As of Sept 12, 2024
The recent Cocktails & Conversations NPS Alumni event, co-hosted by 8VC and the NPS Foundation, was an exploration of the future of AI in government, national security and mobility.Held on September 10th at 8VC’s San Francisco office, the event brought together NPS alumni and 8VC industry professionals for a dynamic panel discussion moderated by Col. (Ret) Todd Lyons, Vice President of the NPSFoundation. The panel featured AI and defense experts Col. (Ret) Randy Pugh, Alex Moore, Partner at 8VC, and Daniel Buchmueller, Ex-SVP Eng at VAST andCo-Founder of Amazon Prime Air, who explored the transformative potential of AIin defense and beyond.
The conversation addressed how AI is reshaping national security, defense logistics and education, highlighting the democratization of AI access and the need to balance human oversight with emerging technologies. Key themes included AI's ability to optimize complex systems, the rise of autonomous systems like drone swarming, and the generational shift in AI adoption, particularly within the military. Read more.
Attend the next Cocktails & Conversations on October 17 in Austin, TX.
The Naval Postgraduate School Foundation & Alumni Association supported a visit by Naval Postgraduate School leadership to Southern California, August 26-27, to grow its innovation ecosystem by visiting industry and academic partners.
Dr. Jomana Amara led the NPS team in the visit. The NPS Foundation provides support for these engagement opportunities to develop and deepen partnerships that will accelerate capabilities to the Department of the U.S. Navy and the United States Department of Defense and develop the talent required to meet growing and emerging threats worldwide. The visits help NPS envision and articulate the requirements for collaboration and tech experimentation at the Naval Innovation Center at NPS. Read more.
NPS plays a critical role in validating and advancing our understanding of Earth’s changing ecosystems through its collaboration with NASA’s PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem) satellite mission.
This partnership allows NPS to directly contribute by providing airborne support through the operation of the Twin Otter research aircraft. As part of the largest postlaunch data validation campaign, PACE-PAX, NPS helps collect atmospheric data to verify PACE’s satellite measurements, ensuring accuracy in understanding the health of Earth’s oceans and atmosphere.
The Twin Otter aircraft, operated by NPS, samples cloud droplet sizes, aerosol particle sizes, and measures the amount of light scattered and absorbed by these particles at altitudes up to 10,000 feet.
This collaboration highlights the importance of combining airborne and satellite data, strengthening NPS role in advanced scientific research. The data collected helps refine satellite readings and improves our understanding of climate change and global ecosystems. Read more.
Three Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) students recently returned from six months studying systems engineering at the National University of Singapore (NUS) through a strategic partnership between NPS and NUS’ Temasek Defence Systems Institute (TDSI).
“Singapore is a critical Indo-Pacific partner,” noted retired U.S. Army Col. Danial Pick, NPS Director of International Programs. “The decades-old educational relationship between NPS and TDSI is an important manifestation of our partnership. Hundreds of U.S. and Singaporean graduates of our unique dual degree program are serving in important national security positions in both countries.”
Since 2001, TDSI has fostered the intellectual capital that makes this relationship thrive, according to Lui Pao Chuen, Temasek Defence Professor, a 1973 NPS operations research graduate and 2002 NPS Hall of Fame inductee in large part for his leadership in establishing the NPS-NUS partnership.
“NPS has been a strategic partner of NUS to help build the capabilities of the Singaporean Armed Forces (SAF) in the defense of Singapore,” he said. “The relationship has grown over time. I look forward to greater integration of education and research of the two institutes in the coming years.” Read more.
Ocean Power Technologies (OPT) has secured a new contract with the Naval Postgraduate School for further deployment of its PowerBuoy® in Monterey Bay.Building on the success of the previously announced NPS contract, which included installing AT&T 5G technology on a PowerBuoy®. The new contract will integrate advanced subsea sensors and OPT’s Merrows™ AI suite for enhanced data collection and connectivity. The PowerBuoy® will support NPS Field Experimentation exercises, providing autonomous, continuous monitoring and communication capabilities for naval operations. Permits pending, the integrated system is expected to deploy in late Fall. Read more.
For the 14th year, the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) co-hosted an annual U.S.-India Strategic Dialogue, July 30-31 in New Delhi, in partnership with the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) and with sponsorship from the Defense Threat Reduction Agency.
This engagement “supports U.S. objectives in the Indo-Pacific region by promoting cooperation and trust between the U.S. and Indian strategic communities,” said NPS Department of National Security Affairs professor S. Paul Kapur, NPS’ lead on this effort along with faculty associates Christopher Ketponglard and Diana Wueger. “In addition to helping the two countries to understand each other better, it has enabled joint work on areas that previously had been too sensitive even to discuss, such as nuclear safety and security.”
August 5-9, the Naval Postgraduate School hosted its quarterly Joint Interagency Field Experimentation (JIFX) event at Camp Roberts, bringing together 167 participants from across the Department of Defense, industry and academia. The event provided a unique platform for small businesses to showcase cutting-edge technologies, including unmanned aerial systems, situational awareness platforms, encryption methods and advanced sensors.
JIFX embodies how NPS continues to be a hub for innovation, enabling rapid advancements in defense technology. The next JIFX, scheduled for Nov. 4-8, will focus on “Uncrewed Systems & Counter-Uncrewed Systems.” Submit your applications and project proposals now.
An NPS student-faculty team had the opportunity to participate in the Surface Navy Association's 5th Annual Waterfront Symposium at Naval Base San Diego.
“This trip is part of the Fleet Engagement Program at NPS, and it is a great way to enhance the learning experience of our students and faculty while connecting with the surface community leaders on opportunities for fleet-relevant research,” said U.S. Navy Capt. Jeremy Gray, who serves as the CNSF Surface Warfare Chair at NPS. Read more.
The Naval Postgraduate School's Joint Executive Systems Engineering and Management (SEM) – PD21 master’s program is helping drive innovation in defense by equipping engineers and program managers with critical skills in systems engineering, management and leadership. Offered in partnership with Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the program fosters collaboration between government and industry, with participants engaging in both online learning and in-person sessions, including industry visits. The program also fulfills Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act (DAWIA) certification requirements and provides networking opportunities, positioning graduates to advance into senior leadership roles. Read more.
An interdisciplinary faculty team from NPS recently co-led a five-day classified war-game “Functional Economic Deterrence TTX,” in Washington, DC, focusing on economic and information deterrence options in a China-Taiwan crisis scenario. The exercise, part of NPS’ efforts to shape future force design and joint war fighting concepts, included a diverse group of stakeholders and experts.
Students from NPS and beyond were afforded the opportunity to participate in the event, including an NPS doctoral student, and undergraduate students in a National Security Agency internship program, among others. Read more.
NPS President retired Vice Adm. Ann Rondeau and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) Director Dr. Kim Budil led a meeting with senior leadership and staff on Aug. 18, exploring opportunities to advance and expand upon a current memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the institutions to meet educational and research support needs.
This powerful effort between the Department of Defense (DOD) and the Department of Energy (DOE) focuses on increasing teamwork that best takes advantage of NPS and LLNL’s talents and strengths in science and technology, education and operational knowledge. Though NPS and LLNL have a long history of working together, this engagement reflects the potential for even greater collaboration. Read more.
