate studies and set them on track to grow 

into tomorrow’s senior leaders. We will offer these 

courses through a range of appropriate learning 

formats, focusing primarily on online and executive 

courses, which combine short in-residence terms 

with study away from campus. To expand access to 

these programs to our entire Department of the Navy 

workforce, we will also explore the potential of open 

enrollment for these programs.

Action: Immediately, the Chief Learning Officer 

(CLO), in coordination with DCNO N7 and DC (CD&I), 

will create a process to identify learning outcomes 

to bridge the gap between pre-commissioning 

education and senior war college level education 

for junior and mid-grade Navy and Marine Corps 

officers. The process will assess how best to deliver 

a curriculum across warfare communities, with a 

mid-term goal of piloting a small number of courses 

with two to four communities. The CLO will also 

immediately identify civilian education opportunities 

that meet these desired learning outcomes and work 

to make the courses available to our force by FY-21.

Objective C: Adjust the Focus 

of Naval Education

The CLO’s Coordinating Group (CLO-CG) consists 

of DCNO N7, DC (CD&I), Navy and Marine Corps 

leaders from the Fleet, the Naval University System, 

and Cyber, Naval Research, and Naval Intelligence 

enterprises. In its inaugural meeting in October 2019, 

7Education for Seapower Strategy 2020
the group determined that the Department of the 

Navy has gaps in knowledge about the value and 

limitations of emerging technologies and potential 

adversary capabilities and intentions.

Action: In the near term, the CLO, DCNO N7, 

and DC (CD&I) will form two working groups to 

identify what our force (All/Many/Few) needs to 

understand about emerging technologies and 

the capabilities, culture, and intentions of our 

adversaries. The CLO, DCNO N7, and DC (CD&I) will 

set clear learning outcomes for these working groups, 

and then propose curricula and education delivery 

mechanisms to achieve these outcomes. Once this 

work is completed, the CLO’s Coordinating Group 

will review two additional high priority areas: (1) 

leadership and ethics and (2) resource management 

and acquisitions.

Objective D: Enhance 

Partnerships Through 

Education

The National Defense Strategy notes the fundamental 

importance of allies and partners in our efforts 

to advance the national security of the United 

States. From the Revolutionary War to the present 

day, the Navy and the Marine Corps have worked 

with allies and partners to achieve some of our 

greatest victories. Our history teaches us that 

interoperability is very difficult to build during 

wartime, and thus, we need to place great emphasis 

on building that interoperability during times of 

relative peace. Clearly, interoperability requires 

that weapons systems be complementary and that 

communications systems be linked, but intellectual 

interoperability - the ability to communicate and 

analyze problems jointly - is equally important. One 

way enhance our intellectual interoperability is for 

officers to attend the PME programs of our allies and 

partners and for our allies and partners, in turn, to 

send their officers to attend our PME programs.

Action: In the mid-term, the CLO, in coordination 

with DCNO N7 and DC (CD&I), will develop a plan 

to increase the number of allied and partner 

nation students attending Naval University System 

institutions as well as the number of Navy and Marine 

Corps officers attending foreign schools. As this plan 

is developed, the CLO will take into account recent 

Secretary of Defense guidance calling for a 50 percent 

increase in the number of allies training alongside 

U.S. troops as well as the security needs of our 

naval forces.

Objective E: Modernize 

Education Program Delivery

The Navy and the Marine Corps are our nation’s 

forward deployed and expeditionary forces- the tip of 

America’s spear across the globe. Educating a force 

deployed in every ocean and on multiple continents 

with demanding operational commitments presents 

great challenges. Fortunately, the development of 

online education and the dramatic expansion of 

executive education, which requires only short or 

intermittent periods in-residence, provide more tools 

to meet the educational needs of our forces. Using 

these new methods will help us provide quality 

education while minimizing disruption to career 

paths and reducing personnel transfers.

Action: To modernize the delivery of education 

programs in the near- and mid-term, the CLO and 

NUS will:

• Expand our partnerships with top graduate 

schools to provide more executive educational 

opportunities to our force;

• Ensure that the new Mid-Career Officer 

Warfighting Curriculum is delivered using online 

and executive formats; and

• Evaluate existing and any new Naval 

Postgraduate School and Naval War College 

programs to determine whether they can be 

offered using new delivery models.

Objective F: Expand 

DON Civilian Education 

Development 

In January 2020, the Secretary of the Navy issued a 

new Human Capital Strategy to be implemented for 

the Department’s civilian workforce. In this strategy, 

education and learning are elevated as national 

security enablers for the civilian workforce, mirroring 

the Education for Seapower report findings for 

uniformed members. 

8 Education for Seapower Strategy 2020
Many enterprises and commands have developed 

discrete education programs for their respective 

workforces, providing opportunities that increase 

performance in evolving and leading business 

systems, audit and accounting programs, and 

enterprise risk management, among other areas. 

We will investigate ways to build on these successes 

by implementing additional education programs 

to advance Department of the Navy civilian 

learning efforts. 

Action: In the near-term, the CLO will work with 

the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Manpower 

and Reserve Affairs (ASN(M&RA)) and establish, by 

October 1, 2020, a “Secretary’s Executive Fellows 

Program.” This program will send the most highly 

qualified leaders in our civilian workforce to topranked educational institutions for executive 

programs leading to master’s degrees in management 

or other areas necessary to support an integrated, 

effective, and efficient naval fighting force. The CLO 

will also identify potential cohorts of civil servants 

who would benefit from attending the new U.S. Naval 

Community College.

Objective G: Increase 

the Number of Officers 

Pursuing PME

Currently, as the chart below reflecting FY-19 

attendance indicates, both the Navy and Marine 

Corps send significant percentages of their total 

officer corps to in-residence and distributed (online 

and executive) learning opportunities.

FORCE % OFFICERS

IN-RESIDENCE

% IN DISTRIBUTED 

LEARNING

Navy 2.9% 6.7%

Marine 

Corps 4.7% 11.9%

Action: Education for Seapower Strategy 2020 

calls for the Marine Corps to maintain this education 

commitment. For the Navy, this strategy calls for 

an increase in the percentage of officers pursuing 

in-residence education to 3.9 percent and an increase 

in the percentage of officers pursuing distributed 

learning opportunities, such as online and executive 

courses, to 10 percent by FY-26. Beginning in FY-20, 

the CLO will work with DCNO N7, DCNO N1, and 

Fleet and Type Commanders to ensure that we make 

measurable progress towards these goals each year. 

As the NUS improves its ability to provide more 

distributed and executive learning opportunities, 

the balance of in-residence and distance learning 

participation will be re-evaluated.

9Education for Seapower Strategy 2020
There is a close connection between an individual’s 

curiosity and aptitude for learning and their capacity 

to lead. As Sailors, Marines, and Department of the 

Navy civilians assume increasing responsibility, they 

should have access to educational opportunities 

to strengthen their professional capabilities and 

hone their leadership skills. Successfully integrating 

education into naval talent management frameworks 

requires that our organization provide more diverse 

learning opportunities for naval leaders and reward 

those individuals who demonstrate learning 

excellence. Our talent management systems must 

also incentivize and reward academic experiences 

and achievement to set institutional expectations for 

continuous learning.

We will enact new policies to encourage and reward 

the pursuit of professional military and civilian 

education. Our new approach will transform 

our performance evaluations, promotion, and 

school selection processes and create a culture of 

intellectual development in our Navy, Marine Corps, 

and civilian workforces.

Objective A: Review 

Education Selection Boards 

Educational selection boards are critical for 

identifying naval officers who have demonstrated 

aptitude for operational command and would 

benefit from attendance at service war colleges, 

international war colleges, or equivalent civilian 

graduate institutions. The Secretary’s E4S Decision 

Memorandum requires that the Navy and Marine 

Corps institute selection methods for attending 

in-residence graduate education. In line with this 

requirement, our services will create and/or modify 

selection boards to identify top-performing officers 

for further educational opportunities.

Reliable, authoritative data is one of the keys to 

enabling educational selection boards to screen 

officers for education opportunities and our 

personnel systems to detail them to the right billets 

or assignments. The services have efforts underway 

now to transform the data systems they use to store 

and process personnel data, but these initiatives will 

take time to reach fruition.

Action: In the near term, we will leverage current 

administrative screening processes to identify talent 

for educational opportunities. Additionally, the CLO 

will review the adequacy of current selection boards 

and work through DCNO N7 and DC (CD&I) to ensure 

ongoing data transformation efforts incorporate 

requirements to record and process information 

regarding academic aptitude and educational 

achievement. In the long term, we will change 

administrative screening processes to refine how 

we assign personnel to educational programs and 

follow-on tours.

Pillar 2

Integrate Education into our Talent Management Frameworks

10Education for Seapower Strategy 2020
Objective B: Update Officer 

Promotion Precepts 

The Secretary’s E4S Decision Memorandum states that 

the Department’s CLO, in collaboration with DCNO 

N7 and DC (CD&I), will recommend to the Secretary 

of the Navy educational requirements for selection 

to command and the next higher paygrade. These 

requirements will be included in selection board 

precepts as orders to the Presidents of selection 

boards in both services. Promotion precepts that 

reward educational and intellectual excellence, and 

strict adherence to their guidance by selection board 

Presidents, represent the fastest and surest method 

for us to move toward our goal: to become a force that 

values, respects, and rewards intellectual preparation 

for war.

Action: Effective immediately, the CLO will review 

all precepts pertaining to Officer promotion boards, 

command boards, and selection boards for Federal 

Executive Fellowships, Permanent Military Professors, 

the Acquisition Workforce, and SECNAV’s Tours with 

Industry and make recommendations to the Secretary 

of the Navy for all educational requirements. Any 

recommendations to the Secretary of the Navy effecting 

educational requirements of the Acquisition Workforce 

will be made in coordination with ASN (RD&A).

Objective C: Integrate 

Education into Fitness 

Reports and Evaluations 

To become a great learning organization, performance 

evaluations should assess (1) the degree to which 

officers and enlisted personnel have pursued their 

own education, and (2) the degree to which they have 

advanced and supported the education of the men and 

women they supervise and command.

The Secretary’s E4S Decision Memorandum requires 

that the Navy and Marine Corps make demonstrated 

learning achievement a key discriminator in officer 

fitness reports and enlisted evaluations. Learning 

achievements - just like leadership, physical fitness, and 

other performance categories currently graded by each 

reporting senior- should be continually evaluated to 

ensure progress is made along the course of a career. 

Education for Seapower Strategy 2020 considers 

diverse learning achievements relevant to the 

proper evaluation of subordinates. Examples of 

such achievements include but are not limited to 

the following:

• Academic achievement in college or 

university courses; 

• Achievement in Primary and Intermediate 

Warfighting courses; 

• Achievement in JPME; 

• Noteworthy accomplishments in exercises, 

planning, or wargaming; 

• Publication in scholarly or professional journals; 

• Excellence as a faculty member; or

• Achievement of appropriate levels of language or 

computer programming proficiency.

Both services are currently pursuing initiatives to 

revise their performance evaluation systems as part of 

ongoing efforts to modernize our personnel systems. 

Including educational achievement in these efforts is a 

high priority.

Action: Prior to April 1, 2020, the CLO and Chief of 

Naval Personnel (N1) will present to the Secretary of the 

Navy a plan of actions and milestones to incorporate 

education into the personnel evaluation system of the 

Navy. The CLO will work with DCNO N7, DC (CD&I), 

and service personnel leaders to ensure alignment 

to the Secretary’s intent and implement bridging 

mechanisms, if required, until new evaluation systems 

come on line.

Objective D: Tailor Career 

Paths to Meet Department of 

the Navy Needs

Career path management and sensitivity to operational 

requirements must be central to this effort to improve 

and enhance naval education. In order to ensure 

that we maintain the balance between operational 

requirements and career path management, the 

Department of the Navy must align new education 

initiatives with the needs of the operating forces.

Action: In the near term, the CLO will work with 

DCNO N7, DC (CD&I), and the warfare communities to 

identify ways to tailor education to complement our 

various community career paths. An implementation 

plan will be staffed and promulgated separately by the 

end of 2020.

11Education for Seapower Strategy 2020
The most successful businesses and non-profit 

organizations in the world aspire to be “learning 

organizations.” A great learning organization 

constantly assesses the intellectual capabilities 

of its workforce, seeking to identify gaps that may 

prevent optimal performance. These organizations 

also provide world-class learning resources to their 

teams to close these gaps, with strong feedback loops 

between the workforce, managers, and educators to 

ensure that educational efforts are timely, relevant, 

and effective. 

To become a true learning organization, the 

Department of the Navy will develop and improve the 

educational infrastructure of our entire organization. 

We must invest in our learning institutions, our 

faculty, and the high-performing staff who support 

them. We must also develop a more powerful 

wargaming strategy and create new relationships for 

intellectual sharing and debate between the Fleets 

and Marine Operating Forces and our cyber, research, 

and intelligence enterprises. Together, these 

investments will strengthen our Naval University 

System and increase the intellectual preparedness of 

our Sailors, Marines, and civilians. 

Objective A: Establish 

Naval University System 

Framework and Standards 

The primary educational delivery system that 

undergirds this strategy is the Naval University 

System. The NUS consists of five learning institutions: 

the Naval War College, Marine Corps University, Naval 

Postgraduate School, United States Naval Academy, 

and the new United States Naval Community 

College. The NUS will be operated on the model of 

a great state university system: the CLO will provide 

leadership, oversight, and strategic guidance on 

finance, curriculum, and outcomes, but service 

leadership and individual campuses will retain the 

independence they need to chart their own course to 

mission fulfillment. 

A key focus of this system will be ensuring that each 

component fulfills a complementary role within the 

learning continuum, integrates fully with others in 

the system as appropriate, and avoids duplication 

of effort. At this inflection point in our history, when 

demand for quality education is in tension with 

officer inventory and high operational commitments, 

we need to review our current menu of degree and 

non-degree programs to ensure they align to our 

strategic intent. 

The NUS will maintain the highest standards for 

academic quality and sound fiscal management, the 

hallmarks of a premier academic institution. This 

will include:

• A diverse and high performing faculty, staff, and 

leadership team; 

• High emphasis on maintaining relevant 

accreditation; 

• A student-faculty ratio in line with peer civilian 

and military institutions; 

Pillar 3

Strengthen and Invest in our Naval University System

12Education for Seapower Strategy 2020
• An appropriate number of well-crafted degree 

and learning programs designed for long-term 

career development, with fewer specialized 

programs designed to meet only the narrow 

needs of a particular curriculum sponsor for one 

utilization tour; 

• Costs per degree commensurate with those at 

civilian and military peer institutions; 

• A graduate network supporting continued 

learning and mentorship for long-term 

career development;

• Courses and degree programs offered in a mix 

of learning delivery methods; and

• Low overhead costs consistent with sound 

management, to allow maximum resources to 

flow to the academic program.

Action: In the near term, the CLO will work 

with DC (CD&I), DCNO N7, and the Assistant 

Secretary of the Navy for Financial Management 

and Comptroller (ASN (FM&C)) to develop 

a long-term budget process for the Naval 

University System.

Action: The CLO, in collaboration with DCNO 

N7 and DC (CD&I), will conduct a curriculum 

review in FY-20 and FY-21 at all NUS institutions.

Action: To achieve these high standards, 

each school within the NUS, in consultation 

with the CLO, will apply the following best 

practices in higher education for their schools 

by the start of FY-21:

‒ Ensure their schools’ mission statements are

aligned with this strategy and have sufficient

clarity to test the appropriateness of continuing

current programs or adopting new programs

or policies;

‒ Align their schools’ strategic plans to this

strategy, including plans for budget, staffing,

and curriculum development;

‒ Adopta plan to ensure that every academic

program and department receives outside

academic peer review and evaluation for

quality and outcomes at least once every 

ten years;

‒ Adopta thirty-year campus master plan

that identifies, ata minimum, space for

future campus development, projected new

building needs, necessary adaptations due to

climate change, and planned reconstruction 

and renovation;

‒ Adopta clear faculty development and 

support plan;

‒ Adopta plan for conducting 360-degree

performance reviews for key leaders; and

‒ Adopt, with guidance from the CLO,

an accurate, transparent, and uniform

comparative metrics performance dashboard

that will allow stakeholders to measure

progress toward strategic goals and evaluate

performance outcomes compared to

institutional peers.

13Education for Seapower Strategy 2020
Objective B: Support Naval 

University System Faculty 

and Staff 

Great professors are the lifeblood of any worldclass university system, and thus their recruitment, 

retention, and support should be a top priority. In 

order to maintain the best NUS faculty, we must 

implement new initiatives that promote intellectual 

exchange and encourage academic excellence.

Action: By June 30, 2020, the CLO will promulgate 

a plan to create a number of Naval University 

Distinguished Professorships at each campus to 

recognize merit at the senior professor level and 

provide appropriate compensation.

Action: In the mid-term, the CLO will work with 

DCNO N7 and DC (CD&I) to explore avenues to attract 

quality officers with the appropriate skills to serve as 

military faculty without disadvantaging their career 

potential. Policy changes will be recommended to 

the Secretary of the Navy by the end of 2020.

Action: Institution leaders will jointly develop 

a plan for the CLO by June 30, 2020 to provide for 

faculty exchange and visiting professorships on 

each campus, so we can begin to share ideas across 

traditional campus and service silos.

Objective C: Integrate and 

Utilize Naval University 

System Advisory Boards

The Education for Seapower Advisory Board will 

provide expert advice to the Secretary of the Navy 

about the Naval University System and execution 

of this strategy. Each campus will also possess 

an advisory board or subcommittee specific to 

its institution to provide the advice necessary 

for excellent performance and maintenance of 

accreditation. 

Action: By June 30, 2020, the CLO, in collaboration 

with DCNO N7 and DC (CD&I), will provide guidance 

to all institutions and their boards or subcommittees 

on best practices for use and operation of higher 

education boards in a governmental context.

Objective D: Reinvigorate 

Naval University System 

Infrastructure

Three of the four current campuses (Naval War 

College, Naval Postgraduate School, and U.S. 

Naval Academy) have significant infrastructure 

renovation challenges associated with maintaining 

aging buildings of major educational, historical, 

and architectural value. Failure to address these 

challenges will inhibit the achievement of optimal 

educational outcomes.

14Education for Seapower Strategy 2020
Action: By June 1, 2020, the CLO and DCNO N7, in 

coordination with the heads of the three institutions, 

will present a plan to address these challenges 

to serve as a basis for discussion with senior 

Department leadership.

Action: The creation of a unified NUS may provide 

opportunities to capture synergies in areas like 

information technology and library management. 

The CLO, in consultation with campus leaders, will 

develop a plan by June 1, 2020 to review current 

operations, identify potential synergy areas, and 

make recommendations for the future. 

Objective E: Identify and 

Implement Wargaming 

Best Practices

Over the last one hundred years, wargaming has 

made an indelible impact upon how the Navy and 

Marine Corps have waged war on land and at sea. 

The Education for Seapower report emphasized 

the importance of wargaming throughout a naval 

professional’s career to prepare them for future 

conflict. 

Today’s wargaming technologies are growing 

in capability. Federally Funded Research and 

Development Centers and corporate technology 

partners alike have made great progress in 

developing wargaming systems that fuse decision 

science with problem solving. These developments 

warrant future investigation for integration into our 

learning continuum.

Action: In the near term, the CLO will convene a 

working group that is informed by NUS wargaming 

experts and other stakeholders in the private 

sector and academia. This group will develop 

recommendations for incorporation of advanced 

wargaming concepts and supporting technology into 

education programs. The working group will present 

its findings and recommendations to the CLO-CG no 

later than the first quarter of FY-21.

Objective F: Expand 

the Use of Learning 

Management Systems 

Major finance, business, and technology corporations 

use learning management systems to help their 

workforce to grow intellectually and to assist their 

managers as they seek to identify, deploy, and reward 

the diverse talents of their workforce. Increasingly, 

these systems are powered by artificial intelligence to 

provide each employee with learning opportunities 

uniquely tailored to their education level, intellectual 

capability, available time, interests, and work needs. 

These automated systems identify the next specific 

learning intervention an employee may want to 

pursue to advance and grow, provide multiple 

educational options for paths forward, and measure 

strengths and outcomes. These systems help 

members of the workforce explore hidden talents 

and proclivities and develop diverse talents to meet 

the institution’s larger mission. They are also the 

foundation of a sophisticated talent management 

system. Successful intellectual development within 

the system can lead to different job opportunities 

within the firm and boosts retention by providing 

employees with concrete paths toward their personal 

and career goals. 

The Secretary of the Navy’s Human Capital 

Strategy, led by the Assistant Secretary of the Navy 

for Manpower and Reserve Affairs (ASN (M&RA)), 

identifies the use of learning management systems 

as critical to developing a fully empowered 21st 

century workforce.

Action: In the near term, the CLO, in coordination 

with ASN (M&RA), will review department experiments 

with learning management systems, and explore 

the potential value of adopting a comprehensive 

DON learning management system that meets 

the requirements of the NUS, DON Civilian 

workforce, and the services. Recommendations 

and an implementation plan, if appropriate, will 

be presented to the Secretary of the Navy by 

January 1, 2021.

15Education for Seapower Strategy 2020
Objective G: Evaluate 

JPME Programs 

This strategy is designed to increase educational 

opportunities and achievement while making naval 

education align with the sea-going requirements of 

the Navy and Marine Corps team. As the Chairman of 

the Joint Chiefs of Staff develops the future model of 

JPME, the Department of the Navy will provide advice 

and counsel to help improve and modernize the 

JPME program.

Action: In the near term, the CLO, DCNO N7, and 

DC (CD&I) will form a working group with stakeholders 

to develop JPME reform recommendations for the 

DoD and the DON that align to ongoing OSD and 

Joint Staff efforts.

Objective H: Establish E4S 

Metrics and Dashboard

We cannot make real progress unless we have a 

baseline understanding of what key communities 

know and do not know about critical subject areas 

and how well our institutions are performing. 

We have made two very preliminary steps in 

this direction. First, the Naval War College has 

administered an experimental intermediate 

warfighting knowledge test to a small subset of 

war college students, revealing significant gaps 

in necessary knowledge. Second, the CLO’s 

Coordination Group has determined that we possess 

potentially decisive gaps in knowledge about the 

value and limitations of emerging technologies 

and the capabilities and intentions of key potential 

adversaries. This represents a small step forward, 

but we need to conduct much more comprehensive 

assessments, founded on authoritative data, in order 

to successfully implement this education strategy.

Action: To achieve this goal, the CLO will develop 

an initial assessment plan for the force and for 

each NUS institution no later than end of 2020. 

Progress toward achieving the objectives outlined 

in this strategy will be assessed every year through 

a metrical dashboard that compares targets and 

results, to be reviewed by the Secretary of the Navy 

and the Education for Seapower Advisory Board.

16Education for Seapower Strategy 2020
17Education for Seapower Strategy 2020
Conclusion

Our current Naval University System has many 

strengths. We possess outstanding military 

educational institutions with brilliant and dedicated 

faculty and staff. We have a heritage of intellectual 

excellence that provided an essential margin of 

victory in World War II and laid the foundation for 

decades of naval dominance thereafter. We have 

created valuable pathways to additional learning 

experiences at civilian universities and through 

fellowships with outstanding private sector and 

governmental organizations. These strengths provide 

us with a remarkable foundation and legacy as we 

look forward to an even brighter future. 

Education for Seapower Strategy 2020 provides initial 

direction to our force as we work to link how we 

learn directly to how we fight. As we move forward, 

this strategy will adjust to reflect new realities. 

As we evolve, we will, however, remain constant 

in our fundamental commitment to intellectual 

preparedness and warfighting advantage. 

War is the harshest auditor of institutions. To deter 

future conflicts and to win those we cannot avoid, 

we need to operate at or near our full theoretical 

potential. We cannot reach that level of maximum 

effectiveness without great education for our entire 

force. Out-fighting our opponents will require that we 

out-think them. 

18Education for Seapower Strategy 2020
19Education for Seapower Strategy 2020
EDUCATION FOR SEAPOWER STRATEGY 2020