Navy League

The Navy League is a nonprofit advocacy organization that works to educate Americans about the importance of sea power to the nation and promote the needs of the U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, merchant marine, and Coast Guard through education, lobbying, grassroots promotions, and other public relations activities. Over its century-long history, it has lobbied for naval expansion, provided comfort packages and other supplies to sailors and marines during war, raised funds for maritime museums, and engaged in a host of grassroots educational activities. Unlike many similar organizations, the Navy League bars serving officers of the armed forces from membership, and this has allowed it greater independence to challenge government policy. This entry describes the history and functions of the Navy League.