21st Century Knox

Leadership within the context of a given profession requires an informed understanding of a particular field of specialization. In maritime affairs, U.S. Navy Commodore Dudley Wright Knox provided a singular example of leadership in his chosen profession. Having graduated with the Naval Academy Class of 1897, he proceeded to command a variety of warships in peacetime. He also served in combat operations during the 1898 Spanish-American War, Boxer Rebellion, and the counterinsurgency in the Philippines. Knox gained perspective on the higher levels of command as a staff officer during two world wars. Ultimately, conditioning in the American naval service inspired Knox to envision an American Navy second to none. He also developed a mature understanding of the nexus between peace and war. Crafting a distinctly maritime approach to address questions of strategy and policy in global affairs, Knox argued that navies provided means, “not to make war but to preserve peace, not to be predatory but to shield the free development of commerce, not to unsettle the world but to stabilize it through the promotion of law and order.”