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 primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

is a school in the

National Defense University The National Defense University (NDU) is an institution of higher education funded by the United States Department of Defense, intended to facilitate high-level education, training, and professional development of national security leaders. As ...

. 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 Cha ...

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, 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 Staff colleges (also command and staff colleges and War colleges) train military officers in the administrative, military staff and policy aspects of their profession. It is usual for such training to occur at several levels in a career. For ex ...

, which operated from June 1943 to July 1946. The college was one of

James Forrestal James Vincent Forrestal (February 15, 1892 – May 22, 1949) was the last Cabinet-level United States Secretary of the Navy and the first United States Secretary of Defense. Forrestal came from a very strict middle-class Irish Catholic fami ...

's favorite causes. According to Lt. Gen.

Leonard T. Gerow Leonard Townsend Gerow (July 13, 1888 – October 12, 1972) was a general in the United States Army who served with distinction in both World War I and World War II. A 1911 graduate the Virginia Military Institute (VMI), Gerow served with the Uni ...

, 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 Lieutenant General Harold Roe "Pink" Bull (January 6, 1893 – November 1, 1976) was a general in the United States Army and served as Assistant Chief of Staff (G-3) at Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF) from 1943 to 19 ...

(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 (CINC ...

(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. (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 Rear Admiral Douglas John McAneny, USN (Ret.) (born 1955) serves as HDR's Federal Business Group Director. He is responsible for guiding and growing HDR's federal government business practice across all HDR operating companies. He serves on both ...

(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, retired

Marine Corps Marines, or naval infantry, are typically a military force trained to operate in littoral zones in support of naval operations. Historically, tasks undertaken by marines have included helping maintain discipline and order aboard the ship (refle ...

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 ec ...

* David W. Allvin, general and vice chief of staff of the United States Air Force *

Gholam Reza Azhari Arteshbod Gholam Reza Azhari ( fa, غلامرضا ازهاری; 18 February 1912 – 5 November 2001) was a military leader and Prime Minister of Iran. Early life and education Azhari was born in Shiraz in 1912 (or in 1917). He was a graduate ...

, 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 Robert Hilliard Barrow (February 5, 1922 – October 30, 2008) was a United States Marine Corps four-star general. Barrow was the 27th Commandant of the Marine Corps from 1979 to 1983. He served for 41 years, including overseas command duty in Wo ...

, 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 de ...

, 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 John Ross Beyrle (born February 11, 1954) is an American diplomat. A career Foreign Service Officer and specialist in Russian and Eastern European affairs, he served as List of Ambassadors of the United States to Russia, Ambassador of the United S ...

, U.S. Ambassador to Russia *

Arnold W. Braswell Arnold Webb Braswell (October 3, 1925 – March 15, 2022) was a lieutenant general (United States), lieutenant general in the United States Air Force (USAF) and command pilot who was commander in chief of Pacific Air Forces, with headquarters a ...

, retired Air Force General * Bernard Brodie, one of the initial nuclear theorists *

William Brownfield William Rivington Brownfield (born 1952) is a Career Ambassador in the United States Foreign Service and the former Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs as of January 10, 2011. He has p ...

, 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 Wesley Kanne Clark (born December 23, 1944) is a retired United States Army officer. He graduated as valedictorian of the class of 1966 at West Point and was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship to the University of Oxford, where he obtained a degree ...

, former NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe * Bernard A. Clarey, U.S. admiral --D-- * Raymond G. Davis, 14th Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps * Eugene Peyton Deatrick, 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, military officer, author, and academic --H-- *

Mark P. Hertling Mark Phillip Hertling (born September 29, 1953) is a former United States Army officer. From March 2011 to November 2012, he served as the Commanding General of United States Army Europe and the Seventh Army. Hertling served in Armor, Cavalry, p ...

USA Lieutenant General, Commander of US Army in Europe * Eric T. Hill, U.S.A.F major general --J-- *

James L. Jones James Logan Jones Jr. (born December 19, 1943) is a retired United States Marine Corps four-star general and consultant who served as the 21st United States National Security Advisor from 2009 to 2010. During his military career, he served as th ...

, 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 Kristie Anne Kenney is a former senior U.S. diplomat who served as the 32nd Counselor of the United States Department of State from 2016 to 2017. She is a recipient of the Secretary of State's Distinguished Service Award and held the nation's h ...

, 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 bo ...

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 Donald Willis Keyser (born 17 July 1943) retired from the United States Department of State in September 2004 after a 32-year career. He had been a member of the Senior Foreign Service since 1990, and held Washington-based ambassadorial-level assig ...

, 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 join ...

, assistant secretary of state for politico-military affairs, the

State Department The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government responsible for the country's fore ...

Charles C. Krulak Charles Chandler Krulak (born March 4, 1942) is a retired United States Marine Corps General (United States), four-star general who served as the 31st Commandant of the Marine Corps from July 1, 1995 to June 30, 1999. He is the son of Lieutenant ...

, 31st Commandant of the Marine Corps --L-- *

Bruce Laingen Lowell Bruce Laingen (August 6, 1922 – July 15, 2019) was an American diplomat who served as the United States Ambassador to Malta from 1977 to 1979. Laingen is best known for having been the most senior American official held hostage during th ...

, 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 On November 4, 1979, 52 United States diplomats and citizens were held hostage after a group of militarized Iranian college students belonging to the Muslim Student Followers of the Imam's Line, who supported the Iranian Revolution, took over ...

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, ...

, first U.S.A.F. fighter pilot, general *

Homer Litzenberg Homer Laurence Litzenberg (January 8, 1903 – June 27, 1963) was a decorated lieutenant general in the United States Marine Corps, serving in Haiti, World War II, and the Korean War. His final rank was awarded at his retirement for valor in ba ...

, 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 the ...

--M-- *

James Mattis James Norman Mattis (born September 8, 1950) is a retired United States Marine Corps four-star general who served as the 26th US secretary of defense from 2017 to 2019. During his 44 years in the Marine Corps, he commanded forces in the Persian ...

, 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 terms ...

, 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 Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...

* Thomas McInerney, U.S.A.F lieutenant general * Merrill A. McPeak, former U.S.A.F Chief of Staff *

Godfrey McHugh Godfrey T. McHugh (September 30, 1911 – July 5, 1997) was a United States Air Force general, and served as military aide to President John F. Kennedy. Early years McHugh was born in Brussels, Belgium, to American parents. He received a bacca ...

, former military aide to President

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination ...

--N-- *

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

, U.S. congressman *

Richard Norland Richard Boyce Norland (born 1955) is an American diplomat. He currently serves as the United States Ambassador to Libya. Career Ambassador Richard Norland previously served as the Foreign Policy Advisor to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staf ...

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 Egypt–Libya bo ...

--O-- *

Robin Olds Robin Olds (July 14, 1922 – June 14, 2007) was an American fighter pilot and general officer in the United States Air Force (USAF). He was a " triple ace", with a combined total of 17 victories in World War II and the Vietnam War. ...

, 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 Gen. Czesław Piątas (born 20 March 1946) is a Polish general, former Chief of General Staff of the Polish Army. He is one of the authors of the plan of modernisation of the Polish armed forces and one of the architects of its integration with ...

, chief of general staff, Polish army *

Colin Powell Colin Luther Powell ( ; April 5, 1937 – October 18, 2021) was an American politician, statesman, diplomat, and United States Army officer who served as the 65th United States Secretary of State from 2001 to 2005. He was the first African ...

, former U.S. Secretary of State and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff *

Edward Pietrzyk Generał broni Edward Pietrzyk (3 November 19495 May 2021) was a Polish military officer, diplomat and general in the Polish Army. He was commander-in-chief of the Polish Land Forces. Early life and career Pietrzyk was born in Rawa Mazowiec ...

, 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 The ''Laconia'' incident was a series of events surrounding the sinking of a British passenger ship in the Atlantic Ocean on 12 September 1942, during World War II, and a subsequent aerial attack on German and Italian submarines involved i ...

--S-- * Beth Sanner, deputy director of national intelligence * Norton A. Schwartz, former U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff *

Dorothy Shea Dorothy Shea is an American career diplomat who has served as the List of ambassadors of the United States to Lebanon, United States Ambassador to Lebanon since 2020. On December 7, 2022, she received the Distinguished Presidential Rank Award for ...

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 li ...

* Robert Lee Scott Jr., USAF brigadier general and fighter ace *

Hugh Shelton Henry Hugh Shelton (born January 2, 1942) is a former United States Army officer who served as the 14th chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 1997 to 2001. Early life, family and education Shelton was born in Tarboro, North Carolina and g ...

, 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 Eric Ken Shinseki (; born November 28, 1942) is a retired United States Army general who served as the seventh United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs (2009–2014). His final United States Army post was as the 34th Chief of Staff of the Arm ...

, former U.S. Army Chief of Staff and Secretary of Veterans Affairs * Jay B. Silveria, superintendent,

United States Air Force Academy The United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) is a United States service academy in El Paso County, Colorado, immediately north of Colorado Springs. It educates cadets for service in the officer corps of the United States Air Force and Uni ...

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

Stephanie S. Sullivan Stephanie Sanders Sullivan (; born September 27, 1958) is an American diplomat and the previous ambassador to Ghana. She served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Central African Affairs and Security Affairs for the Bureau of African Affairs from ...

, U.S. ambassador to Ghana * James C. Swan, United Nations secretary general's special representative for Somalia --W-- *

Mark Welsh Mark Anthony Welsh III (born January 26, 1953) is Dean of the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University and a retired United States Air Force four-star general. Prior to his current role, he served as Chief of Staff of ...

, USAF general *

Cedric T. Wins Cedric Terry Wins is a retired U.S. Army general officer. Major General Wins was the last commander of RDECOM, in the U.S. Army Materiel Command, and the first commanding general (CG) of Combat Capabilities Development Command ( DEVCOM), in the ...

, U.S. army general --Y-- *

Donald Yamamoto Donald Yukio Yamamoto (born 1953) is an American diplomat who served as the United States ambassador to Somalia from 2018 to 2021. Before that he was the acting assistant secretary of state for african affairs with a term of appointment startin ...

, U.S. ambassador to Somalia *

Stefan Yanev Stefan Dinchev Yanev ( bg, Стефан Динчев Янев) is a retired Bulgarian Army Brigade general and a politician. He was from 12 May to 13 December 2021 acting deputy prime minister, acting minister of defense and caretaker government ...

, 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 Macedon ...

Marie Yovanovitch Marie Louise "Masha" Yovanovitch (born November 11, 1958) is a Canadian-American former diplomat and retired senior member of the United States Foreign Service. She served in multiple State Department posts, including Senior Advisor to the Unde ...

U.S. ambassador to

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

--Z-- *

Anthony Zinni Anthony Charles Zinni (born September 17, 1943) is a former United States Marine Corps general and a former Commander in Chief of the United States Central Command (CENTCOM). From 2001 to 2003, he served as a special envoy for the United States t ...

, Marine Corps General, 6th Commander,

United States Central Command The United States Central Command (USCENTCOM or CENTCOM) is one of the eleven unified combatant commands of the U.S. Department of Defense. It was established in 1983, taking over the previous responsibilities of the Rapid Deployment Joint Ta ...

Elmo Zumwalt Elmo Russell "Bud" Zumwalt Jr. (November 29, 1920 – January 2, 2000) was a United States Navy officer and the youngest person to serve as Chief of Naval Operations. As an admiral and later the 19th Chief of Naval Operations, Zumwalt played a m ...

, former U.S. Chief of Naval Operations * James P. Zumwalt, U.S. ambassador to Senegal

Roosevelt Hall

Roosevelt Hall (built 1903–1907) is a Beaux Arts–style building housing the NWC since its inception in 1946. Designed by the New York architectural firm

McKim, Mead & White McKim, Mead & White was an American architectural firm that came to define architectural practice, urbanism, and the ideals of the American Renaissance in fin de siècle New York. The firm's founding partners Charles Follen McKim (1847–1909), Wil ...

, it is now designated a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

. It is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

. File:National War College (9294170263).jpg, Roosevelt Hall of National War College

References

External links

National War College homepage
{{Coord, 38, 51, 48, N, 77, 01, 01, W, display=title Military academies of the United States Military education and training in the United States National Historic Landmarks in Washington, D.C. National Defense University War colleges Universities and colleges in Washington, D.C. 1946 establishments in Washington, D.C. Southwest Waterfront

History

Commandants

Alumni and influence

Roosevelt Hall

See also

References

External links