"To prevent the new cold-war competition from escalating into a hot war, we need to innovate as if the free world depends on it. This path forward requires substantial investments in technology and an infrastructure built for innovative national-security research and education. Failure to act risks not only our strategic position but also our future stability and influence on the global stage. The answer lies within incentivizing our Force to innovate rapidly."
In his recent op-ed, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and member of the Defense Innovation Board, retired Admiral Mike Mullen, underscores the urgent need to reform the Department of Defense's incentive structures to foster a culture of innovation. At the NPS Foundation, we empower the Naval Postgraduate School to connect active-duty students, top researchers, and subject matter experts to understand global threats, develop new capabilities, and deliver solutions.
Our commitment extends to developing agile leaders who can drive the adoption of these new capabilities within the DOD. By fostering collaboration between military, academic, and industry experts, we ensure that NPS remains a powerful innovation accelerator, bridging the gap between private sector ingenuity and the specific needs of the DOD.
"In the face of a clear and present danger, there is no room for hesitation. Leaders must lead."
Retired Admiral Mullen serves as the Chair of the NPS Foundation’s Advisory Council. Read more.
Related: The Pentagon Can’t Wait to Innovate [Op-Ed by The Hon Leon Panetta and Rep. Mike Gallagher]
On Monday, July 29, and Tuesday, July 30, NPS students gathered in the NPS Foundation Cottage and the NPS Tech Demo Room for a hands-on Athena Workshop with the NPS Foundation Team.
The workshops aimed to help students effectively utilize Athena's capabilities. Throughout the two days, participants engaged in personalized sessions where they set up and customized their Athena accounts as well as learned how to effectively search and create shared queries.
The interactive nature of the workshops allowed students to tailor their learning experience to their specific needs and questions. Participants appreciated the opportunity to explore Athena's comprehensive capabilities and resources, learning how to use them effectively to search for resources, collaborate with researchers in their areas of interest, focus on impactful research topics, and connect across campus and the DOD.
The NPS Foundation Team looks forward to organizing more Athena workshops in the future, continuing to empower students and researchers with the tools necessary to extend their impact across NPS and the DOD.
Learn more about Athena at www.athena4partners.org.
Early this year, within the frigid expanse of the Arctic Circle, a dedicated team of students and faculty from the Naval Postgraduate School embarked on a vital scientific research mission. Collaborating with the Undersea Warfighting Development Center’s Arctic Submarine Laboratory (ASL) during the biennial Operation Ice Camp, the NPS team collected extensive data to advance our understanding of the unique challenges of operating in the Arctic environment, improving operational strategies and readiness.
“We were able to accomplish essentially all of our scientific objectives,” said retired Navy Cmdr. John Joseph, NPS Department of Oceanography faculty associate-research. “The data we collected will help us better understand the impact that a changing Arctic has on the Navy’s ASW (anti-submarine warfare) and ISR (intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance) missions.” Read more.
NPS officials honored the latest students selected by Naval Information Warfare Center (NIWC) Pacific to receive the competitive NIWC Pacific Fellowship, reflecting the direct relevance of the students’ proposed research to NIWC needs and force design objectives.
The NPS, NIWC-Pacific partnership connects select NPS research efforts with NIWC Pacific focus areas, advancing the impact of NPS education and research programs in information warfare (IW) for the U.S. Navy and DOD. The fellowship also provides the latest recipients – Lt. Cmdr. Matt Wittkopp, Lt. Cmdr. David Lindeman, Lt. Cmdr.James Phan and Lt. Cmdr. David Justamante – with the mentorship of a senior NIWC scientist supporting their thesis research. Read more.
Representatives from the Office of Naval Research (ONR) and Naval Information Warfare Center (NIWC) Pacific gathered with NPS faculty July 16-18 for the annual review of ONR’s Next Strategic Technology Evaluation Program (NextSTEP).
Part of ONR’s Power and Energy Focus Area, the NextSTEP program is a key element of the overall NPS energy research portfolio, focusing on experimentation and prototyping in partnership with Navy field activities.
“Bringing the program review to NPS allows the program managers, as well as all of the performers, to learn more about NPS capabilities and the outstanding warrior scholars who participate in the research program,” said Dr. Alan Van Nevel, NPS Associate Provost for Research. Read more.
Commander, Chief of Naval Air Training (CNATRA), Rear Adm. Richard Brophy, visited the Naval Postgraduate School July 24-25 to meet with NPS leadership and connect with more than 50 of the Navy’s newest student aviators who are attending NPS before they begin flight school in 2025.
Brophy answered questions and offered advice to the young future naval aviators – as well as some local insights, since he grew up in the area. The students are at NPS for an accelerated one-year master’s degree program before starting the aviation training pipeline in Pensacola, Florida. Read more.
Related: How to Rebalance Naval Aviation Training
Let the games begin! While the Olympics got underway, so did some young cardboard boat racers at NPS. Amidst the serious studies and research of NPS students, their sons and daughters had some STEM fun designing and racing their human-powered watercraft, and in the process, maybe gained a little more appreciation for naval engineering and what their parents do to help advance U.S. seapower around the world.
The event was held earlier this month in the Roman Plunge reflecting pool on the NPS campus. Many thanks to the La Mesa Tech Connection Teen & Youth Center, run by Naval Support Activity Monterey, who launched the idea several years ago and has plans to keep it going in 2025.
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) has announced its 2023–2024 section award winners. The section awards honor particularly notable achievements made by members of AIAA’s 57 sections around the world in a range of activities that help fulfill the Institute’s mission.
Congratulations to:
Commander, Submarine Squadron 17 Capt. Chimi Zacot, MS in Electrical Engineering ‘06, received a career engineering achievement award by the Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers (SASE), with an emphasis on leadership roles, and also community and service impact. “Like with any award you get when wearing the uniform, I am standing here today because of the achievements of the Sailors and officers who worked with me in my various commands, and as well as my personal mentors and role models who supported me throughout my career,” said Zacot.
John Handrigan, an engineer in the Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) Division Newport’s Undersea Warfare Platforms and Payload Integration Department, recently won the 2024 National Safety Council Rising Stars of Safety Award. The award honors up-and-coming safety professionals, who have a track record of demonstrating leadership, innovation and involvement in their organization's safety culture, while promoting continuous safety improvement in the workplace. Handrigan holds a certificate in systems integrated development from NPS and is a current student in the System Engineering Management master’s degree program.
Naval Postgraduate School students, alumni, faculty and staff are actively engaged in impactful discussions across a spectrum of critical topics, reflecting the expertise of the individuals and the institution's contributions to addressing defense and national security challenges.
Wars of Ambition: The United States, Iran, and the Struggle for the Middle East
By Dr. Afshon Ostovar, Professor, National Security Affairs
What assassination of Hamas leader means for Iran amid war in Gaza
Afshon Ostovar, Professor, National Security Affairs - Quoted
Turbulence Ahead: The Maintenance Workforce Dilemma Threatening the Future of Airpower
By Senior Master Sgt. Joshua Morales, Student in Defense Analysis Program
A Framework for Unmanned Systems at Sea
By U.S. Navy Cmdr. Mike Posey, Certificate in AI for Military Use ‘23 and Certificate in Information Systems and Operations ‘13, and U.S. Army Lt. Col. Paul Lushenko
Counterswarming Is Imperative
By U.S. Marine Corps Capt. Karl Flynn, MS in Applied Physics ‘24
Need for Speed
By Lt. Col. Paul Santamaria, MBA in Systems Acquisition Management ‘07, and Maj. Jake LaGue
Collaborative Approach: PEO EIS uses Agile methodologies and a diverse set of teams to develop wide-ranging ATIS programBy Maj. James Oliver, MS in Systems Engineering Management ‘22 and Certificate in Advanced Acquisition ‘22
Militaries Can’t Transition to Renewable Energy
By Brenda Shaffer, Faculty Associate, Energy Academic Group
PERSPECTIVE: The Rise of the Disaster Diplomat: A New Era for Domestic Crisis Leadership
By Carrie Speranza and Dillon Taylor Esq, Center for Homeland Defense and Security Executive Leaders Program
Trident Room Podcast Episode 57
Interview with retired Rear Adm. John Okon, MS in Meteorology and Physical Oceanography ‘03
Study finds big disparities in stroke services across the US
Authored by Dr. Renee Y. Hsia, MSc; Dr. Nandita Sarkar; and Dr. Yu-Chu Shen, Professor, Department of Defense Management
The Potential Impact of a Second Trump Term on Inter-Korean Relations
By Jihoon Yu, MA in National Security Affairs ‘06
“The U.S. public are largely unaware of the dangers the United States faces or the costs (financial and otherwise) required to adequately prepare” for a global conflict, reads an early page from the final report of the Commission on the National Defense Strategy, published July 29. “A bipartisan ‘call to arms’ is urgently needed so that the United States can make the major changes and significant investments now rather than wait for the next Pearl Harbor or 9/11. The support and resolve of the American public are indispensable.”
Beyond laying out an alarming picture of America’s national security landscape, the 114-page report offers a number of recommendations to policymakers in the White House, strategists in the Pentagon and to lawmakers — largely taking an aggressive, more-of-everything approach. Boldest among the proposals is calling for a “Multiple Theater Force Construct” to fix the current, “out-of-date” version.
Read the Report: Commission on the National Defense Strategy
Related: America Isn’t Ready for the Wars of the Future [Op-Ed by retired Gen. Mark Milley and Eric Schmidt]
The bill now moves to the Senate floor, though it — along with the Senate version of the National Defense Authorization Act — won’t be taken up until after the August recess. The SAC was the last of the four defense committees to present its version of the Pentagon’s FY25 budget, which will need to be reconciled across the chambers at some point before the end of the fiscal year. Read more.
Related: Senate appropriators recommend ‘full funding’ for Replicator — and potentially even more money
Faces of NPS: Accelerating Innovation and Impact
Jay Stefany to Lead Navy’s New Maritime Industrial Base Program Office
DIU, Indo-Pacific Command leaders connect in Hawaii on Replicator
U.S. Launches Military Command in Tokyo to Counter China
