The U.S. Naval War College hosted the 74th Secretary of the Navy’s Current Strategy Forum (CSF) June 9-10, focusing on strategic competition with China and the evolving landscape of maritime warfare.
Held at Naval Station Newport, this year’s forum—titled “The Future of Sea Power, Maritime Strategy and Naval Warfare”—brought together military leaders, national security experts, academics, and students to examine global power dynamics and the role of sea power in future conflicts.
Retired Adm. James G. Foggo, dean of the Center for Maritime Strategy, opened the forum with a keynote honoring naval theorist Alfred Thayer Mahan, noting even China’s President Xi Jinping has studied Mahan’s ideas. “It’s time to bring Mahan and sea power back,” Foggo said.
The forum featured keynote speakers including Hal Brands of Johns Hopkins SAIS, Dr. Toshi Yoshihara of the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, and Lt. Gen. Benjamin T. Watson of the U.S. Marine Corps.
Yoshihara cautioned against viewing a Chinese move on Taiwan solely as a military invasion, warning of broader coercive tactics. “The onus is on the U.S. and its allies to respond to a wider array of contingencies,” he said.
Panel discussions tackled “American power and purpose in a changing world” and “challenges to American leadership,” examining artificial intelligence, hypersonics, space warfare, and unmanned systems as emerging factors in modern conflict.
The event drew over 100 attendees, including scholars from institutions like Harvard, Dartmouth, and Tufts. It also marked the first time CSF was integrated into the Naval War College’s new “Perspectives on Modern War” course.
Rear Adm. Darryl Walker, NWC president, urged students to continue rigorous strategic analysis beyond the forum. “Be curious and ask questions,” he said.
CSF concludes ahead of the Naval War College’s graduation ceremony on June 13.
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