Friday, April 19, 2002

Wilmington, NC – Dr. James R. Leutze, chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, has accepted an invitation from Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld to participate in the Defense Department’s Joint Civilian Orientation Conference (JCOC 65). The program, to be held April 20-28, 2002, will give participants an opportunity to learn first-hand about U.S. military personnel, their equipment and capabilities, and national defense strategies.

As a JCOC 65 participant, Chancellor Leutze will visit military bases of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard. Very few people, even those employed by the Department of Defense, get the opportunity to interact with such an encompassing cross-section of military leaders and service members of all ranks. Participants will fly on military aircraft; experience aircraft carrier landings and launches; observe amphibious landings, urban area combat techniques, special operations assaults, and other warfare demonstrations.

The program begins in Washington, D.C., where Chancellor Leutze will meet and be briefed by Defense Department leaders including Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Richard B. Myers, and other senior military and civilian officials.

After the Washington, D.C., orientation, the JCOC team will travel by military aircraft to the U.S. Naval Facility, Norfolk, Va., where members will fly out to an aircraft carrier, tour other Navy ships and submarines, and view Navy Special Forces demonstration. Next they will travel to Camp Lejeune, N.C., where the Marine Corps will execute an operations exercise showcasing the combat power of its’ Marine Air-Ground Task Force. Next they will interact with the soldiers of the Army’s XVIII Airborne Corps and Special Operations Forces at Fort Bragg, N.C. Next stop is the Coast Guard Training Center in Yorktown, Va., to observe Coast Guard operations involving cutters, patrol boats and helicopters. While en route to Yorktown, the group will observe an aerial refueling. The group then travels to Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas, to fly a jet aircraft flight simulator and to participate in several training exercises. The team’s final destination is Offutt Air Force Base, NE, where team members will visit the U.S. Strategic Command underground command post. The JCOC 65 program concludes in Omaha, NE, on Sunday, April 28.

A native of Charleston, S.C., Dr. Leutze holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Maryland, a master's degree from the University of Miami and a doctoral degree from Duke University. He served in the U.S. Air Force, rising to the rank of captain, and worked as a legislative assistant for Sen. Hubert Humphrey. As a professor of history at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Dr. Leutze was recognized for his excellence in undergraduate teaching. He was named chair of the Curriculum for Peace, War and Defense and, in recognition of his teaching and research, was appointed the first Dowd Professor of War and Peace. Prior to coming to UNCW in 1990, Dr. Leutze was president of Hampden-Sydney College.

Dr. Leutze created the international affairs program, Globe Watch, which aired for 15 years on public television networks nationally and internationally.

A prolific researcher and writer, he has published numerous books and articles on international affairs and national security, including Bargaining for Supremacy: Anglo-American Naval Collaboration 1937-41 and A Different Kind of Victory: The Biography of Admiral Thomas C. Hart.

“As a military historian who has spent my scholarly career working in this field, I’m excited about this opportunity to learn first-hand about the nation’s modern military,” said Dr. Leutze. “This will give me new and valuable insights to share with my military history students and as I evaluate and analyze international events.”

Dr. Leutze teaches a Web-assisted course in the UNCW History Department at least once during the academic year.

This conference was initiated in 1948 and is the Secretary of Defense’s premier civic leader program. Sixty U.S. citizens are selected from hundreds of candidates nominated by military commands worldwide. The selection process is highly competitive. JCOC 65 participants pay all of their own expenses, including travel to and from the conference, lodging and meals.