Naval Postgraduate School
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EVALUATING STATE AND LOCAL EDUCATIONAL MODELS FOR EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
No full textThis thesis examines the need for standardized professional education in the field of emergency management, particularly at the state and local levels, where the absence of consistent training and credentialing has impacted the professionalization of the field. As emergency managers face increasingly complex challenges—ranging from natural disasters to pandemics and social crises—there is a growing demand for a qualified, competent, and adaptable workforce. Unlike other public safety professions, such as law enforcement and firefighting, emergency management lacks a unified system for education, certification, and workforce development. Using Bardach’s eightfold path policy analysis framework, this thesis evaluates four potential educational models: mentor-based training, certification systems, public safety academies, and degree-based education. The analysis draws on case studies from nursing, EMS, and fire service to identify drivers of professionalization and assess each model using criteria such as adaptability, portability, accessibility, and cost. The findings support a hybrid approach that combines elements of each model and recommends the development of a federally guided but locally implemented national framework. This approach would help ensure that emergency managers across all jurisdictions share a common foundation that supports greater consistency and effectiveness in the face of evolving threats.Distribution Statement A. Approved for public release: Distribution is unlimited.Civilian, County Gov
Faces of NPS: Frank Narducci, PhD
No full textFaces of NPS features interviews spotlighting the students, faculty, staff and alumni of our Nation's premier defense education and research institution
Faces of NPS: Cmdr. John "Patsy" Klein, USN (ret.), PhD
No full textFaces of NPS features interviews spotlighting the students, faculty, staff and alumni of our Nation's premier defense education and research institution
Faces of NPS: Ryan Beall
No full textFaces of NPS features interviews spotlighting the students, faculty, staff and alumni of our Nation's premier defense education and research institution
UNDERSTANDING THE INFORMATION PROCESSING–RELATED DYNAMICS OF AI HUMAN INTERACTION: HOW TO PRESENT DATA TO A DECISION-MAKER?
Get PDFDecision makers increasingly rely on larger sets of data and artificial intelligence to generate reports. There is a dearth of research behind the effects of presentation mediums in reports, and their contribution to accurate decision-making in Department of Defense (DoD) settings. This study was conducted to assess which presentation mediums operate best for accurate administrative decisions. Participants were drawn from active-duty members at the Naval Postgraduate School where they responded to a survey and were randomly assigned to one of four presentation mediums. The mediums used in the study were text, visual, and two ranges of numbers. Given the limited sample size, results are inconclusive. The study found no significant statistical difference between presentation mediums. Recommendations for future studies include increasing the sample size, and reducing the number of presentation mediums from four to two to ease the overall sample size requirement. This research serves as a preliminary examination of the role of presentation mediums in DoD administrative reports.Distribution Statement A. Approved for public release: Distribution is unlimited.Captain, United States Marine Corp
TRAINING OUR NAVY INFORMATION PROFESSIONALS FOR THE FUTURE
No full textThis thesis evaluates the effectiveness of the U.S. Navy’s Information Professional Basic Course (IPBC), Course Identification Number J-3B-0440, hosted in Virginia Beach, VA, to prepare junior officers for their operational duties within the Information Warfare Community (IWC). Concerns have been raised regarding the effectiveness of the course in preparing junior Information Professional (IP) officers with the required skills, knowledge, and operational proficiency upon graduation. Our research team gathered qualitative data from students and instructors through on-site interviews, revealing that reliance on a lecture-based curriculum often leads to passive learning, disengagement, and poor knowledge retention. To improve student takeaway, the research team identified alternative teaching methods, such as teach-back learning, hands-on practical exercises, and increased utilization of the course capstone. The study recommends that the U.S. Navy redesign the IPBC curriculum to be more outcome-focused, combining more effective pedagogical educational methods to ensure that IP officers graduate with the confidence, adaptability, and technical expertise required for success in the fleet.Distribution Statement A. Approved for public release: Distribution is unlimited.Lieutenant Commander, United States NavyLieutenant, United States Nav
A TEST OF LEADERSHIP: A SEXUAL ASSAULT CASE STUDY
No full textThis capstone created a teaching case study for use in the United States Naval Academy’s NE203 Ethics & Moral Reasoning for Naval Leaders course, addressing sexual assault prevention fundamentally as a leadership challenge. The case study comprises an active-duty Navy service member’s lived experience with a sexual assault that occurred while attending USNA, asking questions relating to the incident for midshipmen to answer. The case study connects sexual assault prevention and response to leadership at the United States Naval Academy by applying the Moral Deliberation Road Map and core concepts of dignity and respect, ownership, character, and courage. The case includes sexual assault reporting numbers and addresses leadership, culture, core beliefs, guiding documents, and legal considerations for the Navy, Marine Corps, United States Naval Academy, and Department of Defense. The case study was independently vetted by three Navy/Marine Corps officers and tested with a focus group of midshipmen who provided feedback pertaining to the content, organization, flow, and relevance. Upon completion of this case study, students will be able to understand sexual assault as a leadership discussion to improve the Navy and Marine Corps future leaders’ abilities to prevent and respond to sexual assault.Distribution Statement A. Approved for public release: Distribution is unlimited.Lieutenant, United States NavyLieutenant, United States NavyCaptain, United States Marine Corp
AN ANALYSIS OF VORTEX CRITERIA FOR EVALUATING HURRICANE RAPID INTENSIFICATION
No full textHurricanes and other anomalous weather patterns affect all Naval Operations and pose significant operational risk. While deep-water undersea operations may be unaffected, shallow-water missions remain vulnerable—especially those involving interactions with surface targets. As such, there is a need for fast and accurate modeling. For this research, there is a particular interest in the formation stage of these hurricanes, referred to as rapid intensification, defined by tangential azimuthal wind velocity. These wind vectors form vortices, for which there is no single universally accepted identification method. Of the various vortex identification criteria that exist, six were explored in this research: Q-Criterion, Lambda2, Lambda Ci, Lambda Cr, Delta, and Liutex. These individual methods each have strengths and weaknesses in identifying specific vortex behaviors as a function of tangential azimuthal velocity. The research explores the individual strengths and weaknesses of each method in order to apply them in an optimal manner for potential use in larger codebases such as NUMA, which make use of advanced mesh refinement (AMR). This research aims to use these vortex identification criteria to guide AMR to ultimately improve hurricane simulation efficiency. This work supports SUBFOR thesis topic ID# 22-04, which addresses the identified S&T/R&D Gap Tactical Use of the Environment under the title Tactical Use of the Ocean Environment.Distribution Statement A. Approved for public release: Distribution is unlimited.Ensign, United States Nav
COMPUTATIONAL SPRINTING WITH IMAGE CLASSIFICATION NEURAL NETWORKS FOR MOBILE DEVICES
No full textThe world is shifting towards the use of neural networks for analyzing many parameters at once. Some neural networks require a smaller period of processing time, allowing the result to be used for decision-making. For example, a drone that is using an image classification neural network to analyze the battlefield, would need to return the result quickly. There are many methods for how a processor may perform computations, but one method is computational sprinting, where the processor performs burst computations that over-utilize the processing power of a device for short periods of time followed by a rest period to allow the device to cool. This thesis focuses on exploring how applying computational sprinting to neural network computations on a mobile device affects time, energy, and accuracy, as well as how cooling may work when applied to a drone configuration. Results found that with the neural networks that were tested, there was a decrease in time for computations, but there was a small increase in the amount of energy used. There was also a reduction in accuracy, but this could be minimized with optimizations not explored in this thesis.Distribution Statement A. Approved for public release: Distribution is unlimited.Ensign, United States Nav
COST-BENEFIT ANALYSIS ON CONTRACTING CIVILIAN PILOTS AS T-6 INSTRUCTORS IN NAVAL FLIGHT TRAINING
No full textThis report conducts a cost-benefit analysis (CBA) to evaluate the financial and operational feasibility of contracting civilian pilots as T-6 flight instructors in Naval Aviation Training. This analysis aims to provide a solution in response to a critical instructor pilot shortage which results in training delays. Three courses of action are assessed: maintaining the status quo utilizing exclusively military instructor pilots (MIPs), implementing a hybrid model with both MIPs and civilian instructor pilots (CIPs), and transitioning to a fully civilian instructor model. Data from Navy and Air Force programs, including the Air Force’s PALACE Acquire Civilian Flight Instructor Internship (PAQ/CFII), is analyzed to determine salaries, training costs, and operational impacts over an eight-year period. The CBA determines that a fully civilianized approach offers the lowest total cost; however, the report recommends adopting the hybrid model as it achieves the best balance between cost efficiency, fleet readiness, and instructional continuity. Limitations including data assumptions are acknowledged and further stakeholder engagement is advised to refine implementation.Distribution Statement A. Approved for public release: Distribution is unlimited.Ensign, United States NavyEnsign, United States Nav