CSF 2026, Day 1, Panel 1: International Strategic Environment and Challenges

About Current Strategy Forum This year marks the 75th Annual Current Strategy Forum (CSF) at the Naval War College in Newport. The first CSF took place on 9 May 1949 under the title “Round Table Talks.” This event offers an opportunity for the Nation’s public servants, scholars, and senior military officers to join the College faculty and students to discuss the future strategy of the United States. Over the years, the CSF has expanded to include a cross section of America’s civilian and military leadership to encourage a wide-ranging discussion on national and international security. This year’s theme: The Navy, Maritime Strategy, and National Security This year’s CSF will examine the ways and means by which the United States can meet the dangers of our era, marked by great-power competition, asymmetric threats, and rapid technological change. The National Security Strategy emphasizes that the United States is committed to preserving peace by maintaining the world’s most lethal military and robust nuclear deterrent to discourage aggression. The foundation for a robust national defense is a dynamic, innovative, and advanced economy, with strong industrial, agricultural, energy, science, and technology sectors. The naval services have a vital role to play in providing for the country’s security and defending American interests around the globe. The Navy’s leadership has underscored the urgent need to rebuild the fleet with the most capable ships, revitalize the maritime industrial base, and change how the Department of the Navy operates. To achieve these objectives, the Navy will contract for the construction of the most tonnage undertaken by the country since World War II. Building the future force will require sustained investment in reviving the country’s defense industrial base by increasing shipyard construction capacity. To steer the Navy in the years ahead, Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Daryl Caudle advocates a hedge strategy to create an adaptive force, mitigate uncertainty, manage risk, guide investments in future force structure, and conduct operations at sea. This call to revitalize the country’s maritime industries harkens back to the teachings of Alfred Thayer Mahan who aimed to educate the officers studying in Newport as well as the American public about the importance of sea power in determining the rise and fall of great nations.