Juliette McLennan, right, former Ambassador to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women under President George H.W. Bush., congratulates Susan Bridenstine, center. At left is USNWC President RADM Shoshana S. Chatfield.
NEWPORT, R.I.— The Naval War College Foundation sponsored and presented academic awards to more than three dozen graduating students from the U.S. Naval War College (USNWC) during a Student Awards Ceremony Thursday, June 9, in Spruance Auditorium.
The namesake of the Honorable Juliette C. McLennan Essay Prize for Women, Peace and Security congratulated the first place winner, Susan Bridenstine, College of Naval Warfare, for her essay, “Women, Peace and Security: Inclusive Approaches to Resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict. NWCF Trustee McLennan served as Ambassador to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women under President George H.W. Bush.
Honorable mention went to LtCol Meghan Kennerly, USMC, College of Naval Warfare.
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Mr. Ryan Campbell, College of Naval Warfare, received the The J. William Middendorf II Award for Student Research for his essay, “Arms Control Perspectives and Tension in the South China Sea.” The award, named after the former Secretary of the Navy, diplomat and NWCF Trustee Emeritus, is presented to the best individual or group research project on strategic or tactical concepts, logistics or readiness.
Honorable Mention went to Mr. Daniel Simonsen, College of Naval Warfare.
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The John J. D’Luhy Prize to Honor Excellence in Strategic Analysis and Thought went to Maj Dustin Nicholson, USMC, College of Naval Command and Staff for his final exam essay, “How the Weak Can Beat the Strong in War at Sea.” The prize is given to the student who writes an outstanding essay on a recurring strategic question for the final examination in the Strategy and Policy course.
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The Vice Admiral James H. Doyle, Jr. Military Operations and International Law Prize, sponsored by the NWCF through the generosity of the Daley Family Fund and the Oceans Law and Policy Endowment, recognizes the best essays on the role of international law in military operations during peacetime or armed conflict.
Captain Christopher Nucci, Royal Canadian Navy, Naval Command College, won the award for his senior class essay, “Multinational Freedom of Navigation Operations in the South China Sea.”
LCDR Adam Aliano, USN, College of Naval Command and Staff, received the Doyle prize for his intermediate class essay, “The Montreux Convention and a Black Sea Presence: Leveraging Law to Enable Operational Capabilities.”
Honorable mention went to CDR Philip Granati, USCG, College of Naval Warfare.
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Three awards designated for students from three different branches of the armed services recognized those achieving the highest grade point average at the completion of the academic year.
Navy: LCDR Nicholas Memering, USN, received The Drs. Daniel and Susan Thys Academic Prize.
U.S. Marine Corp: LtCol Amelia Griffith, USMCR, College of Naval Warfare, received The Captain James T. Larkin, U.S. Marine Corps, Award for Academic Excellence by a U.S. Marine Corps Officer. This award is named after a NWCF Trustee Emeritus.
Coast Guard: CDR Ryan Kelley, USCG, College of Naval Warfare, was honored with The Edward H. Bragg Award for Academic Excellence by a U.S. Coast Guard Officer. The award is made possible through an endowed fund created in memory of Mr. Bragg by his many friends and family to honor his commitment to the NWCF, the U.S. Coast Guard and his nation.
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The Captain Walter B. Woodson, Jr., Academic Memorial Prize, named in honor the longtime NWCF executive director, went to MAJ Kah Loke Soh, Republic of Singapore Navy, Naval Staff College, for his essay, “How Effectively Did U.S. and Iraqi Leaders Use the Multinational Arena to Achieve Policy Goals from 1990-1991?” The prize goes each year to a Naval Staff College student for the best paper on a topic related to force planning or strategic issues of maritime interest.
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The Naval War College Foundation Award went to LCDR Nicholas Memering, USN, College of Naval Command and Staff, for his essay, “The Advantage of a “Paperclip” Navy, Re-imagining Naval Platform Capabilities.” Funded through the generosity of the NWCF Board of Trustees, the award is given each year to the student who writes the best essay dealing with maritime strategy or the operational level of warfare. This award is funded by the Naval War College Foundation through the generosity of its Board of Trustees.
Two honorable mentions, both from the College of Naval Command and Staff, were named: MAJ Brian Mawyer, USA, and MAJ Melissa McKinney, USA.
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Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Capt. Yuki Nakamura, center, a graduating student from the Naval Command College, receives The Robert E. Batemans’ International Prize Essay Award from Naval War College Foundation CEO George E. Lang, Jr., right
The Robert E. Batemans’ International Prize Essay Award is funded by the generosity of Mr. and Mrs. Robert E. Bateman and given to a Naval Command College student submitting the best essay on a topic relating to force planning or strategic issues of maritime interest. The winner was Capt. Yuki Nakamura, Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, Naval Command College, for his essay, “Japan’s Active Involvement in the South China Sea.”
Honorable mention went to CAPT Ginto George Chacko, Indian Navy, Naval Command College.
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The Zimmerman-Gray Essay Award for the best paper submitted by a Naval Staff College student went to MAJ Kah Loke Soh, Republic of Singapore Navy, Naval Staff College for his essay, “Later Rather Than Sooner: Why the PRC’s Invasion of Taiwan Is Not on the Horizon.” The prize is provided through the generosity of Mr. and Mrs. Gilson Gray and the NWCF. The award is named in honor of their fathers, Commander Donald Zimmerman, United States Navy, and Commander Gilson B. Gray, Jr., United States Navy; both career naval aviators who saw combat duty during World War II.
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LCDR Kevin Schrodt, USN, College of Naval Command and Staff, a March 2022 graduate, received The Admiral Richard G. Colbert Memorial Prize for his essay, “The Quantum Decryption Offset—Defend, Deny, Discover: A Strategic Framework for Offsetting Enabling Technologies in an Era of Integrated Deterrence.” The NWCF gives this award to a student for the best essay addressing strategic, military, or political aspects of the United States Navy’s roles or missions.
Honorable Mention went to Mr. Daniel J. Simonsen, Defense Senior Leadership Development.
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USNWC Writing Center faculty selected five students to receive the Diane M. Disney Writing Award— named for a past Foundation trustee—based on their active engagement in developing their writing during their academic year of study. The following students were honored:
- LtCol Amelia Griffith, USMC, College of Naval Warfare
- Maj Dustin Nicholson, USMC, College of Naval Command and Staff
- LCDR Marta Pratellesi, Italian Navy, Naval Staff College
- CDR Harry Evans, USN, College of Naval Warfare, March 2022 graduate
- LtCol Paul Bock, USMC, College of Naval Warfare
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The Admiral Richard G. Colbert Memorial Prize was awarded to LCDR Kevin Schrodt, USN, College of Naval Command and Staff, for the essay, “The Quantum Decryption Offset — Defend, Deny, Discover: A Strategic Framework for Offsetting Enabling
Technologies in an Era of Integrated Deterrence.” Scrodt was a March 2022 graduate.
Honorable Mention went to Mr. Daniel J. Simonsen, Defense Senior Leadership Development.
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The Admiral Stockdale Memorial Leadership and Ethics Prize was awarded to Lt Col Shane Hughes, USAF, College of Naval Warfare, for the paper, “Fostering an Innovative Unit.”
Honorable mention went to Maj Deborah Gaddis, USAF, College of Naval Command and Staff.
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The Asia-Pacific Studies Prize for the best paper related to the region comprising the maritime and continental territory from South and Central Asia to the Pacific Rim was awarded to MAJ Kyle Hanratty, USA, College of Naval Command and Staff. His outstanding essay was titled, “Cross-Strait Calculus: Navigating Taiwanese-PRC Tensions.”
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The Captain Jerome E. Levy Economic Geography and World Order Prize was awarded to CDR Catherine Reppert, USN, College of Naval Command and Staff, for the essay, “Climate and Conflict in Lake Chad Basin – Improving USAFRICOM’s Strategy Towards Complex Climate-Security Challenges.” Reppert graduated in March 2022. This prize recognizes the best research product that fundamentally addresses and proposes potential solutions in the disciplines of economic geography and national or international security.
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The General George C. Kenney Award for Writing on the Topic of Airpower went to Maj. Thomas Kutz, USAF, College of Naval Command and Staff, for the essay, “Lethal Unmanned Aircraft Systems: Democratizing Airpower.”
There were also two honorable mentions: LCDR Victor Schaefer, USN, and LCDR Stephen Walsh, USN.
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The Lieutenant Michael P. Murphy Counterterrorism Prize was awarded to Lt. Mouhamadou Baba Bèye, Senegalese Navy, Naval Staff College for the essay, “Addressing Terrorism in the Sahel: What Strategy to Adopt?”
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The Matthew C. Perry Award for International Research went to Col. Edmund Hipp, USMC, College of Naval Warfare, for the research paper, “The Role of the Quad in Southeast Asia: Reducing the M in DIME.” Hipp graduated in March 2022.
In second place was Capt Yuki Nakamura, Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, Naval Command College.
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Two international students were awarded The RADM Joseph C. Strasser NCC International Leadership Prize winner: Captain José Regodón Gómez, Spanish Navy, and LCDR Fabian Tamm, Royal Swedish Navy.
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The Vice Admiral John T. Hayward Award for Outstanding Performance in Online Distance Education went to LCDR Thomas Williams, USN, College of Distance Education.
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