Ethics and the Naval Warrior

Can a person crack under the pressures that life brings? What are the physics of Brittle Fracture and how does it relate to personal character and integrity? How can you prepare for the stresses of a naval career? Captain TR Buchanan is the 88th Commandant of Midshipmen at the U. S. Naval Academy. A nuclear trained engineer, CAPT Buchanan has commanded the USS ALBANY and was Commodore of Submarine Squadron TWENTY.

What is design thinking and why should we be interested in it? What is the process like? Is it different from traditional brainstorming? Are there real world examples of the Design Thinking approach that worked in the field?  Dr. Elizabeth Radziszewski is a Fellow at the Stockdale Center, and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science and the Master’s program in Homeland Security at Rider University in New Jersey. Her research has been well published on civil wars/insurgencies, international conflict, foreign policy, and creativity/innovation.

Who is Augustine and why should we care about what he had to say? What are the experiences in Augustine's life that shaped his thought and writing? Given how long ago Augustine lived, is there anything about his thinking that still affects us today? How did the philosophy of his time, both Stoic and Platonic, affect Augusitne's beliefs? How did Augustine understand ethics? Can we discern a leadership philosophy in Augustine's writings? Captain Joe Mcinerney is also former Chair of the Department of Leadership, Ethics, and Law at Navy. He earned a doctoral degree in systematic theology from the Catholic University of America and is the author of the book The Greatness of Humility: St. Augustine on Moral Excellence.

Coach Ken Niumatalolo is the all-time winningest coach in Navy Football history. His teams have had 10 winning seasons, and they beat Notre Dame . . . 3 times. He is in his 14th season as the Head Coach at the Naval Academy, and his 24th season in Annapolis overall. How does the "Why" of what you do inform the "What" and the "How"? How does your personal history beyond football relate to the sea? As an American of Polynesian descent, how does your upbringing and culture, especially with seagoing traditions, serve you as a leader at the Naval Academy?

What's it like to be a Leader in an Academic setting? What can Midshipmen teach, and learn from Professors? How is the Naval Academy Museum supporting the new Wargaming Initiative at Navy? Dr. Claude Berube  is a writer, an historian, a professor at the Naval Academy, and a Reserve Naval Intelligence officer. Currently, he is the Director of the Naval Academy Museum.

What is torture, what works and want doesn't work? Is an irregular combatant different from a criminal suspect? What does privilege mean in this context? As a junior officer, how should you expect to be touched by these issues? Dr. Michael Skerker is a professor in the Leadership, Ethics, and Law department at the Naval Academy. His academic interests include professional ethics, just war theory, moral pluralism, theological ethics, and militant jihadism. He has numerous publications, including his most recent book, The Moral Status of Combatants: A New Theory of Just War.

The Brigade is experiencing something that no other Midshipmen have encountered in the last 100 years. Persistence and Resilience are critical to get through it. How does the history of the Montford Point Marines inform that persistence? Those first African American Marines were locked in and locked down. What lessons can we learn from them. Carl Sharperson is a Naval Academy graduate, and a former Marine Corps pilot. After the Corps, he worked in industry, including a stint as Vice President of an International Sporting Goods company. He is the author of the book, Sharp Leadership: Overcome Adversity to Lead with Authenticity.

This is an Encore presentation. Beyond practice makes perfect, you've got resilience. Making the most of an opportunity to do the right thing even for what might be a mundane opportunity sets up the ability to be resilient in the face of adversity or hard choices. Learn the importance of getting your resilience muscles strong both morally and mentally with Mr. Brad Snyder LT USN (ret.).

This is an Encore presentation. Beyond practice makes perfect, you've got resilience. Making the most of an opportunity to do the right thing even for what might be a mundane opportunity sets up the ability to be resilient in the face of adversity or hard choices. Learn the importance of getting your resilience muscles strong both morally and mentally with Mr. Brad Snyder LT USN [ret.].

Can Journaling play a part in Pre-Trauma self care? As a leader, what are your responsibilities to ensure your people are practicing self-care? And, how can you as a leader "teach" self-care techniques? Dan Luna is a retired Navy Seal. He has instructed at the Naval Academy, where he was voted by the Class of 2017 to be an Honorary Graduate. He is currently the co-founder of 3LX Consulting. Dan is working on his doctorate in Organization Change and Leadership from University of Southern California.