Nonresident Fellow
James Holmes is the inaugural holder of the J. C. Wylie Chair of Maritime Strategy at the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island. He is a graduate of Vanderbilt University, Salve Regina University, Providence College, and the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. Jim graduated from the Naval War College in 1994 and earned the Naval War College Foundation Award as the top graduate in his class. He previously served on the faculty of the University of Georgia School of Public and International Affairs, Center for International Trade and Security. A former U.S. Navy surface warfare officer, he served as engineering and gunnery officer on board the battleship USS Wisconsin, directed an engineering course at the Surface Warfare Officers School Command, and served on the military faculty at the Naval War College. His books include Theodore Roosevelt and World Order, Chinese Naval Strategy in the 21st Century: The Turn to Mahan, Indian Naval Strategy in the 21st Century, Strategy in the Second Nuclear Age, two editions of Red Star over the Pacific: China’s Rise and the Challenge to U.S. Maritime Strategy, and most recently A Brief Guide to Maritime Strategy. Habits of Highly Effective Maritime Strategists is in production for 2021, and A Brief Guide to Joint Sea Power is under contract for 2023. His books have been named to the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps Professional Reading Lists. Former Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis calls him “troublesome.”