In April 2000 a new exhibition opened in the back gallery room of the Museum. Its purpose is two-fold. First, it depicts the history of the Navy and Marine Corps and the contributions by Naval Academy graduates to their Nation and their Services throughout the Twentieth Century. Secondly, the exhibition serves as a prototype for a new approach to exhibits that will be installed in the near future in a renovated Preble Hall. These exhibitions will combine art, artifacts, models, text, and audio-visual presentations to interpret in a more exciting and engaging way the history of the Academy.

"100 YEARS and forward..." begins with the Spanish-American War of 1898, introduces technological developments that helped win World War II, and the Navy-Marine Corps contributions to the war effort. It concludes with exhibits on the contributions of Naval Academy graduates during the Cold War and in America's space program. This was a period during which Academy graduates were commissioned not only into the naval services but the Air Force as well, where many Naval Academy graduates rose to leadership positions.