Naval War College history

In 1883, after he recognized a need for preparatory programs for enlisted recruits, Luce established the Navy’s first recruit training station at Newport’s Coasters Harbor Island.

More than 50,000 students have graduated since its first class of 9 students in 1885 and about 300 of today's active-duty admirals and generals and senior executive service leaders are alumni.

The College engaged in wargaming various scenarios from 1887 on, and in time became a laboratory for the development of war plans.

In 1892, the structure now known as Luce Hall opened as the college's new home, at a cost of $100,000.

Officers at the Naval War College played a key part in creating the country’s first contingency plans for war, some of which were used in the Spanish-American War in 1898.

Another groundbreaking thinker was Captain Charles H. Stockton, who, in 1900 published the first code of international law for naval operations.

From its humble beginnings in 1914, the College of Distance Education (CDE) today offers thousands of officer, enlisted, and civilian students the opportunity to complete PME/ JPME courses critical to their career development.

When the Naval War College was enlarged in 1932, this original building was renamed Luce Hall in honor of the institution's founder and first Superintendent (later President), Stephen B. Luce.

In 1946, Admiral Raymond Spruance, the victor at the battle of Midway, returned to the Naval War College for his fourth tour of duty and established the college’s direction as it entered the Cold War era.

In 1947, the NWC acquired an existing barracks building and converted it to a secondary war gaming facility, naming it Sims Hall after former War College President Admiral William Sowden Sims (NWC President from Feb. to Apr.

Each year, the Chief of Naval Operations personally invites his counterparts in selected countries to nominate students to attend NCC. Begun in 1956, NCC's vision is to foster knowledge, friendship, and cooperation among navies from around the world.

Since its inception, the Foundation’s mission has held steady: to enrich and enhance the programs offered by the NWC. As Founder President Brown wrote in 1969:

Established in 1972, and modeled after the success of the NCC program, the Naval Staff College (NSC) follows the practices of the NCC in developing its student body.

The younger McChrystal attended the United States Military Academy at West Point, graduating as a second lieutenant in 1976.

A series of infantry assignments followed, and he was promoted to first lieutenant in 1978, prior to his enrollment at Special Forces school.

McChrystal commanded a Green Beret unit (1979–80) before attending advanced infantry officer training school and receiving a promotion to captain.

In 1990, the Naval War College became the first of the nation’s staff and war colleges to reach academic standards that allowed for formal academic accreditation, leading to the authority to award its students a Master of Arts degree in national security and strategic studies.

With the outbreak of the Persian Gulf War (1991), McChrystal was deployed to Saudi Arabia, and JSOC oversaw the search for Iraqi mobile Scud missile launchers.

In 1996 he was elevated to full colonel, shortly after he had begun a year of study at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

In 1999, the state-of-the-art McCarty Little Hall opened, replacing Sims Hall as the War College's primary wargaming facility.

He returned to the 82nd Airborne in 2000 and was promoted to brigadier general the following year.

After the September 11 attacks of 2001, McChrystal served as chief of staff to the combined joint task force operating in Afghanistan.

In 2002 the College was recognized by the Association for Educational Communications and Technology with its prestigious Crystal Award for the most innovative Distance Learning project in the world.

In 2003, due to OPNAV tasking to provide greater access and opportunity to PME/JPME for Unrestricted Line (URL) Navy officers whose duties and/or locations precluded them from joining with peer groups for study in the College's other programs, the College realized a new direction was needed.

In response, CDE embarked on a new educational venture, developing the CD-ROMbased correspondence course that was first deployed in April 2004.

In October 2006, the College began to serve as executive agent for the Chief of Naval Operations’ Navy Professional Reading Program, which established lending libraries of significant books at over 1,200 ships, squadrons, and commands around the world.

In 2007, the NWC established the College of Operational and Strategic Leadership (COSL) in response to the broadened span of professional military education responsibilities; COSL developed and delivers advanced courses for selected groups of flag and general officers.

Nevertheless, he remained a rising star in the upper echelons of the United States armed forces, and he was named director of the Joint Staff in August 2008.

In June 2009, as the tide in Afghanistan appeared to turn against the United States, McChrystal was given command of the joint NATO-United States mission there.

To support that mission, McChrystal requested the deployment of an additional 30,000 troops, which Obama approved; this brought the total United States force commitment in early 2010 to almost 100,000 troops.

In 2011 he was appointed to a panel overseeing Joining Forces, a new government initiative to assist military families.

McChrystal released a memoir, My Share of the Task, in 2013.

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