Naval Postgraduate School
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Faces of NPS: Adm. Eric Olson, USN (Ret)
No full textFaces of NPS features Interviews spotlighting the students, faculty, staff and alumni of our Nation’s premier defense education and research institution.Link to video can be found at: https://youtu.be/gK1ZVlhBmMg?si=av4hMIORKSL-xWv
Long-Standing Navy Program Accelerates Drone, AI, and Technology Development Under Field Conditions: JIFX Events Successfully Expedite Mission Critical Defense Capabilities into the Navy, DOD
No full textHARNESSING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE FOR HUMAN INTELLIGENCE OPERATIONS
No full textThe thesis investigates the intersection of artificial intelligence (AI) and human intelligence (HUMINT), analyzing how AI can support and transform HUMINT operations. It reviews AI's benefits and explores opportunities and challenges of AI integration in intelligence collection. Examining the agent recruitment cycle, this research highlights how AI technologies like behavioral analytics and generative modeling can enhance traditional and cyber HUMINT operations. This thesis presents a typology of human-AI interaction interfaces, from traditional input devices to advanced modalities like voice-controlled systems and brain-computer interfaces (BCI), assessing their practicality for HUMINT applications with military and law enforcement contexts. Methodologically, comprehensive research combines qualitative analysis of open-source doctrinal material and technology reports, framed within intelligence practitioners' operational needs. Key findings show that AI can increase operational efficiency, accelerate source handling, and reduce cognitive load by providing real-time support. The research concludes that AI is best positioned as a force multiplier for HUMINT rather than as a replacement, and it offers strategic recommendations for defense and intelligence agencies regarding responsible implementation. This work contributes to a growing field of AI-HUMINT integration focusing on adaptive training and secure AI integration for mission success in the modern threat landscape.Distribution Statement A. Approved for public release: Distribution is unlimited.Lieutenant Colonel, Hungarian Ground Force
AN ANALYSIS OF THE NAVWAR ENTERPRISE’S USE OF THE OTHER TRANSACTION CONSORTIUM MODEL: THE ENIGMA BEHIND INNOVATION
Get PDFCodified in 10 U.S.C. §4022, the Other Transaction Authority (OTA) is a critical acquisition tool for the Department of Defense (DoD) but remains historically underutilized. However, since becoming permanent legislation in 2016, the DoD’s use of OTA has been steadily increasing; namely, through prototype Other Transactions (OT) awarded through consortiums. However, the absence of clear DoD guidance on OT consortiums has led to operational ambiguities, redundancies, and inconsistent processes. Recent Government Accountability Office and DoD Inspector General reports highlight various inefficiencies in the use of consortium-based OTs across the DoD. This research focuses on critically examining the Naval Information Warfare Systems Command (NAVWAR)’s use of the Information Warfare Research Project (IWRP) consortium, assessing efficacy across three organizational pillars: Personnel, Platforms, and Protocols. The primary research question explores analytical inferences regarding NAVWAR’s consortium use, while the secondary question evaluates whether refining the OT process enhances operational efficiency and technology development. Through literature review and expert interviews, the findings reveal that NAVWAR lacks comprehensive training for Agreements Officers, relies on outdated practices, and does not enforce standardized reporting. Recommendations include updated policy frameworks and enhanced training to realize the full flexibility and cost-saving potential of OTA.Distribution Statement A. Approved for public release: Distribution is unlimited.Lieutenant, United States NavyLieutenant, United States NavyCivilian, Department of the Nav
SWARM CHARACTERISTICS CLASSIFICATION USING NEURAL NETWORKS
No full textEffectively predicting the tactics of swarming autonomous agents is critical for defense, security, and civil applications. This dissertation demonstrates feasibility of using neural network time series classification to rapidly infer adversarial swarm behaviors from limited observations. Various deterministic neural network architectures achieve over 90% accuracy in classifying swarm agent attributes and tactics, even under short observation windows, substantial noise up to 50%, and varying swarm sizes from 10 to 100 agents. Recognizing operational uncertainties, the work further enhances neural network robustness by developing enriched datasets, improving classification accuracy across all modeled operational variations. Furthermore, a framework is introduced to strategically optimize defender trajectories, eliciting adversary responses that maximize tactic classification accuracy while satisfying operational constraints. Finally, transitioning to Bayesian neural networks provides superior uncertainty quantification by distinguishing between model (epistemic) and data-related (aleatoric) uncertainties. This decomposition enables precise identification of biases, improves model calibration, and reliably detects previously unseen adversarial tactics, significantly enhancing real-time situational awareness and decision-making in complex, uncertain operational environments. Ultimately, this work is applicable regardless of warfare domain or agent dynamics.Distribution Statement A. Approved for public release: Distribution is unlimited.Commander, United States Nav
THE IMPLICATIONS OF "SERVICE COMMON" FOR DOD ACQUISITIONS
No full textThe Department of Defense (DoD) promotes acquisition commonality to reduce redundancy, enhance interoperability, and streamline logistics. Yet, no formal mechanism enables the Services to adopt capabilities developed by United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), resulting in persistent integration failures. This thesis examines the institutional, procedural, and cultural barriers that hinder the transition of Special Operations Forces (SOF)-peculiar systems into Service portfolios. Through comparative analysis of USSOCOM’s Major Force Program (MFP)-11 acquisition authority against Service-based pathways—Major Capability Acquisition (MCA), Middle Tier Acquisition (MTA), and Urgent Capability Acquisition (UCA)—this study identifies friction points in requirements generation, funding alignment, and sustainment ownership. Case studies such as the F-35, MH-47G, MC-130J, RQ-11B Raven, and the Army’s TITAN program reveal how structural mismatches and fragmented oversight delay fielding and erode joint effectiveness. Regulatory reviews and visual models reinforce that promising SOF innovations remain stovepiped without formal adjudication processes and shared sustainment planning. The findings highlight the urgent need for coordinated policy reform to enable scalable integration, protect warfighter readiness, and prevent duplication across the Joint Force.Distribution Statement A. Approved for public release: Distribution is unlimited.Lieutenant, United States NavyCaptain, United States Marine CorpsCivilian, Department of the Nav
Faces of NPS: Maj. Mark Haasdijk, Netherlands Marine Corps
No full textFaces of NPS features interviews spotlighting the students, faculty, staff and alumni of our Nation's premier defense education and research institution
INVESTIGATION OF SUBMERGED CYLINDRICAL BODY RESPONSE TO SHOCK LOADING
No full textThe detonation of underwater explosives near naval vessels is known to cause severe shock loading, which can have damaging effects on a submerged body due to fluid-structure interaction. Since necessary repairs are often complex, costly, and time consuming, shipbuilders and repair yards have an interest in being able to rapidly but effectively restore the lost areas. Modular replacement of affected sections is one solution being examined, yet the limitations of inserting a surrogate plug are not fully understood. In this study, submerged polylactic acid (PLA) cylinders created via fused filament fabrication (FFF) were exposed to an underwater shock pressure front to investigate dynamic response and structural failure. Cylinders were tested as thin-walled parallel midsections in a larger testing assembly as well as in isolation to provide a point of comparison to prior underwater shock research. Inverse correlations between standoff distance and both pressure and strain were expected and observed across all tests; however, catastrophic sample failure demonstrated the limited reliability of PLA as a material and FFF as a fabrication method for this type of shock testing. Nevertheless, characterization of the dynamic response at key locations, such as the midsection boundaries, will inform further testing of multi-material ship hulls and lead to the use of modeling and simulation as a predictive tool in designing robust modular sections for use in ship damage repair.Distribution Statement A. Approved for public release: Distribution is unlimited.Ensign, United States Nav
FUTURE TACTICAL UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEM CASE HISTORY: A TAILORED APPROACH TO ACQUISITION STRATEGY
No full textThis research project examines the Future Tactical Unmanned Aircraft System (FTUAS) program as a case study in adaptive Army acquisition. The study employs a case history methodology by analyzing the history of the RQ-7 Shadow and its eventual retirement, conducting stakeholder analysis for the new FTUAS program, and using structured decision tools to assess the most appropriate acquisition pathway to recommend an acquisition strategy. Central to the analysis are decision matrices and sensitivity analyses, which evaluate four courses of action: Urgent Capability Acquisition (UCA), Middle Tier Acquisition (MTA), Major Capability Acquisition (MCA), and a Hybrid approach. The analysis evaluates each possible pathway against the decision criteria of cost, schedule, performance, flexibility, manufacturing readiness levels (MRLs) and technical risk, applying weightings based on stakeholder preferences. This capstone research presents a decision-making framework for acquisition professionals to use to develop an appropriate acquisition approach based on the Service’s priorities to balance risk, manage cost/schedule/performance requirements and deliver capability at the speed and scale of relevance.Distribution Statement A. Approved for public release: Distribution is unlimited.Outstanding ThesisCaptain, United States ArmyMajor, United States ArmyCaptain, United States Arm
Faces of NPS: Capt. John Tully, USN
No full textFaces of NPS features interviews spotlighting the students, faculty, staff and alumni of our Nation's premier defense education and research institution