Lieutenant Commander Shone Pinder of the Royal Bahamas Defence Force recently returned home after graduating from the United States Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island.
Lieutenant Commander Pinder participated in the Naval Staff Course, which began back in January, with numerous United States Navy and other international military officers, representing over thirty (30) nations.
The Naval Staff Course is intended to assist specially selected international naval officers in their professional development, in preparation for positions of higher responsibility within their respective maritime services.
The graduate level course afforded participants an opportunity to receive a unique academic and professional educational experience.
Academic curricula included four (4) primary areas of study including Strategy and Warfare, Joint Military Operations, International Law and National Security Decision Making. Additionally, Lieutenant Commander Pinder completed an elective course in Partisan Warfare, Insurgencies, Counter-Insurgencies and Guerilla Warfare.
Course participants also completed a Field Studies Program (FSP), which consisted of visits to reputable military and civilian establishments throughout the United States, including government institutions and private corporations, in an effort to integrate aspects of American culture and processes into the training.
Visits occurred to the U.S. Capitol Building (House of Representatives/U.S. Senate), the U.S. State Department and the Pentagon (Washington, D.C.); Starbucks Headquarters and Boeing Corporation (Seattle, Washington); CNN Headquarters and the (late Dr. Martin Luther ) King Center (Atlanta, Georgia); the New York Stock Exchange and the National September 11 Memorial (New York City).
Additionally, the comprehensive academic program facilitated national security forums and seminars involving senior United States defence and military officials.
These events featured presentations from the Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff (General DEMPSEY), U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff (General SCHWARTZ), Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps (General AMOS) and the Combatant Commander of Central Command (Iraq and Afghanistan operations), General MATTIS (USMC).
Attendance at the Current Strategies Forum (2012) also occurred while at the Naval War College.
This conference facilitated interaction between senior U.S. government/military officials and defence contractors/private stakeholders (including academic scholars), on existing strategic challenges confronting the United States military.
The U.S. Navy Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral GREENERT, delivered the keynote address at the graduation ceremony on June 15 at the U.S. Naval Station (USNAVSTA) Newport.
Lieutenant Commander Pinder is currently appointed Commanding Officer of Commando Squadron (formerly Military Operations Platoon-MOP), the naval infantry unit of the Defence Force.
A 1989 graduate of Britannia Royal Naval College (Dartmouth, England), he has previously held various billets aboard numerous Defence Force patrol craft and participated overseas in foreign operations and training (Operation Uphold Democracy-Haiti 1994), including command of the RBDF Airwing.
He is married to the former Diann Dean and the couple has one child, DeShone.
