Abstract
The United States Naval Academy (USNA) is an exclusively undergraduate institution that awards every graduate with a Bachelor of Science degree and prepares them for military service in the Navy or Marine Corps. This viewpoint highlights (1) how chemistry is integrated into our rigorous military program of study, (2) how our independent research courses help to prepare future Naval and Marine Corps officers, (3) how midshipmen contribute to publishable military-relevant research, and (4) how external collaborative efforts increase the caliber and impact of research.