Notes to the New Administration Week
By Claude Berube
The Navy needs to reform its education by merging the commissioning sources of the U.S. Naval Academy, ROTC, and Officer Candidate School. This recommendation is based on current conditions, educational opportunities for midshipmen, and cost savings. Commissioning of U.S. Navy midshipmen (“mids” weren’t allowed to commission as Marines until the 1880s) has changed since the early republic, from at-sea training to the U.S. Naval Academy as the sole source of commissioning, to it changing from a two- to four-year program, to accreditation and the first bachelor’s degree awarded with the class of 1933. Other commissioning sources were created in the early twentieth century given emerging threats, including the Navy Reserve, the Navy Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC), and Officer Candidate School (OCS).
Proposed changes in the mid-twentieth century were not successful. Various attempts were made to move or create additional academies in Chicago, Washington state, Los Angeles, and the Gulf of Mexico. A women’s naval academy was proposed by congress in WWII. In 1945, the House and Senate Naval Affairs Committees considered the proposal, which was opposed by House Chair Carl Vinson due to cost and internal naval rivalries that would emerge with competing naval academies. But today is not WWII.
Today, the Academy graduates approximately 1,100 midshipmen annually when the fleet has fewer than 300 ships. USNA is graduating nearly three times the number of officers as it did in 1933 when the navy had 311 ships and nearly twice the number as in 1943 when the Navy had approximately 3,900 vessels. The U.S. Navy will never return to WWII ship numbers, nor is it expected to exceed 300 in the foreseeable future despite the promises of the past two decades. Consequently, adaptation is required in this environment.
The average cost of U.S. college tuition is $35,000. For Navy ROTC colleges and universities, the average tuition and fees range from $25,000 for in-state students and $37,500 for out-of-state students. The cost to educate each midshipman in reportedly at least three times that amount annually. In addition, the four-year Academy program largely insulates midshipmen from exposure to other cultures and experiences (except for a few programs such as a semester abroad).
The Navy should have one commissioning source – the U.S. Naval Academy. But it should be adapted to benefit from other educational programs and experiences domestically. All applicants would still go through a congressional nomination process and reviewed by the admissions board. This would give members of congress even more opportunities to nominate qualified students. Those accepted would participate in a plebe summer and then be distributed to the current ROTC programs throughout the United States for a period of two years during which time they would be supervised and evaluated by the current ROTC structure for ensuring potential as an officer. At the end of the two years, those students meriting continuation would arrive at Annapolis as a two-year school for completing their bachelor’s degree with a focus on service-specific needs.
This process would reduce the cost of educating midshipmen through other tuition programs, eliminating courses at the Academy that are already offered at civilian schools, and reduce administration, staff, and faculty positions. It would focus the sole commissioning source on warfighting. It would also create a more experienced junior officer benefiting from the diversity of cultures and education better prepared to face today’s international challenges with all officers having a common two-year experience in Annapolis.
Claude Berube, PhD, is a retired Navy Commander and taught for nearly twenty years at the U.S. Naval Academy. Among his nine books are A Call to the Sea, On Wide Seas, and Rickover Uncensored. He is a CIMSEC Senior Editor.
Featured Image: ANNAPOLIS, Md. (June 27, 2024) Midshipman candidates from the class of 2028 listen to remarks from the Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro during Induction Day 2024. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class William Bennett IV)
But Claude, how would USNA field a Division 1 football team this way?
In all seriousness, I did a lot of work on Navy officer education when I was an SSG Fellow for Admiral Greenert in 2014–15 and we looked at many different models. Many challenges with this proposal, aside from all the money and entrenched interests that would oppose it. What type of school would USNA be accredited as in this scenario?
Thanks. A colleague won the bet of “how long until the first person mentions ‘football.'”
Maybe I’m wrong but a player can play for two years at one college and then transfer, but they must follow NCAA transfer rules, ensure academic eligibility, and consider how transferring affects their playing time and scholarship. And imagine the level of football player you’d get if after two years at Michigan, Ohio State, or Georgia they go play for USNA winning more games and bringing in more revenue.
Regarding entrenched interests (aside from football), associated organizations whose primary purpose is financially motivated – as you know – would actually do well under this recommendation.
Regarding accreditation, you’re correct, it would be jeopardized. USNA is governed by MSCHE, but USNA was not accredited until the 1930s. Laws and regulations can be changed. We’re seeing this unfold now on a smaller scale. Maybe a simple Executive Order could provide a hybrid model of accreditation for service academies.
Love the topic and got excited at the start. Then you killed it by again backing up the class system and political influence. You did so while making clear a naval academy grad costs 3 times as much.
The actual conservative view (fiscal) would say privatize the academy. Their power and influence should be able to fund itself if their brand recognition is anywhere close to where it needs to be.
And I’m not criticizing anyone’s service or education. We need to acknowledge that there are pluses and minuses to even the very best things. Points for veterans in public service is the same thing. We weed out other experiences that might prove more valuable to the work at hand.
Do we still live in a country that understands this?
Andy, good comments. Thanks.
The fact is that Congress has the power of the purse under Article 1, Section 8 and nominating mids is part of each member’s privilege, though not all are accepted.
The cost per annum under my recommendation would be lowered since the first two years would be done at another school and the two years at the Academy would be lowered by reducing the number of faculty and administrators.