International Seapower Symposium records
Scope and Contents
This collection consists of correspondence, reports, publications, photographs, audio cassettes, digital media (floppy disks and compact discs, etc.), and digital files regarding the International Seapower Symposium. These records document the organization and proceedings of each symposium and include speeches, presentations, schedules, programs, reports, and other materials used and referenced at each symposia. The extent of records for each symposium varies.
Records from 1969-1976 contain folders for each country that had an officer attending the symposium. Within these folders are correspondence, biographical and career information, and their travel arrangements. Also found within this record group are speeches and reports from symposia were established due to the influence of the International Seapower Symposium. These include the 1972 Regional Seapower Symposium, hosted biannually in Venice for naval leaders from Mediterranean and Black Sea countries to discuss common challenges, and the 1973 Hague Symposium, held annually to focus on post-conflict transitions and international justice.
Dates
- 1969-
Creator
- International Seapower Symposium (Organization)
- Naval War College (U.S.) (Organization)
Language of Materials
Also includes materials in Spanish, French, and Italian.
Conditions Governing Access
Access is open to all researchers, unless otherwise specified.
Conditions Governing Use
Material in this collection is in the public domain, unless otherwise noted.
Historical note
The International Seapower Symposium (ISS) is a biennial meeting held at the U.S. Naval War College (NWC), hosted by the Chief of Naval Operations and the President, U.S. Naval War College. First held in Newport, R.I. in 1969, ISS convenes regularly, every two to three years, to provide a forum for senior international naval leaders to discuss common maritime challenges and improve international maritime security cooperation. ISS 16 was originally scheduled to be held in September 2001, but was cancelled due to the events of September 11, 2001.
Attendees to the symposia include the chiefs of navies and coast guards from around the world, who gather for three days to discuss maritime issues and listen to a selection of distinguished speakers. In 1969, there were 80 attendees representing 37 countries. By 2014, attendance has increased to 199 military and civilian attendees from 115 countries.
The original objective for ISS was to promote mutual understanding among the leaders of the world's maritime nations. Beginning with ISS 4, each symposia was centered around a theme which have concentrated around different aspects of cooperation among navies, navies’ roles in non-military operations, common challenges, information sharing, and global solutions to security. One of the results of ISS is the initiation and growth of regional arrangements such as the Inter-American Naval Conference, Western Pacific Naval Symposia, Black Sea – Mediterranean Regional Symposia, Indian Ocean Naval Symposium, and African Sea Power Symposium.
International Seapower Symposia
- 17-20 Nov 1969
- 1st ISS
- 1-5 Nov 1971
- 2nd ISS
- 15-19 Oct 1973
- 3rd ISS
- 6-9 Jul 1976
- 4th ISS: The role of Navies in the 1980s
- 2-5 Oct 1979
- 5th ISS: The Role of Navies in a World of Peace
- 28 Jun-1 Jul 1981
- 6th ISS: World Navies in the 1980s
- 7-10 Nov 1983
- 7th ISS: Emerging Naval Roles to the Year 2000
- 20-23 Oct 1985
- 8th ISS: Maritime Security Planning – Traditional vs. Non-Traditional Views
- 25-28 Oct 1987
- 9th ISS: Maritime Power in an Era of Low Intensity Conflict
- 22-25 Oct 1989
- 10th ISS: Meeting Commitments in an Era of Fiscal Constraint
- 6-9 Oct 1991
- 11th ISS: Emerging Cooperative Maritime Roles in a Changing World Environment
- 7-10 Nov 1993
- 12th ISS: Maritime Coalitions and International Security
- 5-8 Nov 1995
- 13th ISS: Partnership...From the Sea
- 2-5 Nov 1997
- 14th ISS: Seapower and Common security in the 21st Century
- 7-10 Nov 1999
- 15th ISS: Maritime Strategies for a Naval Century
- 26-29 Oct 2003
- 16th ISS: Seapower for Peace, Prosperity and Security
- 20-23 Sep 2005
- 17th ISS: A Global Network of Nations for a Free and Secure Maritime Commons
- 16-19 Oct 2007
- 18th ISS: Forging Cooperative Solutions for International Maritime Security
- 7-9 Oct 2009
- 19th ISS: Connecting Navies, Building Partnership
- 18-21 Oct 2011
- 20th ISS: Security and Prosperity through Maritime Partnerships
- 16-19 Sep 2014
- 21st ISS: Global Solutions to Common Maritime Challenges
Extent
17 Linear Feet (21 record group boxes, 2 half archival boxes, 1 oversize box)
Abstract
The International Seapower Symposium (ISS) is a biennial meeting held at the U.S. Naval War College (NWC), hosted by the Chief of Naval Operations and the President, U.S. Naval War College. This record group consists of correspondence, reports, publications, photographs, audio cassettes, digital media (floppy disks and compact discs, etc), and digital files documenting the organization and proceedings of each symposium.
Arrangement
This collection is arranged in chronological order according to symposium.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Transfers to the NWC Archives in 1973, 1976, and unknown dates. Materials from ISS 18-21 were deposited by the Events and Protocol Office in August 2015.
Accruals
Future additions are expected.
Processing Information
Boxes 1-9, which hold materials relating to the first three symposiums, were deposited by Captain Clarence O. Fiske, International Conferences Secretariat, and they reflect his organizational schema.
Boxes 10-22 have been processed in batches by archives staff, according to archival rules in effect at the time of accruals.
- Status
- Dacs Finding Aid
- Author
- Finding aid prepared by Elizabeth Delmage and Kirsi Ritosalmi-Kisner
- Date
- 2016 June
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Naval War College Archives Repository