American naval officer candidates prepare for war with Stoic philosophy

The U.S. Naval Academy (Annapolis) is now preparing future naval officers not only for artificial intelligence, hypersonic weapons, and unmanned systems, but also for Stoic philosophy.

The Naval Academy in Annapolis, which has been training officers for the American Navy since 1845, reports directly to the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO). There is no Naval Education and Training Command between it and the chain of command. Annapolis is not the only source of officers today. The Navy also trains officers through the Officer Candidate School (OCS) and the Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps (NROTC) programs conducted at universities across the country. While the U.S. Navy adds approximately 2,500-3,000 new officers to its ranks each year, about 1,000-1,100 of them are Annapolis graduates. Although it numerically meets about one-third of the annual officer requirement, Annapolis produces the vast majority of the Navy's strategic leaders, fleet commanders, and candidates for Chief of Naval Operations (CNO). Indeed, in American maritime culture, Annapolis graduates are called "Ring Knockers." These officers, who wear large class rings, represent not only a shared school history but also the strategic tradition, institutional memory, and elitist leadership understanding of American naval power. It is no coincidence that Annapolis graduates have historically held significant weight in the American Navy's admiral ranks and most critical command positions.

THE NAVY AS THE FOUNDATION OF IMPERIAL POWER.

The Navy has formed the backbone of American global and imperial power throughout history. In particular, the aircraft carriers, battleships, cruisers, destroyers, submarines, and millions of tons of ammunition produced by American industry on an unprecedented scale during World War II were used by commanders trained at this school in line with American political goals. The naval superiority that emerged at the end of the war propelled the U.S. to global leadership not only militarily but also economically and geopolitically.

However, the power of a navy is not limited to the ships, weapons, and technology it possesses. The primary element that determines how that power is used is the strategic culture, value system, and world of thought that trains its commanders. Therefore, to understand American naval power, one must also look at the history, philosophy, morality, and climate of belief in which the officers who manage this power are raised. This is precisely what makes Annapolis different and important.

Annapolis is not just a military school; it is a reflection of the American state, society, and strategic culture. Therefore, to understand the education provided here and the mental world of the officers, one must first evaluate the political and social environment in which this school is located. In particular, the place of religion in American public life and its influence on politics constitute one of the important elements of this cultural background.

THE PLACE OF RELIGION IN THE U.S. AND POLITICS

In the United States, religion maintains its influence on public life and politics, and has even become more visible in recent years, especially through conservative Christian circles and the Evangelical movement. Unlike the strict understanding of secularism in Europe, the state in the U.S. adopts an approach that does not exclude religion from the public sphere. For this reason, religion continues to be an important part of social life in many areas, from education to politics.

In the process that accelerated after the U.S.-Israel relations strengthened after 1967 and especially after September 11, the support given to Israel by circles that embrace Christian Zionism, especially Evangelicals, has become more prominent in American politics. This approach, which is influential especially within the Republican Party, evaluates Israel's security not only strategically but also religiously. The sermons of chaplains serving in some military units and religious-themed motivation activities during the recent Israel-Iran tension are also shown among the reflections of this trend.

Traces of this approach are also seen at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis. There are nine worship and spiritual support centers on campus serving different faith groups. These structures carry out activities not only for worship but also for character education, ethical leadership, spiritual resilience, and the development of the will to fight. This situation shows that religion is not completely excluded from institutional life in the American armed forces and is considered one of the elements that support morale and a sense of unity. However, to fully understand the cultural environment in which military and political elites are raised at Annapolis, one must take into account the high-profile visibility of religion in American society.

STOIC EDUCATION FOR AMERICAN NAVAL OFFICER CANDIDATES

A remarkable educational transformation has been taking place at the U.S. Naval Academy in recent years. Alongside traditional military training, Stoic philosophy is also being included, and students are being introduced to the works of thinkers such as Marcus Aurelius, Seneca, and Epictetus. The goal is not to create a new belief system, but to train combat leaders who can make correct decisions under uncertainty, are resistant to pain, can manage their fear, possess self-discipline, and have strong character.

This approach is no longer theoretical. The Naval Academy implemented a six-week voluntary Stoic training program as part of "Plebe Summer" in 2024 and 2025. In the curriculum, students learn to distinguish between elements they can and cannot control, to see challenges as a natural part of character development, to mentally accept the possibility of death and failure, to focus on internal discipline rather than external praise, and to evaluate events objectively rather than emotionally. In other words, Stoicism is applied here not as an ancient philosophy, but as combat psychology training.

This change also reflects the transformation in the American Navy's understanding of leadership. In an age where artificial intelligence and autonomous systems are coming to the fore, the Navy aims to train its officers not only as professionals who master technology, but as leaders who can maintain their judgment and psychological superiority in moments of crisis. Because what is decisive in the wars of the future is not only technology, but the character and mental resilience of the human using that technology.

WHY STOICISM?

Stoicism, which emerged approximately 2300 years ago, is a philosophy of life that teaches a person to manage their own mind in the face of events they cannot control. No commander can know what the enemy will do, how the war will develop, or when death will come. Stoic thought aims to replace fear with reason, anger with calm, and despair with duty in the midst of this uncertainty. For this reason, Stoicism is not a passive fatalism, but an understanding of training warriors who can maintain their will even under the most severe conditions.

This is also the reason why Annapolis has included Stoicism in its curriculum again. The goal is not to teach students ancient philosophy, but to provide future naval officers with the ability to make correct decisions under pressure, demonstrate psychological resilience, and focus on the mission under all conditions.

This preference also reflects the transformation in the American Navy's understanding of "spiritual readiness." The Navy aims to unite personnel from different faiths or those without any religious affiliation around a common character and professional ethics. Stoicism, as a non-denominational and secular character education, forms the philosophical foundation of this common ground. Because states can monitor changes in belief in society, but to win wars, they must provide their officers with a common character, not a common sect.

The main message Annapolis wants to convey is that the wars of the 21st century are not only a race of artificial intelligence, hypersonic weapons, and unmanned systems, but also a race of the human mind and the will to fight. Technology is the tool of war, and the one who achieves victory is the human who can use it correctly even when under pressure and suffering deprivation.

The quote that best summarizes this understanding is the statement attributed to the Stoic Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius: "Be like the rock that stands firm against the waves. The waves break, but the rock remains." What is decisive in war is not enemy fire or the storm, but the commander's ability to maintain their mind and will. Young officer candidates at Annapolis are being made aware with the motto: "Master your mind first, then the war."

CHANGE IN AMERICAN SOCIETY

The U.S. Naval Academy's turn toward Stoic philosophy is not just an educational reform, but a reflection of the sociological transformation that has taken place in American society over the last twenty years in military institutions. Especially among Generation Z, while adherence to institutional religions is decreasing, the segment that does not see itself as belonging to any religion and is called "None" is growing rapidly. The Annapolis administration also acknowledges that a significant portion of the new generation of students is no longer motivated by traditional religious references to the same extent. Indeed, while approximately 40% of enlisted personnel serving in the U.S. Navy do not define themselves within any religious tradition, approximately 15% of students starting at Annapolis do not have any religious affiliation. One of the main reasons for including Stoicism in the "spiritual readiness" program is this demographic change.

According to the U.S. Naval Academy, spiritual readiness is the mental resilience and inner strength that enables a warrior to perform their duty with honor. Today, the Navy aims not to strengthen a specific sect, but to provide personnel of different faiths or those with no religious affiliation with a common character, professional ethics, and the will to fight. For this reason, Stoicism has become a direct component of the spiritual readiness program, beyond ethics courses. Thus, war preparation is transforming into a holistic understanding that includes mental and spiritual resistance, alongside physical endurance, technical competence, and tactical training.

One of the most important symbols of this approach is Admiral James Stockdale. After being taken prisoner in the Vietnam War and subjected to severe torture and isolation in Hanoi for seven and a half years, Stockdale stated that he maintained his mental resistance largely thanks to the teachings of the Stoic philosopher Epictetus. For this reason, Stockdale's experience is accepted as one of the most important sources of inspiration for Stoic training at Annapolis.

This preference is also a reflection of American strategic culture. As Samuel P. Huntington emphasized, military institutions cannot remain entirely independent of social changes, but they must develop a unique professional ethic to maintain their combat capabilities. Annapolis's rediscovery of Stoicism is one of the most remarkable examples of this understanding today. The goal is not to exclude religion, but to place a non-denominational and universal character education that will preserve unchanging military virtues within a changing society at the center of the institutional structure.

FIGHTING IN THE MUD

The unchanging reality of war reveals that you can fly over a country forever, bomb it, destroy its infrastructure, and create great destruction with your technological superiority. However, if you really want to impose your political goal, control a country, or make an order permanent, you eventually have to put your young soldiers in the mud. This striking expression used by American historian T. R. Fehrenbach for the Korean War actually describes the unchanging essence of all wars. The ultimate measure of war is how ready a human is to pay the price, rather than technological superiority.

This is where the fundamental difference between a war for the homeland and an overseas geopolitical war emerges. A person can risk fighting and dying in the mud when necessary for their own land, family, nation, and future. However, it is much harder to show the same sacrifice for political goals, energy routes, or hegemony struggles that do not belong to them thousands of kilometers away.

The great power competition of the 21st century will not only be a race of artificial intelligence, hypersonic missiles, or unmanned systems. It will also be a race of how societies assign meaning to death, pain, sacrifice, and long-term war. Therefore, the most critical strategic question of the future is not who will develop technology better, but which society will be willing to pay the price of war longer while using that technology. As it has been throughout history, in the future, victory will be determined not by the weapon itself, but by the reality of how long the human and society who will risk dying in the mud when necessary, and who will continue to use that weapon until the last moment by maintaining their will even under the most severe conditions, will accept the price to be paid in that mud.

CONCLUSION

The transformation taking place at Annapolis is not just an educational reform. This preference reflects a strategic mindset shift that acknowledges that technological superiority alone will not bring victory in twenty-first-century wars. The American Navy is now trying to train the warrior of the future not just as a technology expert who masters artificial intelligence, hypersonic weapons, or autonomous systems, but as a leader who can make correct decisions under uncertainty, maintain their psychological resilience, and not compromise on professional ethics.

Behind this search lies not only military needs but also the sociological change taking place in American society. In an environment where adherence to institutional religions is weakening, and different faiths and non-belief meet under the same uniform, the Navy now aims to build a common will to fight not on the basis of sect, but on common character and common values. For this reason, Stoicism has regained importance not as an ancient philosophy, but as a secular character education developed for modern combat leadership.

In fact, this is the unchanging reality of war. Artificial intelligence can select targets, autonomous systems can fire, and algorithms can speed up decision-making processes, but they cannot overcome fear, make sacrifices, or risk death for the sake of duty. Therefore, what will determine the wars of the future is not only technological superiority, but the mind, character, and will to fight of the human using that technology.

Perhaps this is the real reason why Annapolis has rediscovered Stoicism. The American Navy is not developing a new weapon system; it is building the mind of the future warrior. Because history has shown time and again that those who win are not those with the most advanced weapons, but those who can maintain their will under the most severe conditions.

Sources:

The Stoic Anchor: Expanding Spiritual Readiness at the U.S. Naval Academy, By Commander Matthew Krauz, U.S. Navy, and Marcus Hedahl, June 2026,USNI Proceedings

Improving Spiritual Readiness in the Navy, By Commander Matthew B. Krauz, U.S. Navy, December 2025, USNI Proceedings