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Naval Institute board nixes change to charter

The U.S. Naval Institute’s board shelved a proposed change to the charter of the 138-year-old Institute on March 17 after it drew harsh criticism from members and contributors alike.

That proposal would have added “advocacy for sea power” to the Institute’s mission. Critics have contended that foisting this responsibility onto the Institute would imperil the editorial independence of their publications, including books, Naval History magazine and the journal Proceedings, which has often served as an avenue for active-duty writers to offer criticism of official policy.

But proponents of the change, including the chairman and most members of the board, have argued that the update was necessary to improve the non-profit’s finances and engage its members, whose ranks have steadily declined over the last decade.

However, the controversial proposal had the inadvertent result of firing up members, they admitted.

“I’ve been delighted with the very spirited discussion that’s been occurring about the potential mission change, and I think those voices need to be heard,” said John Morgan, a retired vice admiral who has been one of the most vocal supporters of the mission change.

“Quite honestly, I’ve not seen the membership of the Institute as engaged as they’ve been on this issue, and I think that’s a terrific development. So the proposal to the board was to let this discussion continue, and both the chairman and the [chief executive officer] are going to huddle and see how best to do that,” he said.

The board voted unanimously to table the proposal, throwing out the member vote, which was underway. “The directors agreed that a wide-ranging and fully open debate led by the membership will provide the guidance needed to shape any change, if necessary,” the board said in a short statement posted on the Institute’s web log.

Calls seeking comment from Steve Waters, chairman of the board, and Tom Wilkerson, the retired major general serving as chief executive, were not returned.

Critics of the plan, meanwhile, were exultant.

“Editorial independence has been preserved,” said Norman Polmar, a Proceedings contributor who has written 18 books published by the Institute. Polmar admitted that changes may be needed for the Institute, but said the board had done the right thing by giving the membership more of a say in the Institute’s direction.

“There probably is some requirement for changes at the Naval Institute,” he said, “but they have to be done with knowledge and approval of the membership.”