United States Naval Academy Political Science Department

03/05/2025

12/30/2024

The Brigade is away on leave.

Carter Hall is quiet and peaceful.

Rest in peace, President Carter.

12/10/2024

This Friday, on Capitol Hill in the Russell Senate Office Building...it's the competition of all competitions...Army vs. Navy in Debate! Live on CSPAN with judges of the competition that include ADM Mullen, Senator Manchin, Representative Issa (R-CA), Representative Ryan (D-NY) and Dr. Horowitz.

Go Navy, Beat Army!!

11/15/2024

Over the last two days, USNA's Political Science Department hosted two former Members of Congress as part of the "Congress to Campus" program.

Rep. Joe Sestak (D-PA, USNA Class of 1974) and Rep. John Shimkus (R-IL, USMA Class of 1980) spoke to every Plebe in the core course on U.S. Government and Constitutional Development (FP130).

BZ to USNA Class of 2016 PoliSci instructor Captain Kirstin Spann, USMC, the Congress to Campus Coordinator, for all her efforts over many months to make the last two days so impactful for hundreds of students.

Thanks Rep. Sestak and Rep. Shimkus for sharing your vast experience with us and bringing the course material to life. Congress to Campus is always a highlight of the semester!

11/05/2024

Congratulations to CDR Eric "Taco" Rohan on his selection to be the Political Science Department's next Permanent Military Professor (PMP). Currently stationed onboard USS THEODORE ROOSEVELT (CVN 71), Taco just returned from a 9+ month deployment in support of our national security. He will commence his Ph.D. studies in the summer of 2025 and report to USNA and Carter Hall in 2029. BZ CDR Rohan!

03/08/2024

Congratulations to CDR Steve DeLeonibus on his promotion to Commander! He was promoted on Friday, March 1st in Memorial Hall with friends and family in attendance. "D-Bus", we are honored to have you on the PoliSci team as a rotational military instructor. Your promotion to the senior officer ranks is a testament to your honor, courage, and commitment over a sustained career.

03/03/2024

Catching up on our department social media posts after a busy first two months of the spring semester...first and foremost, the biggest update and change in Carter Hall from early January...posted on LinkedIn and reposted here for our Facebook followers.
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“𝐄𝐱𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞.”

This was the phrase ADM Larson repeated time and time again as Superintendent in the 1990s, establishing a north star to guide a generation of Naval Academy graduates.

No one embodied this concept more over a sustained career than Professor Gale Mattox.

As we begin spring semester classes at the Naval Academy, for the first time in 42 years Professor Gale Mattox will not be in a classroom instructing Midshipmen.

Walking up the spiral staircase in Carter Hall and entering the Political Science Department’s main lobby with the Berlin Wall display, it is incredible to think about all that Gale has accomplished…and how many thousands of officers she has helped better prepare to lead in our Navy and Marine Corps during peacetime and in war.

The list of Gale’s achievements and impact could fill volumes…
* 𝘗𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘚𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘋𝘦𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘪𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 “𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘪𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘪𝘳𝘴” 𝘢𝘵 𝘜𝘚𝘕𝘈 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘧 9/11.

* 𝘍𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘗𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘞𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘐𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘚𝘦𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺 (𝘞𝘐𝘐𝘚).

* 𝘍𝘢𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘕𝘢𝘷𝘢𝘭 𝘈𝘤𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘺 𝘍𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘪𝘨𝘯 𝘈𝘧𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘳𝘴 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 (𝘕𝘈𝘍𝘈𝘊) 𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘰𝘤𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴.

* 𝘈𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘬𝘦𝘺 𝘷𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘐𝘙 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘴, 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘭𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘝𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘗𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘐𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘚𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘈𝘴𝘴𝘰𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯.

* 𝘈𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘯𝘦𝘨𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘕𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘒𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘢 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘋𝘦𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘚𝘦𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘱𝘩𝘦𝘳’𝘴 𝘗𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘺 𝘗𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘧𝘧 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 1990𝘴.

* 𝘗𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰𝘱 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘶𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘙𝘩𝘰𝘥𝘦𝘴/𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭/𝘛𝘳𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱𝘴.

* 𝘔𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘔𝘪𝘥𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘰𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘕𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘚𝘦𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘗𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘺, 𝘜.𝘚. 𝘚𝘦𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘈𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘙𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴.

Gale, we wish you all the best in retirement and very much look forward to your continued engagement with the Naval Academy in your emeritus role. We are all better because of your mentorship...and will carry on your legacy to the best of our ability with honor, courage, and commitment. Non sibi sed patriae.

12/11/2023

Congratulations to Navy Debate on their big win against Army last Friday in Boston's historic Faneuil Hall!

11/28/2023

Thanks to retired Navy Commander Tiffany Ch**ca, USNA Class of 2001, for speaking to Professor Doherty's FP326 American Presidency students and CAPT Richardson's FP355 Civil-Military Relations students today. CDR Ch**ca served as Military Aide to the President of the United States and was responsible over a two-year period for carrying the President’s Emergency Nuclear Satchel ("the football") amongst other duties at the highest levels of our government. Her insights to our students today in Carter Hall enhanced our learning objectives as we wrap up another great semester.