Former Virginia Cong. Randy Forbes Named War College Fellow

By Daniel L. Kuester, U.S. Naval War College Public Affairs

NEWPORT, RI — Former U.S. Rep. Randy Forbes has been appointed Naval War College Foundation Senior Distinguished Fellow at U.S. Naval War College (NWC), joining the faculty of the school in Newport, Rhode Island effective February 2017. Forbes represented Virginia’s 4th congressional district from 2001 to 2017 and served as chairman of the House Armed Services Committee’s Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee where he was tasked with ensuring that service men and women have all needed equipment, facilities, and training.

Forbes’ position was central in developing the nation’s long-term strategies to meet the country’s future security needs.

“Mr. Forbes will collaborate with our faculty and students and share his expertise in areas such as naval mission and force structure, strategy and policy, civilian-military relations, and the role of Congress in national security affairs,” said Lewis Duncan, NWC provost. “He will also provide student lectures, be a guest speaker in appropriate elective courses, and participate in symposia and conferences.

“Mr. Forbes' work as a representative focused on many of the same issues we discuss and research here at the college,” added Duncan. “We are excited about the opportunities for collaboration between our scholars and Mr. Forbes, with shared expectations of tremendous value to us and to him. Having him as a Senior Distinguished Fellow will benefit our curriculum, our wargames, and our students’ research projects. His contributions to the college also will directly serve our core mission of defining the future Navy, as directed by CNO Adm. John Richardson."

Forbes is also former chairman of the Subcommittee on Readiness. His other assignments included the Committee on Education and the Workforce, Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on the Constitution, and Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security. Forbes has been in public service since 1990 when he was first elected to Virginia’s House of Delegates.