NPS, NATO Partner to Build Transparency, Efficiency in Defense Institutions
Kenneth A. Stewart

Gen. Jean-Paul Paloméros, NATO Supreme Allied Commander Transformation, delivers keynote remarks during this week's Building Integrity (BI) 2013 conference, a collaborative effort between NATO and NPS to help developing nations build efficient, corruption-free systems of defense.

During the conference's opening remarks Interim President Rear Adm. Jan E. Tighe said, “The guiding principles of the Building Integrity initiative are critical to developing worldwide global security, and I am very proud to have our own institution partnering with you in standing up to these challenges. Throughout our institution, some of the brightest minds in their respective fields dedicate their professional careers to teaching military officers about these very values.”

The BI initiative, launched in 2007, is focused on increasing transparency, improving accountability and enhancing integrity in the defense and security communities. This year’s conference seeks to explore the strategic impact of corruption and identify practical tools to assist participants in managing scarce resources while promoting best practices.

TRADOC Chief of Staff Returns to Alma Mater
Kenneth A. Stewart

U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) Deputy Commanding General and Chief of Staff, Lt. Gen. David Halverson, addresses a small collection of NPS Army students and staff during a campus visit, Feb. 22. Approximately 200 Army officers are currently studying at the university, with an even larger number taking advantage of NPS’ modular and certificate education programs.

Halverson returned to NPS to meet with Army students, faculty and administrators, and to discuss the importance of advanced education and the need to make sound investments in “intellectual capital” as the Army transitions into a state of preparation.

“Lt. Gen Halverson stressed the necessity of intellectual capital investments and the importance of guiding students toward institutions, like NPS, that are capable of meeting the Army’s analytical requirements,” said NPS Senior Lecturer, retired Army Col. Jeff Appleget.

Halverson was awarded a Master of Science degree in Operations Research and Systems Analysis from NPS in 1989. As TRADOC Deputy Commanding General and Chief of Staff, he is responsible for developing, educating and training Soldiers and civilian employees of the U.S. Army.

Navy Energy Director Talks Innovation, Future of the Force
Kenneth A. Stewart

Navy Energy Coordination Office Director, Capt. James Goudreau, addresses NPS students, faculty and staff in the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Auditorium, Feb. 22. Goudreau is one of several energy and conservation experts invited to share their views with university researchers as they seek innovative solutions to the Navy’s energy challenges.

“Nations today rarely go to war over ideology … But nations will go to war over resources, especially if they see those resources as critical to their national survival,” said Goudreau. “How we use energy today is a tremendous vulnerability.” Goudreau made a lengthy argument for energy conservation and technological innovation. Still, he insisted that his passion for conservation was driven not by environmental or political concerns, but by a desire to maintain the Navy’s ability to accomplish its most critical wartime missions.

“As a military we must prevail in combat, there is no other reason we put on a uniform everyday,” said Goudreau. “Energy translates into warfighting capability now and it translates in the future … We are having this discussion now, putting scarce resources into this endeavor, because we want to win the fight.”

NPS' CENETIX Continues Networked Sensor Experiments in San Francisco Bay
Kenneth A. Stewart

NPS student, Marine Corps Capt. Johsua Kapp, examines multiple feeds pouring into NPS’ CENETIX lab in Root Hall during an experiment, Feb. 22. Video, voice and raw data were fed to the NPS lab from ships and shore-side sensors in the San Francisco Bay that are designed to alert Coast Guard, law enforcement and homeland security officials of an attempted nuclear, chemical or biological (NBC) infiltration.

NPS researchers are working with local, state, federal and international partners to perfect a series of networked sensors that they hope will help boarding crews to detect ship-borne nuclear, biological or chemical NBC threats.

“This is no longer just an experiment, we are implementing sensor technology now,” said NPS Associate Professor Alexander Bordetsky. “Homeland Security has already purchased networked detection systems.” Bordetsky and his associates are seeking to perfect a network that connects port security and other law enforcement officials with experts than can help them to evaluate potential threats. 

NPS Developed Replenishment at Sea Planner Put to the Test
Kenneth A. Stewart

Faculty at the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) have developed a shipping resupply program that aims to save the Navy significant fuel costs and increase the efficacy of naval resupply operations.

Navy Cmdr. Walt DeGrange is part of a team of researchers rethinking the way naval vessels refuel and take on supplies, and has been working to implement an innovative program known as the Replenishment at Sea Planner (RASP). “The idea is to plan optimal shipping routes that allow vessels to replenish at sea,” said DeGrange. “The U.S. Navy has the greatest naval capability in the history of the world because we can stay at sea indefinitely … There are very few foreign navies that have this capability.”

The Navy's 5th Fleet in Bahrain began implementing RASP, Feb. 5, and while it will be a handful of months before cost savings will be fully determined, DeGrange and his team are confident they will be significant.

Free Tax Assistance Available to Service Members
MC1 Grant P. Ammon

Operations Specialist 2nd Class Alex McCrea, an NPS enlisted volunteer, reviews tax code as part of the Voluntary Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program. The Army Legal Assistance Branch at the Presidio of Monterey (POM) administers the VITA program for active duty and retired service members as well as their families.“The VITA program provides an excellent opportunity for service members and their families to have trained tax professionals assist them with their tax needs,” said Aviation Electronics Technician 2nd Class Karee Lattier, volunteering as a VITA representative for the second time in two years.

VITA services include current federal and state tax return preparation. Refunds are usually directly deposited into customer accounts within 7 to 10 business days after filing. The tax center also amends both federal and state returns when necessary.

VITA Tax Program staff are comprised of a combination of 5-10 permanent Defense Language Institute civilian employees, military personnel, a temporary civilian hire and other volunteers. 

NSA Faculty Releases Second Book in Three Months
Kenneth A. Stewart

NPS Department of National Security Affairs Assistant Professor Dr. Sophal Ear recently released his second book in three months. His latest work, “The Hungry Dragon: How China’s Resource Quest Is Reshaping the World,” is co-authored by Sigfrido Burgos Cáceres. This latest work comes just three months after the release of his last book, “Aid Dependence in Cambodia: How Foreign Assistance Undermines Democracy.”

In “The Hungry Dragon,” Ear delves into China’s race for both natural resources and political influence. “China needs to find places that it can rely upon to provide oil, minerals and other natural resources in order to fuel its economic engine,” said Ear. “This search feeds into China’s competition for supremacy in Asia and around the world.”

Ear focuses on Chinese relations with three nations, Cambodia, Angola and Brazil, with the work documenting the history of Chinese influence in these countries and China’s overall quest for access to resources and prestige globally.

Naval Postgraduate School Hosts Interagency Field Experimentation Program
MC1 Grant Ammon

Naval Postgraduate School students watch the demonstration of a remote-controlled quadrotor aerial vehicle during Joint Interagency Field Experiment (JTFIX) 13-2. NPS Students, faculty and staff conducted the JIFX with representatives from the Department of Defense’s combatant commands (COCOMs), as well as local, state and federal agencies at Camp Roberts, Calif., Feb. 11-14.

Sponsored by the Office of the Secretary of Defense’s Joint Operations Support Directorate and the Department of Homeland Security, the JIFX is a collaborative field experimentation program that allows a broad group of students, researchers, defense industry leaders and service members to test, evaluate and collaboratively develop new technologies.

According to Dr. Ray Buettner, director of field experimentation at the univeristy, NPS-hosted exercises like the JIFX enhance the quality of graduate education and may provide solutions to complex problems facing the nation.  

Interim President Tighe Officiates Local NJROTC Inspection
MC1 Rob Rubio

The Monterey High School (MHS) Navy Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (NJROTC) stands in formation during its annual inspection and pass in review ceremony, Feb. 13, with NPS Interim President Rear Adm. Jan E. Tighe serving as the officiating officer and guest of honor.

MHS Cadet Commander Rasheed Al Kotob, who joined the NJROTC in 2010 after moving to Monterey from Kuwait, led the assembled cadets through a series of presentations.

“I found myself in this family of cadets that you grow bonds with – bonds that you know will last a lifetime,” said Al Kotob. “Being cadet commander, you know that you have a lot of responsibilities to your cadets, and you’re always trying to see what more you can do to improve.”

In addition to the pass in review, the inspection included a mass formation, muster report and the presentation of the colors. There was also a performance by the high school drill team followed by a question and answer session with Tighe.

Naval War College Monterey Graduates Honored for Academic Achievement
Javier Chagoya

Twenty-two NPS students earned academic honors from the Naval War College (NWC) Monterey for the first quarter of Academic Year 2013 and were honored during a ceremony at Halligan Hall, Jan. 29.

Graduates who completed the program in the top five percent were honored with “Highest Distinction.”  Top graduates were Lt. Cmdr. Erin Ceschini, Lt. Brandon Clare, Army Majors Kirk Duncan and Andrew Johannes, along with Marine Corps Maj. David Forbell and Army Maj. Richard Teta, not pictured.  Earning “With Distinction,” by completing the program in the top 15 percent of their class were Lt Darin Dean, Lt. David Hurst, Lt. Kyle Killingbeck, Lt. Cmdr. Angela Lefler, Lt. Carson McAbee, Lt. Cmdr. Stephen McIntyre and Army Majs. Robert Miske, Edwin Morton, Kristopher Alexander, Kevin Davenport and Armando Hernandez along with Army Capt. Jonathan Judy, Lt. Justin Kirkpatrick, Army Maj. Gregory Merkl, Lt. Allan Phillips, and Army Maj. Benjamin Shaha, not pictured.

Systems Engineering Body of Knowledge Honored with Prestigious INCOSE Award
MC1 Grant Ammon

NPS Professor Dave Olwell, left, and Stevens Institute of Technology Distinguished Research Professor Art Pyster, right, are honored with the "Product of the Year" award presented by International Council on Systems Engineering President John Thomas, center. The award honors the duo's Body of Knowledge and Curriculum to Advance Systems Engineering (BKCASE) project.

“The [BKCASE team] has done an outstanding job in the development of this systems engineering repository of information and training guidance,” said INCOSE President John Thomas. “The world’s systems thinkers and engineers are already benefiting from these efforts. INCOSE is proud to have provided many experts to assist in the success of this endeavor.”

Launched in 2009, the BKCASE project involved the creation of a Systems Engineering Body of Knowledge (SEBoK), as well as the creation of an Advanced Graduate Reference Curriculum for Systems Engineering (GRCSE). The BKCASE project was conducted through the Systems Engineering Research Center (SERC), a U.S. Department of Defense University Affiliated Research Center of which NPS is a founding member. The SERC, and its 17 member institutions, works to improve the application of systems engineering within government and industry.

NPS Professor Receives Second Highest Civilian Service Award
MC1 Grant Ammon

NPS Department of Oceanography Chair, Distinguished Professor Peter Chu, left, and Professor Curtis Collins, right, cut a ceremonial cake celebrating Collins’ 41 years of government service, Feb. 6. Collins was awarded the Navy’s second highest civilian honor, the Superior Civilian Service Award, for his 41 years of service, 25 of which were spent at NPS.

“I became affiliated with the Navy in 1958 when I reported to the Merchant Marine Academy,” said Collins. “It’s been really great working here at NPS. The students are willing and hard working; the faculty really knows what it’s doing, and the institution is nationally and internationally recognized.”

Collins started at NPS in 1987.  He has served as a department chair, Faculty Council chair, Fulbright-Garcia Robles Fellow and was a visiting scholar at Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

Although the ceremony marked the end of Collins’ full-time teaching career at NPS, he will return to the university as an emeritus professor to continue his research.

New Book Opens Windows Into Dark Networks
Kenneth A. Stewart

NPS Department of Defense Analysis Assistant Professor Sean Everton holds a copy of his new book, “Disrupting Dark Networks,” in his NPS office, Feb. 6. Everton’s book is the first of its kind to apply Common Operational Research Environment (CORE) Lab-developed methodologies to social network site analysis.

"After 9/11, analysts increasingly looked to social network analysis as a way of disrupting dark networks. Unfortunately, they often focused on metrics that help identify key actors without considering … the various strategies (kinetic and non-kinetic) available to disrupt them,” said Everton. “A primary goal of this book is to illustrate how social network analysis can inform the crafting of a wide variety of strategies for disrupting dark networks."

Everton serves as the CORE Lab Co-director. He teaches graduate-level courses on both the tracking and disrupting of “dark networks” and dynamic network analysis. His work is being used by U.S. and international defense analysis students to reveal criminal and insurgent groups within their respective areas of responsibility.

NPS Students’ Volunteerism Supports Staffing at La Mesa School
Natalie N. Stamey

NPS Graduate School of Business and Public Policy student, Navy Lt. Kasey Carter, prepares for a day of “paying it forward” as a volunteer at the 2013 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, Feb. 5. Carter is one of several NPS students who are volunteering at the tournament in order to fund a full-time teaching position at the La Mesa Elementary School. The majority of La Mesa’s students are military children.

“When we’re overseas, we don’t generally get to give back to our home community,” said Carter. “We want to take advantage of this opportunity and show our support for the community … we want to pay it forward.”

La Mesa Elementary uses the funds from the volunteer workforce to pay for staff positions that are not funded by the school district. This year’s volunteers will allow La Mesa to hire an additional art or music teacher for an entire school year.

DRMI Welcomes Latest International Defense Management Class
MC1 Rob Rubio

Newly-arrived international participants in the Defense Resources Management Institute’s (DRMI) International Defense Management Course mingle on the Herrmann Hall Quarterdeck during a welcome brunch, Feb. 3.

“The course provides models, tools and techniques needed to address the challenges that are faced today in resource management and to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of forces all over the world,” said Melese. “We are building partnerships and encouraging countries to work together and with us in the future.”

The participants were also welcomed by School of International Graduate Studies Dean Dr. James Wirtz, who noted that international partnerships and allies are vital to American national security.

The 11-week International Defense Management Course is conducted twice a year. The current class has 29 participants from 19 countries in attendance.

Former U.S. Coast Guard Vice Commandant Speaks at NPS’ CHDS
MC1 Leonardo Carillo

Retired Coast Guard Vice Adm. David P. Pekoske, a former Vice Commandant of the service, answers a student question during a Center for Homeland Defense and Security (CHDS) course on multidisciplinary approaches to homeland security at the Naval Postgraduate School.

The CHDS students represented a diverse group of local, state and federal agencies dedicated to homeland defense and security. Each student offered valuable lessons-learned from his or her respective fields with an emphasis on partnerships between sister agencies.

“In my years in the Coast Guard, I learned that you can’t accomplish anything if you don’t have strong partnerships,” said Pekoske. “You need to know you can rely on your partner and be able to depend on that partner to do their part.”

The in-residence course is part of a larger NPS graduate degree program focused on homeland security. The program is offered in partnership with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s National Preparedness Directorate,  the Federal Emergency Management Agency and CHDS.

Civil Affairs Program Attracts International Attention
Kenneth A. Stewart

Republic of Korea (ROK) Army Maj. Gen Inbum Chun, combined forces command deputy chief of staff, left, and Assistant Professor Karen Guttieri, right, recently met to discuss the latest developments in NPS graduate civil affairs education.

“I learned of Dr. Guttieri’s course and felt that it was important to operations on the Korean peninsula,” said Chun. “NPS is greatly respected in Korea because of the high quality of education that it provides.”

Guttieri has developed a new program that offers graduate level civil affairs education to service members from a variety of professional disciplines. “I am excited to have a dialogue with Maj. Gen Chun because the ROK Army has done some great work with the provincial reconstruction teams, and we have a lot that we can learn from them,” said Guttieri.

The ROK Army’s interest in civil affairs stems from a desire to curtail potential humanitarian pitfalls should the two Koreas eventually reunite. Chun expressed hope that academic work that focuses on the two Koreas will be a part of the NPS program.

Chief of Naval Operations Delivers All Hands Message
Amanda D. Stein

Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jonathan W. Greenert addresses students, faculty and staff at King Auditorium, Feb. 1. The CNO discussed where the Navy is presently, and where leadership hopes to focus efforts in the future. He took questions from attendees, addressing a range of issues that matter to the Navy community – from budget and resources to the role of training and education for the fleet.

“I want to tell you right off the bat, this institution is a very big part of where I want to take this Navy, and where whoever relieves me has to take this Navy. The Naval Postgraduate School is one of our big three institutions,” said Greenert. “We grow kids up to be officers at the Naval Academy, we do our educating for warfare at the Naval War College, but here is where we make Jedis in a lot of areas that are very unique to our Navy – acoustics, cyber, financial management and a whole host of things.”

“That balance of postgraduate education and the research you do here is very important,” continued Greenert. “We are fortunate to have the students that we attract, the world renowned faculty that we have here, and the administration that makes it all come together.”

In closing, Greenert expressed his appreciation for the students’ candid questions, and in their ability to lead the future fleet. “It’s really invigorating to get the questions that I’m getting. You guys are thinking about things … and knowing that when I go, people like you will come in and take care of the Navy makes me feel good and I appreciate it very much.”