Headed by a serving two star officer who acts as the centre's President, MCE functions under a binary set up. The two wings comprising, Pakistan Navy War College (PNWC) and National Institute of Maritime Policy (NIMA) are geographically located at Lahore and Islamabad respectively. Both have well delineated mandate with wide ranging linkages. The wings blend and complement various studies involving maritime security and geo-economic dimensions of maritime power respectively.