Kaitie Penry is the inaugural Director of Research Innovation at the Naval Postgraduate School. In this role, she oversees the development of NPS’ enterprise innovation process and prototyping portfolio, supporting the Secretary of the Navy’s initiative to establish the Naval Innovation Center at NPS.
Penry joined the NPS team in May 2023 from the National Security Innovation Network (NSIN), a program office within the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research & Engineering. At NSIN, Penry was the Bay Area Regional Engagement Principal focused on building relationships with early-stage startups and academia in order to develop novel solutions for national security problem sets. She was also a National Security Fellow at UC Berkeley. Prior to this, she was the NSIN Deputy Education Portfolio Manager focused on design and execution programming.
Penry also worked at Headquarters, Marine Corps for eight years on related strategic areas to include logistics, crowdsourcing/ideation, rapid prototyping, security cooperation, and technology concepts. She earned a master’s in foreign policy from American University and a bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Davis in International Relations.
Through its strategic framework, the Naval Postgraduate School established four pillars of focus: education, research, innovation, and institution. The innovation pillar lays out five initial strategic objectives: piloting an acquisition and transition capstone project, accelerating the Naval Innovation Exchange teams, establishing the Naval Innovation Center, expanding innovation education, and expanding prototyping and experimentation. These objectives, writ large, speak to the Innovation Operating Concept that is being worked at NPS. The operating concept lays out a common innovation approach that, for the most part, has already been taking place at NPS; it just seeks to start linking some of the historic and new capabilities together. The process breaks down into six steps: source, curate, ideate, prototype, experiment and transition.
NPS sources projects from the Fleet and Fleet Marine Forces, students coming to NPS, the Naval Research and Development Establishment (NR&DE), Program Executive Offices, OPNAV, NavalX and others. These ideas are then curated to understand the underlying problem(s), identify the stakeholders, and determine what talent and resources are necessary to work a solution. One example of curation and ideation is the Warfare Innovation Continuum Workshop (WIC). With participation by NPS faculty and students, NR&DE research partners, Navy program office representatives, industry partners and others, the WIC presents a deliberate approach to relevant problem curation and facilitated ideation, proposing concepts and capabilities to address complex warfighting challenges.
Emerging defined problem sets from the curation phase begin the ideation phase and feed into Naval Innovation Exchange (NIX) teams. NIX teams are composed of students, faculty, NR&DE researchers, external academia, and industry innovators, with the team composition varying based on the needs of the project. The NIX teams accelerate solution development through iterative interdisciplinary research “sprints” conducting development, prototyping, and experimentation with the end user, all while the students conduct best-in-class graduate research in their fields of study.
While the NIX team goes through the iterative process, they enter the prototype and experiment phases and start to overlap with the transition phase, headlined by the acquisition and transition pilot capstone out of NPS’ Department of Defense Management. This pilot is an example of leading-edge thinking. It involves faculty and students working to integrate the many subprocesses within the DOD decision support system to provide more agile and rapid solutions to critical warfighting needs. It is designed to enable students and faculty to interact with industry and other government organizations to develop innovative solutions using critical technology being researched at NPS, government labs, and in industry. Key to the acquisition and transition process is identifying valid requirements and transition agents such as PEO/PM organizations that have the authority to continue the development process, transitioning results to programs of record.
In coordination with acquisition and transition participants, the NIX teams are able to prototype collaboratively with industry, the NRD&E and academia. They can take these iterative prototypes and begin testing them at events under the Joint Interagency Field Experimentation (JIFX), a program at NPS funded by OUSD R&E. JIFX is held quarterly with experimentation from emerging technology companies, student teams, academia and NR&DE. The experimentation is done at NPS labs, test ranges including Camp Roberts, California, and in Monterey Bay. As the product matures, the NIX teams are able to start testing out the technology in service-led and component-led exercises such as ANTX, FleetEx, Trident Warrior, RIMPAC, and IBP. The acquisition and transition teams can utilize these experiments to develop and begin to implement transition plans for new pieces of technology to deliver them to Naval forces more efficiently and effectively.
Together, these initiatives work synergistically to strengthen the overall innovation culture at NPS by fostering collaboration, driving research excellence, cultivating entrepreneurial spirit, enhancing educational experiences, and fostering a community of innovators committed to advancing the Department of the Navy's mission, strategic priorities, and operational effectiveness. With the introduction of the Naval Innovation Center (NIC) at NPS, they will reach their full potential with the common space, common lexicon, and common values that the NIC at NPS can provide and be able to work with processes within the Naval Research and Development Establishment (NR&DE), NavalX, Disruptive Capabilities Office (DCO), the Marine Corps Rapid Capabilities Office (RCO), Marine Innovation Unit (MIU), and Defense Innovation Unit (DIU).
In addition, NPS has been working to establish strategic partnerships with industry leaders, academic institutions, research organizations, and government agencies to foster collaborative research initiatives. By leveraging external expertise, resources, and perspectives, NPS can drive innovation, address complex challenges, and accelerate the development of cutting-edge solutions relevant to naval operations and defense priorities.
In 2023, NPS established an innovation pillar and put together a committee to define the capabilities, the process, and the foundation for the Naval Innovation Center (NIC) at NPS, as well as putting the due diligence toward the planning of a facility. We are forming strong relationships with NavalX and the Marine Innovation Unit (MIU) and looking to expand strong relationships with the Defense Innovation Unit, the Disruptive Capabilities Office (DCO), and the Marine Corps Rapid Capabilities Office (RCO) in order to define our space and ensure that there are no redundancies. 2024 should see leaps being made toward a Naval Innovation Center at NPS through collaborative efforts and putting together a holistic framework that benefits the Naval Service.
The NIC at NPS will be Naval in nature, developing a holistic approach across the NR&DE, the NRE, NavalX, the Marine Corps RCO, DCO and MIU. In doing so, the NIC will leverage the intellectual, operational and entrepreneurial talent inherent in each organization to create an institution that develops, incubates and accelerates applications, concepts and capabilities for technology, process and policy. The NIC at NPS will be optimized as a distinct Naval capability fusing defense education and research with operational insight and industry partner technologies to accelerate innovation for maritime dominance.
The establishment of the Naval Innovation Center at NPS will usher in a transformative era, bringing forth a myriad of capabilities and synergies that would significantly benefit the Department of the Navy and the broader Department of Defense. The Naval Innovation Center will serve as a nexus for cutting-edge R&D initiatives, focusing on emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, cybersecurity, and advanced materials. By leveraging NPS' academic expertise, the students’ operational experience, and fostering collaboration with industry partners, the center will drive innovation, develop next-generation capabilities, and address critical naval and defense challenges.
The center will facilitate interdisciplinary collaboration among NPS faculty, DOD researchers, warrior-scholars, industry experts, and DOD stakeholders. By fostering an ecosystem of collaboration and knowledge exchange, the Naval Innovation Center will promote holistic solutions, leverage diverse expertise, and accelerate the transition from concept to deployment.
In addition to R&D initiatives, the Naval Innovation Center would enhance NPS' educational programs by integrating real-world challenges, cutting-edge technologies, and industry perspectives into the curriculum. By offering students hands-on experience, research opportunities, and exposure to industry best practices, the center would cultivate a new generation of leaders equipped with the skills, knowledge, and innovative mindset to drive transformational change within the Department of the Navy and DOD, as well as with international partners and allies that send students to NPS.
The establishment of the Naval Innovation Center will further foster strategic partnerships with industry leaders, academic institutions, research organizations, and government agencies. By creating a collaborative network of stakeholders, the center will facilitate knowledge sharing, technology transfer, and collaborative initiatives that align with the Department of the Navy's strategic priorities and the DOD's broader mission objectives.
The location of the NIC at NPS also allows for ease of joint and allied participation. There are approximately 250 Army, Air Force, Space Force and Coast Guard students at NPS and 180 international students. Many of the international students go on to general officer-level positions within their organizations and will heavily influence the development of their nation’s organic innovation ecosystem. This allows for joint and allied development of technology that will amplify the impact and allow for more effective deployment of technology that can be used by multiple entities.
By staying at the forefront of technological advancements and fostering a culture of innovation, the Naval Innovation Center will enhance the Navy's and Marine Corps’ operational agility, adaptability and resilience. By developing and implementing innovative solutions, leveraging emerging technologies, and fostering a culture of continuous improvement, the center ensures that the Department of the Navy remains prepared to address evolving threats, challenges and opportunities in an increasingly complex and dynamic global landscape.
The collaboration, iteration, and rapid prototyping between the Naval Postgraduate School and industry partners hold significant importance for several reasons:
The Naval Innovation Center will be a naval capability that allows for greater collaboration, iteration, and rapid prototyping between the Naval Service and industry partners. This will be instrumental in fostering innovation, ensuring real-world relevance, optimizing resource utilization, promoting interdisciplinary collaboration, nurturing talent, and enhancing agility. By harnessing the collaborative power of academia, government and industry through the Naval Innovation Center, the Naval Service can remain at the forefront of naval research, education, and technological advancement. Thus ensuring the continued supremacy and effectiveness of the Navy and Marine Corps in an increasingly complex and dynamic global landscape.
