New Year's Message from Rich Patterson, CEO
As we begin 2026, I want to thank the donors, leaders, partners, and friends who support the Naval Postgraduate School and the students, faculty, and staff doing the work every day.
This year marks an important shift at NPS as new capabilities move into active use. Advanced computing and applied research infrastructure are expanding how students and faculty tackle complex problems, work with real data, and develop solutions tied directly to operational needs. While new collaborative environments are taking shape, strengthening connections between government, industry, and academia to accelerate capability development.
Model, Simulate, Decide: How NPS Turns Digital Twins Into Mission Value
Modeling and simulation work at the Naval Postgraduate School allows faculty, students, and operators to work through complex problems before decisions are made or systems are fielded, using shared digital models to test scenarios and constraints early, supporting better, faster, and safer decision-making.
“Modeling and simulation can enhance things you already do. It plays out real-world scenarios, often faster than real time, so teams can efficiently evaluate multiple options and make more effective decisions in a shorter time horizon,” said Lt. Col. Charlie Rowan, Ph.D., Director of the MOVES Institute at NPS
This work is carried out in collaboration with industry leaders including NVIDIA, Dell Technologies, and Sterling. Read more.
The Summer/Fall 2025 NPS Mission Impact Report offers a snapshot of recent activities and outcomes across education, research, and innovation, aligned to NPS priorities. It captures where NPS work is already moving from research and learning into operational application.
Key highlights include:
View the Summer/Fall 2025 Mission Impact Report.
Keeping Up with PACE: Summary of the 2025 PAC3 Meeting
NASA mission leaders and partner institutions gathered in New York City for the 2025 PAC3 meeting to review early performance and validation efforts for the Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem mission. Discussions highlighted progress across PACE science and applications teams as well as joint activities with international partners. The meeting also featured the PACE Postlaunch Airborne eXperiment field campaign, which included participation from the Naval Postgraduate School in airborne and ocean based validation efforts along the California coast.
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.
Preparing for the Future Fight: A Blended Career Path for Surface Warfare Officers
By Scott Mobley, MA in national security affairs ’87
Azerbaijani presidential adviser warns DC on Gaza: 'Don't repeat our mistakes'
Featuring Brenda Shaffer, Faculty Associate
Opinion - New Navy new frigate program is sound — the new battleship, maybe not as much
Featuring The Hon. Dov Zakheim, NPS Foundation Advisory Council member
The US returns to region between Russia, China and Iran
By Dr. Brenda Shaffer, Faculty Associate – Research, Energy Academic Group and Svante E. Cornell, research director of the Central Asia-Caucasus Institute and Silk Road Studies Program.
Retired State Police Lt. Colonel Provides Lessons Learned From Brown University Shooting
Featuring retired Lt. Col. Ray Guidetti, MA in security studies (homeland security and defense) ’06
Feroz Hassan Khan: Limited War and Strategy After the May Crisis
By Feroz Hassan Khan, Research Professor of The Institute for Regional and International Security (IRIS)
Ghost TownBy Kenyan Medley, student, Department of National Security Affairs
(When) Will Israel Attack Iran Again?
By Siamak Naficy, Senior Lecturer, Department of Defense Analysis
Close Fighting Fundamentals: Tactical-Level Training Considerations to Prepare for Uncertain Future Battlefields
By LTG Gregory “Greg” K. Anderson, MS in Defense Analysis (Irregular Warfare) '03
Decline of Operational Art: The Story of A Strategic China Wargame
By Marco Lyons, MA in Security Studies (Strategic Studies) '14
Rear Adm. Jaswinder Singh, MS in Defense Analysis (Information Operations) ’10, was appointed to hold additional charge as director of the Bulk, Crude and Tanker segment for The Shipping Corporation of India through June 2026. He has also continued leading SCI’s Liner and Passenger Services division, where he oversees multiple commercial fleets while serving on the boards of two major maritime subsidiaries. Read more.
Cmdr. Andrew T. Stafford, MA in Security Studies (Europe and Eurasia) ’15, assumed command of the guided-missile destroyer USS William P. Lawrence during a change of command ceremony at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii. He previously served as the ship’s executive officer and later as a senior military adviser to the State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor. Read more.
Cmdr. Robert D. Clarkson, MA in Security Studies (Homeland Security and Defense) ’12, assumed command of the guided-missile destroyer USS Ralph Johnson during a change of command ceremony in Yokosuka, Japan. His tenure aboard the ship includes leading two forward-deployed U.S. 7th Fleet patrols and supporting multinational exercises across the Indo-Pacific. Read more.
Chief Master Sgt. Monica Aragon, MS in DoD Acquisitions Management ’25, was selected as the first Air Force senior enlisted adviser to the Maryland National Guard Joint Staff. She previously helped expand multinational training with Estonia and Bosnia-Herzegovina. Read more.
Paul Miano, MS in Security Studies ’25, was appointed chief of EMS operations for the New York City Fire Department, where he now oversees more than 4,000 EMTs, paramedics, and civilian staff across the EMS Bureau. During the Ebola outbreak and the COVID-19 pandemic, he directed major emergency response planning and helped launch the FDNY Marine Paramedic program. Read more.
Lillian Bonsignore, Executive Leadership Program ’18, was named fire commissioner of the New York City Fire Department following a 31-year career that began as a South Bronx EMT and culminated in her becoming the first woman to serve as chief of EMS. She returns to the department after leading EMS operations through the COVID-19 pandemic and later working nationally as a speaker and consultant in emergency medical services leadership. Learn more.
Claire Moravec, Executive Leaders Program ’25, will join Sentinel in the new year as director of intelligence operations for social media exploitation. A founding member of the FBI’s Social Media Exploitation team, she helped shape early counterterrorism approaches to digital threats and later received the FBI Medal of Excellence for her work targeting nation-state actors. Learn more.
Niels Mateo, MS in Electrical Engineering ’98, was named community superintendent for the Department of Defense Education Activity’s Americas Mid-Atlantic District, overseeing schools in Puerto Rico and Cuba. His career has spanned national security operations, international education leadership and principalship at Antilles High School, where he led academic growth and expanded student programs across the Fort Buchanan community. Learn more.
Stephanie Yanta, MA in Security Studies (Homeland Security and Defense) ’12, has joined PenFed Credit Union as a senior engineer, bringing decades of intelligence, law enforcement and private-sector security experience to one of the nation’s largest credit unions. Her career includes serving as an FBI Behavioral Analysis Unit profiler, leading insider-threat initiatives and receiving the Attorney General’s Award for leadership during the 2010 Times Square attempted bombing response. Learn more.
China to once again dominate the headlines: 2026 preview for the Indo-Pacific
US-European relations will define the next year: 2026 preview
DOD maps out plan for new enterprise command-and-control program office, C2 suite
Kirsten Davies sworn in as Pentagon CIO
Army stands up AI, machine-learning career field for officers
