This year marks the 75th anniversary of the Department of the Navy's Office of the General Counsel. Founded on September 10, 1941, the DON OGC is the second largest government law firm with approximately 740 civilian attorneys and 200 support staff located throughout the world.

The DON OGC is responsible for developing legal solutions for challenges facing the Navy and Marine Corps, and how its business is conducted.

"Happy birthday. Happy 75th OGC," said current General Counsel the Honorable Paul Oostburg-Sanz in his introductory remarks at the DON OGC 2016 Training Symposium held last week. "You certainly don't look a day over 50. All of these folks have taken time out of their day to celebrate 75 years of providing sound, timely and mission-oriented legal advice to the Navy, Marine Corps and to the departments."

Anne Brennan, principal deputy general counsel and this year's William R. Molzahn Leadership Award recipient, highlighted the rich history of the OGC.

"In 1940, Secretary Knox and Under Secretary Forrestal realized that it was only a matter of time before the United States Navy would be engaged in hostilities," said Brennan. "Construction of new naval vessels became a matter of critical urgency. The magnitude of the construction was enormous. In January 1941, Secretary Forrestal hired Struve Hensel and John Kenney to examine the Department of the Navy contracting operations and recommend changes. One of the recommendations that came out of the study was a proposal to create a new DON legal organization that would provide all legal services required in the drafting of contracts for facilities and supplies. The organization was called the Procurement Legal Division. That eventually grew into the Office of the General Counsel that we know today."

Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus took the time to commend the OGC for all of the legal challenges they've overcome and the great work the OGC has done during his time as SECNAV.

"You're extraordinarily good at what you do," said Mabus. "You're a very large, very complex, very international law firm, and the types of issues that come before you, the types of problems you have to solve, are diverse and complicated, but you do it extraordinarily well."

Brennan shared her thoughts on where she sees OGC going in the future.

"I think the growth areas for OGC in the next 75 years will be cyber law, intelligence law, and additional support to the service chiefs as a result of their increased role in acquisition," she said.

The DON OGC 75th Anniversary is a year-long celebration with regional events spread throughout the year. There will be a gala on OGC's actual birthday in the D.C. area on Sept. 10.