Navy announces new program to advance strategic studies

The Navy plans to establish a new program to boost strategic studies and thinking within the service -- modeled after a similar initiative that was created during the Cold War but ended in 2016.

Administered by the Navy’s Office of Strategic Assessment, the new Naval Strategic Studies Group will begin its work in January, and the first cohort will be made up of uniformed and civilian Navy and Marine Corps members, according to a news release last week.

The first cohort will be in Washington, DC and will work on a capstone research project and “broad strategic challenges” to boost Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro’s strategic maritime statecraft initiative.

“I expect my seasoned, mid-grade officers to be brilliant on naval tactics and operations by the time they report for graduate education,” Del Toro said in the release. “I need future flag and general officers who will think strategically about how to lead naval forces in an increasingly contested maritime domain and amidst intense economic, technological and military competition."

Threats posed by China, Russia and Houthi rebels in the Red Sea will shape the global security environment over decades, Del Toro added.

“A revitalized, Naval SSG will help the Department of the Navy engage with and look ahead of these trends with sufficient access, resources, and guidance from leadership,” he said.