National Museum of the U.S. Navy

President Woodrow Wilson determined amidst the repeated incidents with Germany during the First World War to build "incomparably, the greatest Navy in the world" over a ten-year period with the intent of making the U.S. Navy able to defend itself against any European power. The resulting legislation, the Naval Act of 1916 called for the construction of ten 42,000 ton battleships, six battlecruisers, ten scout cruisers, fifty destroyers, and sixty-seven submarines. The plan was to start construction in 1919 and have the fleet completed by 1923.  The legislation was not to prepare the United States for entry into World War I, but rather to guarantee the security of the United States in what seemed increasingly dangerous times.

Join us as Major Alex Beckstrand, USMCR, presents his research related to Wilson’s thinking on U.S. naval supremacy and his insights into the creation of his Naval Act of 1916.  Beckstrand is a recipient of a scholarship from the Naval History and Heritage Command for the study of naval history.

This program is being presented in collaboration with the History and Archives Division, Naval History and Heritage Command, Washington, D.C.

About the Speaker:  Alex Beckstrand is a Major in the Marine Corps Reserves, a PhD Candidate in history at the University of Connecticut, and works in the aerospace industry.  He is an adjunct professor at Central Connecticut State University and the University of Connecticut.  His doctoral work focuses on Woodrow Wilson's civil-military relations.  He is also a podcast host on the channel “New Books in Military History.”  His work has appeared in the Journal of Military History, Marine Corps History, H-Net, The Strategy Bridge, and The Washington Post.