FINHSS
The Forum on Integrated Naval History and
Seapower Studies
WELCOME TO THE
NAVAL ACADEMY
HOME OF
NAVAL HISTORY, SEAPOWER, AND STRATEGY
Understanding of the naval and military past has a direct impact on the ability of the Naval Service to plan and operate effectively in the present and the future. The History Department at the U.S. Naval Academy has founded the Forum on Integrated Naval History and Seapower Studies (FINHSS, "fins") in order to develop our greater knowledge of the naval and military past, and to encourage collaboration in the field of seapower studies.
NAVAL HISTORY
Working to develop the appreciation and knowledge of naval history, and the importance of the maritime past, in width, in depth, and in context.
SEAPOWER
Examining seapower as both an outgrowth of military naval power but also as an economic, political, and socio-cultural phenomenon of maritime nations.
STRATEGY
Integrating an understanding of naval history and seapower across disciplines and interest groups to better understand strategy in the past, present, and the future.
Purpose of the Forum: The purpose of FINHSS is to increase understanding and facilitate the study of naval history and seapower inside the walls of Annapolis while also contributing to the wider knowledge of the topics nationally and globally. The Forum complements – but does not replace or compete with – existing organizations and programs at the Naval Academy, including the Naval Academy Museum, the History Department, the Center for Regional Studies, or the Center for Naval History Wargaming. The working group has a particular focus - working to integrate the understanding of naval history and seapower with other academic disciplines and groups in Annapolis as well as increasing the integration of seapower studies at the U.S. Naval Academy with external parties with shared interests. This is an effort to develop the scholarly study of our naval past and national seapower, in the undergraduate and graduate settings of higher education as well as with the public more widely, while linking the past to contemporary theory, doctrine, and naval practice to inform real-world naval contemporary affairs.
Scope: FINHSS welcomes involvement by midshipmen, faculty, staff and others interested in understanding our naval and military past as well as contemporary developments in American and world seapower. It is not aimed at any specific major, academic discipline, or service community, instead it looks to integrate all interested groups. The faculty component of FINHSS will work to share syllabi, pedagogy, and research across academic disciplines, and between the Naval Academy and other institutions of higher education.
fIRST bELL leCTURE IN nAVAL lEADERSHIP AND hISTORY
The study of history is the study of applied leadership. This lecture series is a collaboration between the Stockdale Center for Ethical Leadership and FINHSS. It will bring historians and seapower scholars to The Yard to talk with midshipmen and faculty, introducing them to new research and ideas. These talks will be recorded, and shared via the Stockdale Center’s website for a broad audience. If you are interested in attending or hearing about the videos when they are posted, please sign up for the FINHSS Newsletter and Comms Channel at the bottom of this page to receive emails with further details.
ThIRd Deck Workshop
This works-in-progress colloquium will meet using virtual meeting technologies we have all recently become more comfortable with, to discuss current work in naval history and seapower studies. The workshop welcomes historians and scholars of all descriptions and labels, from graduate students to contingent instructors to tenure track professors, from government historians to non-profit or independent scholars, to join us to present their current research or to comment on the work in a developmental atmosphere, intending to build up and improve our scholarship through suggestions and collegial critique. If you are interested in participating, please sign up for the FINHSS Newsletter and Comms Channel at the bottom of this page to receive emails with further details.
Associates of FINHSS:
Principal Associate: Captain Benjamin "BJ" Armstrong, USN, PhD
Managing Associate: Major Tom Scovel, USMC
Click link below for the complete list of Associates