United States Naval Institute The United States Naval Institute ( USNI ) , based at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis , Maryland , is a private , non - profit , professional military association that seeks to offer independent , nonpartisan forums for debate of national defense issues . Established in 1873 , it claims 48 , 000 members , mostly active and retired members of the United States Navy , Marine Corps , and Coast Guard . The organization has no official or funding ties to the Academy or the U . S . Navy , although it is based at the Naval Academy through permission granted by a 1936 Act of Congress . The Institute publishes magazines and books and runs several annual conferences on security matters in Washington , D . C . ; San Diego , California ; Norfolk , Virginia ; and elsewhere in the United States . It maintains one of the world ’ s largest private collections of military photographs : more than 450 , 000 images of people , ships and aircraft from all branches of the armed forces . The photographs date from the American Civil War to the present . The Institute ' s mission is : " to provide an open forum for the exchange of ideas , to disseminate and advance the knowledge of sea power , and to preserve our naval and maritime heritage . " It supports the professional development of its active - duty members by providing articles , books , and digital content about military career challenges . History . On October 9 , 1873 , 15 naval officers gathered at the Academy ' s Department of Physics and Chemistry building in Annapolis to discuss military history and strategy . The founders of the U . S . Naval Institute were : Rear Admiral John L . Worden ( former captain of the USS " Monitor " ) , Commodore Foxhall Parker , Lieutenant Charles Belknap , Commanders Edward Terry and S . Dana Greene , Chief Engineer C . H . Baker , Medical Director Philip Lansdale , Pay Inspector James Murray , Lieutenant Commanders P . E . Harrington , J . E . Craig , Casper F . Goodrich , P . H . Cooper , C . J . Train , Lieutenant Willard H . Brownson , and Marine Corps Captain McLane Tilton . In 1999 , the organization dedicated its new headquarters , named Beach Hall to honor the contributions of Edward L . Beach , Jr . and his father and namesake , Edward L . Beach , Sr . , who served as the Institute ' s secretary - treasurer . Publications and products . The monthly magazine " Proceedings " is the Institute ’ s flagship publication . Published since 1874 , it is the third - oldest continuously published magazine in the United States . It has carried articles by Secretaries of Defense Caspar Weinberger , Dick Cheney , and William Perry ; journalists Bob Woodward , Ben Bradlee , Evan Thomas , David Hartman , and Thomas Ricks ; every Secretary of the Navy , Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff , and top leaders of the Navy , Marine Corps and Coast Guard . The magazine also publishes articles of interest to its membership and in advancement of its mission . Roughly a third are written by active - duty personnel , a third by retired military , and a third by civilians . The USNI bimonthly " Naval History " magazine explores the role of sea power in U . S . history . Contributors have included historians David McCullough and James M . McPherson ; former sailors , Marines and Coast Guardsmen such as Ernest Borgnine , Gene Hackman , and Douglas Fairbanks , Jr . ; newsman Walter Cronkite , who covered the Invasion of Normandy in 1944 for United Press ; and NBC television anchor Tom Brokaw . USNI ’ s " Naval Institute Press " imprint publishes several dozen books each year . Its twice - yearly catalog includes works on history , biography , professional military education , and occasional works of popular fiction , including Tom Clancy ' s first novel , " The Hunt for Red October " ; and Stephen Coonts ’ " Flight of the Intruder . " Among the professional development titles are " The Bluejacket ' s Manual " , " Naval Shiphandling " , " The Marine Officer ’ s Guide " , and " The Coast Guardsman ’ s Manual " . The Institute ’ s Web site includes reader forums and the " Get the Gouge " site aimed at younger readers . In December 2008 , the Naval Institute launched a blog whose writers include Navy Admiral James G . Stavridis and Admiral Thad Allen , the 23rd Commandant of the Coast Guard . In 2007 , USNI produced " Americans At War " , a series of video interviews with U . S . combat veterans of conflicts dating to World War I . Former President George H . W . Bush , Senators Bob Dole , Daniel Inouye , Bob Kerry , and other men and women described how combat changed their lives . The series was broadcast on Public Broadcasting Service television stations nationwide .