The Naval Academy-Marine Corps relationship: an examination of the Marine Corps' influence on the Academy and the Academy's professional impact on the Marine officer corps

Abstract

This thesis examines and evaluates the historical and contemporary relationship of the Naval Academy and the Marine Corps. The study utilizes extensive historical, contemporary, quantitative, and qualitative analyses. The research is exploratory in nature and focused on the evolution of the present relationship, the perceived value of the relationship to the Marine Corps, the officer performance of academy graduates in the Marine Corps, and the scope of Marine Corps influence at the academy. Specifically, the study concentrates on identifying the contributions of the Naval Academy to the Marine officer corps and analyzing the effect of those contributions. The results of the study are the compilation of a historical account of the Marine Corps-Naval Academy relationship, an assessment of the tangible value of Naval Academy to the Marine officer corps, and the generation of an extensive exploratory body of research from which further studies can be initiated.