This article relies excessively on references to primary sources. Please improve this article by adding secondary or tertiary sources. Find sources: "National Defense University" United States – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (August 2018) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

National Defense University

Arms of the National Defense University
Type	Federal staff college
Established	1976
Parent institution	U.S. Department of Defense
Academic affiliation	CUWMA
President	VADM Peter Garvin
Provost	James Lepse
Location	Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C. , United States 38°51′58″N 77°00′54″W / 38.866°N 77.015°W / 38.866; -77.015
Website	www.ndu.edu

The National Defense University (NDU) is an institution of higher education in Fort Lesley McNair, Washington, D.C., United States. It is funded by the United States Department of Defense aimed at facilitating high-level education, training, and professional development of national security leaders. As a chairman's Controlled Activity, NDU operates under the guidance of the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS), with Vice Admiral Peter Garvin, USN, as president. It is located near the White House and the US Congress.

The National Defense University includes:

• Colleges and schools^[1]
  • Joint Advanced Warfighting School (JAWS)
  • College of International Security Affairs
  • Dwight D. Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy (The Eisenhower School), formerly the Industrial College of the Armed Forces
  • College of Information and Cyberspace (formerly Information Resources Management College or "iCollege")
  • Joint Forces Staff College
  • National War College
• Programs
  • CAPSTONE
  • KEYSTONE
  • PINNACLE
• Research centers
  • Institute for National Strategic Studies
    • Center for Strategic Research
    • Center for the Study of Chinese Military Affairs
    • Center for the Study of Weapons of Mass Destruction
    • NDU Press
  • Center for Applied Strategic Learning
• NDU Libraries

Acceptance rate	65%
Admissions requirements	Yes, based on entrance examinations and students' past academic records and grades
Academic calendar	Semesters
Enrollment	1,500
Full-time employees	75
Student:staff ratio	20:1

• Institute for National Strategic Studies
• Center for Strategic Studies
• Center for the Study of Military Affairs of China
• Center for the Study of Weapons of Mass Destruction
• National Defense University Press
• Center for Applied Strategic Training
• Center for Joint and Strategic Logistics
• The university has a scientific and reference library, the resources of which are open to all students and teachers.

• NDU Board of Visitors
• National Defense University Foundation
• United States Institute of Peace
• Consortium of Universities of the Washington Metropolitan Area

The NDU Press supports education, research, and outreach as the university's cross-component, professional military, and academic publishing house. Publications include the journals Joint Force Quarterly (JFQ) and PRISM: The Journal of Complex Operations, books such as Strategic Assessment 2020, case studies, policy briefs, and strategic monographs.^[2]

No.	President		Term			Service branch
	Portrait	Name	Took office	Left office	Term length
1		Vice Admiral Marmaduke G. Bayne (1920–2005)	1976	1977	~1 year, 0 days	U.S. Navy
2		Lieutenant General Robert G. Gard Jr. (born 1928)	1977	July 1981	~4 years, 181 days	U.S. Army
3		Lieutenant General John S. Pustay (born 1931)	July 1981	October 1983	~2 years, 92 days	U.S. Air Force
4		Lieutenant General Richard D. Lawrence (1930–2016)	October 1983	September 1986	~2 years, 335 days	U.S. Army
5		Lieutenant General Bradley C. Hosmer (born 1937)	September 1986	September 1989	~3 years, 0 days	U.S. Air Force
6		Vice Admiral John A. Baldwin Jr. (born 1933)	September 1989	August 14, 1992	~2 years, 348 days	U.S. Navy
7		Lieutenant General Paul G. Cerjan (1938–2011)	August 14, 1992[3]	September 1994	~2 years, 18 days	U.S. Army
8		Lieutenant General Ervin J. Rokke (born 1939)	September 1994	1997	~2 years, 122 days	U.S. Air Force
9		Lieutenant General Richard A. Chilcoat (1938–2010)	1997	2000	~3 years, 0 days	U.S. Army
10		Vice Admiral Paul G. Gaffney II (born 1946)	July 7, 2000	July 2, 2003	2 years, 360 days	U.S. Navy
11		Lieutenant General Michael M. Dunn (born 1950)	July 2, 2003	July 14, 2006	3 years, 12 days	U.S. Air Force
12		Lieutenant General Frances C. Wilson (born 1948)	July 14, 2006	July 10, 2009	2 years, 361 days	U.S. Marine Corps
13		Vice Admiral Ann E. Rondeau (born 1951)	July 10, 2009[4]	April 13, 2012[5]	2 years, 278 days	U.S. Navy
-		Nancy McEldowney (born 1958) Acting	April 13, 2012	July 11, 2012	89 days	Senior Executive Service
14		Major General Gregg F. Martin (born 1956)	July 11, 2012[6]	July 21, 2014	2 years, 10 days	U.S. Army
-		Wanda Nesbitt (born 1956) Acting	July 21, 2014	November 18, 2014	120 days	Senior Executive Service
15		Major General Frederick M. Padilla (born 1959)	November 18, 2014[7]	September 25, 2017	2 years, 311 days	U.S. Marine Corps
16		Vice Admiral Fritz Roegge (born 1958)	September 25, 2017	February 3, 2021	3 years, 131 days	U.S. Navy
17		Lieutenant General Michael T. Plehn (born 1964)	February 3, 2021	October 11, 2024	3 years, 251 days	U.S. Air Force
18		Vice Admiral Peter Garvin (born c. 1967)	October 11, 2024	Incumbent	1 year, 147 days	U.S. Navy

• Air University (United States Air Force), Alabama
• Defense Acquisition University, Fort Belvoir, Virginia
• National Intelligence University, Washington, D.C.
• NATO Defense College, Rome, Italy
• Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, California
• Naval War College, Newport, Rhode Island
• U.S. Army War College, Carlisle, Pennsylvania

• Official website
• National Defense University publications on the Internet Archive