GETTING THE MESSAGE OUT THE NAVY LEAGUE OF THE UNITED STATES By John D. Gresham and Chuck Oldham
“We believe that the security of our nation and of the people of the world demands a well-balanced, integrated, mobile American defense team, of which a strong Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, and Merchant Marine are indispensable parts.” – Statement of Policy, Navy League of the United States FOR MORE THAN A CENTURY, THE NAVY LEAGUE of the United States has been the keeper of a vital truth, which is encapsulated within the Statement of Policy above. It states that the United States is, first and foremost, a maritime nation and power, and always will be to both its benefit and peril. This simple idea, that without free and open sea lanes for trade and transportation America will be at risk and its basic ideals will be threatened, is pretty powerful stuff for a humble nonprofit organization formed in 1902 at the behest of President Theodore Roosevelt. However, given the fact that the 20th century is now called “the American Century,” in great part because of our ability to project power across the oceans and keep most threats at arm’s distance, the Navy League’s point has obvious merit. It was with that spirit that the Navy League came into existence in 1902. Since that time, Roosevelt’s vision has been proven correct time and time again. As the mood of the nation supporting its sea services has ebbed and flowed, the message of the Navy League has remained as constant as the oceans themselves. Quite simply, the reasons for the League’s existence breaks down this way: • To foster and maintain interest in a strong Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, and Merchant Marine as integral parts of a sound national defense and vital to the freedom of the United States. • To serve as a means of educating and informing the American people with regard to the role of sea power in the nuclear age and the problems involved in maintaining strong defenses in that age. • To improve the understanding, appreciation, and recognition of those who wear the uniforms of our armed forces and to better the conditions under which they live and serve. • To provide support and recognition for the Sea Service Reserve forces in our communities in order that we may continue to have a capable and responsive maritime Reserve community. • To educate and train our youth in the customs and traditions of the Navy, the Marine Corps, the Coast Guard, and the Merchant Marine through the means of an active and vigorous Naval Sea Cadet Corps. So how does the Navy League manage to foster all the above goals? In a word: communications. Few nonprofit organizations have been so effective over such a long period in getting their ideas and messages out, be it through placement of editorials in the mainstream press, or the huge Sea-Air-Space exposition it holds every year in the Washington, D.C. area. Key to this communications effort is its magazine, Seapower, which can be found monthly in the offices of contractors and Members of Congress, as well as on the shelves of libraries and coffee tables of interested citizens. 22 USS DELAWARE
Quite simply, when a particular message about America’s Sea Services needs to get out to the world, the Navy League can get that message heard loud and in a hurry. Helping the Navy League to spread the message of America’s need for sea power are a number of partners, including corporate members and associated organizations such as the Association of Naval Aviation. Other nonprofit organizations like Operation Homefront, Military Spouses’ Career Network, and America Supports You are just a few of the groups that benefit from their association with the Navy League. In addition to its mass media messages, the Navy League also supports long-term educational efforts, like the reading programs of the Chief of Naval Operations, the U.S. Marine Corps, and the U.S. Coast Guard. The support of America’s sea services is a never-ending campaign for the Navy League, and it makes a point of effectively using all the tools at its disposal. The key to the Navy League’s success is found in its membership, which is organized into a series of regional councils across America and overseas. Hampton Roads has the largest collection of military power in the world today, and its council is particularly engaged in serving and promoting the Sea Services. “The Navy League of the United States, Hampton Roads is an organization of professionals dedicated to the mission of serving Sea Service members and educating the civilian community in a strong national defense,” said Jim Monroe, chairman of the board of the Navy League’s Hampton Roads Council. “Our board of directors range from influential community leaders and senior civilians to retired flag officers and senior enlisted service members. They donate their personal time to be a part of this prestigious organization.” From Hampton Roads to Los Alamos, New Mexico, the Navy League councils are organizing events for speakers, placing stories in local media, recognizing outstanding sea service personnel, and making the mission of the U.S. sea services relevant for Americans, no matter how far they are from an ocean or river. Sometimes that message is simply pointing out how much of the local economy is tied to use of the sea lanes to import or export goods in and out of their area, or how even the smallest landlocked congressional district has a significant contractor/employment contribution from the sea services. Other times, the Navy League is in the midst of a national discussion, as it was in the 1970s and 1980s during the battle for what became President Ronald Reagan’s 600-ship Navy. Whatever the question of the day, count on the Navy League being there to make itself known on behalf of those in the sea services who are not allowed a voice of their own.
