Naval War College's Maritime Advanced Warfighting School studies American Revolution operations, visits multiple battlefields

Official Statements

• U.S. Naval War College, November 10: “The U.S. Naval War College (NWC) Maritime Advanced Warfighting School (MAWS) conducted a staff ride with students, staff, and faculty to battlefields in upstate New York and Vermont, October 13-16, 2026. The staff ride centered on the Revolutionary War’s British Northern Campaign of 1776-1777 and served as a culminating event for the MAWS class.

  MAWS Director, U.S. Navy Captain Jonathan Puglia accompanied his students and staff on the staff ride. “The purpose of [the staff ride] was to get into the decision makers’ minds and give students a better understanding of decision making, in that nothing comes without risk,” Puglia said. “We learned how to execute and compare the real cases from 250 years ago to now, and while technology has changed, so much of the decision-making fundamentals remains the same, and that’s what we want the students to take away.”

  The staff ride consisted of 47 students from the Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Navy, Marine Corps, and Space Force who conducted 14 Battle Stands and nine Leadership Decision Profiles focused on the operational level of war.

  Student-led discussions covered major naval actions at Valcour Island, Crown Point, and Skenesborough, operational maneuver in the Mohawk River Valley, and the influence of sea power from New York to Head of Elk. The students also held decision profiles and assessed the professional perspectives of commanders making decisions in volatile, uncertain, and complex operating environments.

  The staff ride concluded at Saratoga and Victory Woods, where attention shifted to conflict termination. The Joint Military Operations (JMO) Department, Hattendorf Center, Marine Corps University, and representatives from France’s École de Guerre (French War College), all contributed to the discussions and debriefings.

  MAWS is an Advanced Intermediate Level school that runs concurrently with the College of Naval Command and Staff (CNCS) - it awards Joint Professional Military Education Phase I credit, a master’s degree in Defense and Strategic Studies, and the JP1 Additional Qualification Designator (AQD).

  Established in 1884, NWC informs today’s decision-makers and educates tomorrow’s leaders by providing educational experiences and learning opportunities that develop their ability to hedge aggressively, innovate continuously, delegate confidently, and command with clarity within complex battlespaces.”