Naval Intelligence Essay Contest
The NIP Essay Contest is conducted in cooperation with the United States Naval Institute (USNI). Rules and deadlines are promulgated through an ALLNIP email and published on both the NIP and USNI websites during the March/April timeframe. Entries are due by the end of July. Winners are usually announced in early September.
Each year NIP will identify a theme pertaining to maritime intelligence or intelligence support to naval forces. Any author (officer, enlisted, military or civilian, foreign or domestic) is eligible to enter with an original composition related to the annual theme.
The 2026 Challenge
The Chief of Naval Operations has set forth a “hedge strategy” that seeks to balance “cost-effective, scalable, risk-worthy mass with the most advanced multi-mission platforms we can build and sustain.” It is, he asserts, a strategy that “unabashedly embraces risk to tip the scales in our advantage.” This year’s naval intelligence essay contest invites you to explore the implications of the CNO’s vision and then propose a path for naval intelligence to adapt, inform, and shape the Navy and nation. Potential topics include:
- What does a naval intelligence “hedge strategy” look like?
- Where should naval intelligence deliberately seek and accept risk—and where is it currently accepting unarticulated risk that should be understood and mitigated?
- How does the Information Warfare command-at-sea construct change how naval intelligence professionals should think about and practice their craft?
- As artificial intelligence grows in capability and capacity, should analysis remain a core function of naval intelligence? If so, what form should it take?
- What lessons should naval intelligence take from recent combat operations across the globe—and what potential lessons could represent negative learning for future operational environments?
The following prizes will be awarded:
1st Place: $5,000 cash prize, a 1-year membership to NIP and USNI. Additionally, the first place essay will be published in USNI’s Proceedings.
2nd Place: $2,500 case prize, a 1-year membership to both NIP and USNI
3rd Place: $1,500 cash prize, a 1-year membership to both NIP and USNI
First Prize: "Beyond the GI-UK Gap: Naval Intelligence and China’s Arctic Submarine Threat" by Lieutenant Commander Saungwon Ko, USN
Second Prize: "Ghosts in the Kill Chain: Transforming Naval Intelligence for the Age of Autonomy, AI, and Attritable Mass" by Shawn Rostker
Third Prize: "Strategic Cognition: Reforming Naval Intelligence for 2027 and Beyond" (NIEC #33-25) by Dr. Dale Russell
Essay Contest News
2019 Intelligence Essay Contest Award Winners
2018 Prize Winning Essay by CAPT Dale Rielage
US Naval Institute-NIP 2017 Essay Contest Update
2016 Naval Intelligence Essay Contest: First & Second Place Awards
2016 Naval Intelligence Essay Contest: Third Place Award for "What is Past is Prologue."
Previous Essay Contest Winners
First Prize: "Beyond the GI-UK Gap: Naval Intelligence and China’s Arctic Submarine Threat" by Lieutenant Commander Saungwon Ko, USN
Second Prize: "Ghosts in the Kill Chain: Transforming Naval Intelligence for the Age of Autonomy, AI, and Attritable Mass" by Shawn Rostker
Third Prize: "Strategic Cognition: Reforming Naval Intelligence for 2027 and Beyond" (NIEC #33-25) by Dr. Dale Russell
First Prize: “A Modernized Van Riper Plan: Filling Emerging Gaps in Marine Intelligence” by Major Jake Yeager, USMC
Second Prize: “The Battle of Midway: Five Intelligence Takeaways for Today” by Dr. James Wirtz
Third Prize: “Smart Ports – Maritime Intelligence’s Blind Spot” by Lieutenant Commanders Andrew Ray and Collin Gruin, USCG
1st Prize: "Preparing Intelligence Officers for the Undersea Fight" By Lieutenant Commander Andrew Kramer, USN, Lieutenant Corey Grey, USN, and Lieutenant Commander Larry Green, USNR
2nd Prize: "Lessons from an Intelligence Officer on Ukraine's Front-Line" By Mr. Austin Gray
3rd Prize: "Special Delivery: Building Better Intelligence Support for Logistics" By Major William S. (Stone) Holden, USMC
1st Prize: "Alone and Afraid: Revitalizing the Enlisted Ship’s Intelligence Officer" (NIEC #11-22) By Chief Petty Officer John Minor, USN
2nd Prize: "Navy and Marine Corps Intelligence Integration Through Force Design 2030" (NIEC #21-22) By Captain Robert Holmes, USMC
3rd Prize: "Lesson from Ukraine: Assessing Capability is More than Just Counting Guns" (NIEC #17-22) By Robert McKeown
1st Prize: “Warhols, Kennans and Murrays: A Concept for Professional Development Across the Naval Intelligence Community” - By Lieutenant Kyle Cregge, USN and Lieutenant Shane Halton, USN
2nd Prize: “Human Geography for Intelligence Advantage” - By Major Brian Kerg, USMC
3rd Prize: “Persistent Forward Employment for Maritime Reconnaissance and Counterreconnaissance” - By Captain Michael Van Liew, USMC
1st Prize: CDR Christopher Nelson, USN and Andrew Rhodes: “Strike A Balance: Embrace Analog Tools in a Digital Intelligence Profession” (Reprinted from Proceedings with permission; Copyright © 2020 U.S. Naval Institute/www.usni.org.)
2nd Prize: Maj Brian Kerg, USMC: “Naval Intelligence for Maritime COIN”
3rd Prize: LT Sean Margot, USN and LCDR Tyson Meadors, USN: “HC SVNT DRACONES — There Be Dragons”
1st Prize: Needed: A Design for Achieving Maritime Information Superiority - By Commander J. Michael Dahm, USN (Ret)
2nd Prize: Naval Intelligence Must Relearn Its Own Navy - By Commander Christopher Nelson, USN and Eric Pedersen
3rd Prize: Navy Information Warfare and Homeland Defense - By LT Commander James Landreth, USN
1st Prize: 1LT Christian Helmer Heller, USMC - “Rethinking Counterintelligence: The 21st Century Need for Multi-Discipline Task-Organized Teams”
2nd Prize: LCDR Wolf Melbourne, USN - “Ten Years on the Beach”
3rd Prize: LT William N. Murray, USN - “Want to Win Great Power Competition? Professionalize Initial Naval Intelligence Officer Training Now”
1st Prize: CDR Heather Bothwell, USNR - “Lessons from Cold War History: Man, Train and Equip the Navy to Know Tomorrow’s Adversary”
2nd Prize: CAPT William R. Bray, USN (Ret.) - “Intelligence Needs Regional Career Paths”
3rd Prize: CAPT Dale C. Rielage, USN - “Ocean Surveillance for the Future”
1st Prize: LT Andreas Xenachis, USNR - “Nurturing a Revolution in Decision-Making Through Improved Geopolitical Foresight” - $5,000 + 1-year USNI Membership
2nd Prize: CDR J. Michael Dahm, USN - “Integrate to Dominate” - $2,500 + 1-year USNI Membership
3rd Prize: CDR Nathaniel (Nate) Bailey, USNR - “What Is Past Is Prologue”
No contest
1st Prize: Captain Mark D. Houff, USN
2nd Prize: Ms. Reychal Windham
3rd Prize: First Lieutenant Adam Davis, USA
1st Prize: Commander Mark D. Houff, USN
2nd Prize: Mr. Ryan D. Martinson
3rd Prize: Ms. Jacquelyn Schneider
1st Prize: Commander Mark D. Houff, USN
2nd Prize: Mr. Thanh Dinh
3rd Prize: Ms. Jacquelyn Schneider
1st Prize: Mr. Steve Coonen
2nd Prize: LT Daniel T. Murphy, USN
3rd Prize-Expeditionary: LTC Gregory Motes, USA
No contest
1st Prize: CDR D. Mark Houff, USN
2nd Prize: CAPT Mark D. Dowd, USNR
1st Prize: CAPT Paul B. Becker, USN
2nd Prize: LTJG Edward P. Wynne, USN
1st Prize: LCDR Rory Berke, USN
2nd Prize: LCDR Robert F. Hight, Jr, USN
1st Prize: Mr. Jose Delgado
2nd Prize: LT David Barr, USN
1st Prize: LCDR James Griffin, USN
2nd Prize: CDR William R. Bray, USN
1st Prize: CDR Jason Hines, USN
1st Prize: LCDR Michael Studeman,USN
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