The Naval War College Foundation (NWCF) is pleased to announce that funding from a grant from The Pew Charitable Trusts will be used to develop a handbook that addresses the most vexing challenges of maritime governance. The handbook will be produced from a series of case study review workshops hosted at the U.S. Naval War College (USNWC) and will support tabletop exercises that help USNWC students understand the complex factors that impact their maritime domain, learn how to plan and execute appropriate naval responses, and appreciate the importance that international law, interagency coordination, and regional cooperation play in their success.
The workshops will be facilitated by Vice Admiral Robert Parker, a USNWC graduate who retired after serving for 39 years with the United States Coast Guard (USCG). VADM Parker was the first USCG officer to lead the Operations Directorate at U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM). During his tenure, Parker oversaw the rescue of U.S. hostages in Colombia in 2008 and the U.S. military support to USAID after the Haiti Earthquake.
Under the guidance of VADM Parker, selected Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) in maritime affairs will gather at two, 2-day workshops to review real-world case studies on the most challenging maritime threats facing developing countries such as illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, human smuggling, narco-trafficking, and piracy. Other maritime threats might include port security, consequence management, and humanitarian assistance/disaster relief operations. From these workshops, up to eight cases will be selected for further development and inclusion in the handbook, which will be used to support the maritime governance curriculum at the USNWC.
“The Pew Charitable Trusts and the U.S. Naval War College have a common interest preparing international maritime security leaders for working together to take on the challenges of establishing and maintaining maritime governance around the globe. This grant is an important step towards establishing the foundational elements of the Naval War College’s emerging College of Maritime Governance,” said Daniel Schaeffer, a senior manager with The Pew Charitable Trusts.
About The Pew Charitable Trusts: The Pew Charitable Trusts is a nonprofit organization that focuses on funding projects that produce consequential outcomes, foster new ideas, and achieve measurable results that serve the public interest. For more information, visit pewtrusts.org.