The United States Naval Academy, located in Annapolis, Maryland, is a premier training institution offering a comprehensive 4-year midshipmen course. It was established in 1845 by George Bancroft, the then-Secretary of the U.S. Navy. To date, more than 60,000 young men and women have graduated from the academy. Many of these graduates have worked up their way to earn a special place in the nation’s pride and history. The academy offers the latest academic and professional training, keeping abreast with the cutting-edge technologies utilized in naval warfare. Apart from the strenuous physical training and exhaustive curriculum, the academy strives to instill the highest ideals of duty, honor, and loyalty into its graduates. The stress is on overall physical, mental, moral and ethical development. All students are treated equally, irrespective of their race, religion, or sex. The training program begins with Plebe Summer, which is the initial training program designed to familiarize the new arrivals with the naval life. Here, the students are taken through a routine consisting of military indoctrination, physical education, basic seamanship and sailing, small arms training, first aid, and computer training. The four-year immersion program involves comprehensive classroom and field training. The professional courses include naval science, engineering, navigation and weapons systems. These courses are designed to give the trainee a working knowledge of modern naval operations and technology. Additionally, courses in leadership, ethics and military law provide the necessary leadership skills and sense of responsibility, which are the absolute qualities needed for an upper class midshipman and a commissioned officer. Leadership skills are further groomed by the academy’s athletic program. The trainees are encouraged to participate in a variety of athletic events to make them fit and fine. The strenuous physical training of the Naval Academy is complemented by its quality academic education. The faculty consists of 600 highly qualified members, derived from both the Navy and civilian background. The curriculum includes courses in engineering, science, mathematics, humanities, and social science. Apart from the general subjects, the students can choose a subject for a major. The students excelling in the academic studies have the opportunity for enrolling in special scholarship and honors programs. The United States Naval Academy boasts state-of-the-art facilities and equipment such as a propulsion lab, wind tunnels, towing tanks, sub-critical nuclear reactor, oceanographic research vessel, Cassegrain reflector telescope, and a 12-meter satellite earth station. The Naval Academy is accredited by the Commission on Higher Education of the Middle State Association of Colleges and Schools. Additionally, six of the engineering majors are professionally accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET). A highlight of the four-year training program is the eight weeks of annual summer training. Starting with the initial Plebe Summer program, the summer trainings are held at the end of each academic year, proceeding through Third class, Second class and finally First class. Specialized trainings on ships, submarines, and naval crafts are given, along with simulations of naval operations. The final summer program gives an opportunity for the trainees to test their leadership skills. They are posted in any Navy or Marine Corps operational unit as junior officers. Here, the trainees can choose their areas of specialization such as surface warship, submarine, aircraft carrier, or aviation squadron. On completion of the 4-year training program, the graduates are commissioned as an ensign in the Navy or a second lieutenant in the Marine Corps.