By Navy League National President David J. Reilly
This is blog post appears in the December issue of Seapower magazine, the official magazine of the Navy League of the United States.
The Navy League has served as an invaluable voice for the sea services for nearly 120 years, providing important recommendations to legislators and fellow advocates on the budget, assets and personnel matters that will continue to make the Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard and Merchant Marine an unparalleled maritime force.
Building on the foundation of this legacy, the Navy League of the United States is embarking on a new and exciting endeavor. We are launching a new think tank, the Center for Maritime Strategy, focused on all aspects of sea power and naval strategy. This new branch of the organization aligns the Navy League with other military service organizations, which have had think tanks in place for their own strategic amplification. This initiative will enhance our ability to conduct high-level support policy research and advocacy efforts across a broad spectrum of issues that impact the United States’ position as a maritime nation. It also creates a powerful new complement to our existing legislative affairs and advocacy goals.
The Center for Maritime Strategy will be headed by its dean, retired Adm. James Foggo. Oversight of the center will be provided by a committee chaired by former Chief of Naval Operations and current Navy League National Vice President Adm. John Richardson. Other members of the committee included re-tired U.S. Fleet Forces commander Adm. John Harvey, former Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy and current Navy League CEO Mike Stevens, Frank Russo of Forctis Advisory and Fulton Homes CEO Doug Fulton.
In the coming months, the center will lay the groundwork to provide the pivotal analysis and thought leadership the nation needs in the maritime space. You can be proud of the work the Navy League has done to get to this point and know that we are on the brink of even brighter horizons.