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Which U.S. war college was founded first?

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Luce, Stephen — war college Stephen Luce, c. 1888.

The U.S. Naval War College (NWC) was the first U.S. war college to be founded. Established in 1884 on Coasters Harbor Island in Newport, Rhode Island, it was created to provide an advanced course of professional study for naval officers. Its founding president, Commodore Stephen B. Luce, envisioned the institution as a place for senior officers to study strategy, tactics, and operations through the examination of history.12