25Mar09 - The Naval Academy has updated its mission statement to better align it with the Academy’s historical commitment to graduate leaders to serve the Nation.
During the most recent strategic planning process, the academy’s senior leadership team debated the merits of adding an explicit reference to “leaders” or “leadership” in order to better highlight the emphasis that USNA places on developing leaders. Naval Academy Superintendent Vice Adm. Jeffrey L. Fowler concurred and forwarded the recommendation to Navy leadership. On March 13, Secretary of the Navy Donald Winter approved the following refinement to the Academy’s mission statement, substituting the words “…provide graduates who are dedicated to a career of naval service” with “…graduate leaders who are dedicated to a career of naval service.” The updated mission statement is:
To develop Midshipmen morally, mentally and physically and to imbue them with the highest ideals of duty, honor and loyalty in order to graduate leaders who are dedicated to a career of naval service and have potential for future development in mind and character to assume the highest responsibilities of command, citizenship and government.
The previous version of the Academy’s mission statement was developed in 1960 on the basis of a 1947 version of the Naval Academy’s mission statement. An abbreviated version was used from 1971 to 1987, until the full 1960 version was reinstituted at the direction of then-Secretary of the Navy James Webb. The words “leader” or “leadership” last appeared in a 1938 version of the Academy’s mission statement.
While the recommendation and decision to change the mission statement is not taken lightly, the Academy’s history reflects the evolutionary and dynamic nature of this statement so that it more accurately reflects the Academy’s mission, and how that mission is aligned to support the Department of the Navy and the nation.
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