Naval Postgraduate School
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Faces of NPS: Luke Delaney
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/GJB2bqOMTRw?si=7ov33niKVOA3Jwp
Faces of NPS: Hank Plain
Get PDFFaces 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/9UfI4tDy-5g?si=PIZU4vRqWQX1uS1
OPTIMIZING UNIT ASSIGNMENTS FOR ARMY RESERVE COMPONENTS DURING LARGE-SCALE MOBILIZATION OPERATIONS
No full textFirst Army Headquarters (First Army) is responsible for planning and managing mobilization operations for the reserve components, which consists of the U.S. Army Reserve (USAR) and Army National Guard (ARNG). These reserve components maintain a lower state of readiness and are less resourced than the Army's active component. The USAR and ARNG rely on mobilization force generation installations (MFGIs) to rapidly train and prepare for global deployment. First Army uses a heuristics-based process to assign units and schedule training at MFGIs. The current process can take weeks to generate a solution, may provide an infeasible solution, and is difficult to scale for large operations. This research develops an integer linear program to assign units to MFGIs for large-scale mobilization operations. Open-source and commercial solvers are used to assess the model's performance on artificial data. The model is demonstrated to produce optimal solutions in less time and on larger problems than the current process. This research provides First Army with a flexible tool for mobilization planning.Distribution Statement A. Approved for public release: Distribution is unlimited.Outstanding ThesisMajor, United States Arm
BEYOND CITATION COUNTS: NETWORK-BASED STRATEGIES FOR DETECTING INFLUENTIAL MEDICAL RESEARCH
No full textAs medical research literature rapidly expands, researchers seek ways to dynamically identify high-impact articles that shape the direction of scholarly inquiry. Traditional bibliometric techniques such as citation counts and h-index metrics limit the ability to uncover the structural importance of such papers within the broader citation network. This thesis proposes a network science-based methodology to detect those articles within a pre-defined medical subfield using citation data from PubMed and CrossRef. After extracting and validating Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs), we construct a directed citation network, where vertices represent research articles and edges represent citation relationships. Network properties such as degree distributions, connected components, k-core decompositions, and community structures are analyzed to uncover central and structurally significant vertices. We develop metrics, including a Keystone Paper Index (KPI), to quantify each paper's impact and breadth of influence. We validate the methodology through a subject matter expert (SME) review, confirming that the network-based rankings can accurately predict scholarly impact in medical knowledge databases. These techniques provide a strategy for identifying foundational research across scientific domains that is scalable and reproducible.Distribution Statement A. Approved for public release: Distribution is unlimited.Outstanding ThesisCaptain, United States Arm
EFFECTS OF VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENT FIELD OF VIEW ON COGNITIVE LOAD IN SIMULATED TASKING
No full textElectro-optical devices are commonly used to overcome reduced visibility in order for operations to continue in degraded visual environments (DVE). Such devices mitigate the degradation of visibility but also restrict the user's field of view. Tasks conducted using these devices remain more difficult than the same tasks conducted outside a DVE. Similarly, head mounted display (HMD) devices are increasingly favored for their portability and lower cost relative to full scale training simulators. HMDs present a narrower field of view to the user than occurs naturally. This can affect not only the subjective realism of the virtual training environment but also the training experience of the user in aspects such as task loading. For this research, thirty-four participants conducted a battery of tasks under three levels of field of view restriction. The results indicate statistically significant increases in participant cognitive workload as field of view restrictions increase. These results provide a basis for improved simulated training generally, and in the use of DVE mitigating devices specifically.Distribution Statement A. Approved for public release: Distribution is unlimited.Major, United States Marine Corp
CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT OF AN ELECTROMAGNETIC SPECTRUM SIGNATURE MANAGEMENT TRAINING TOOL
Get PDFThe Marine Corps lacks the ability to train and educate warfighters on signature management in the electromagnetic spectrum (EMS). Recent work on this problem produced a prototype which uses open-source software, commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) equipment, and a Live, Virtual, and Constructive (LVC) environment to replicate interactions in the EMS environment (EMSE). This thesis builds on that research by applying the system life cycle model to identify system requirements and an implementation concept for a low-cost and threat-informed EMS signature management training tool. This research focuses on the Concept Development Stage of the system life cycle model and addresses the phases of needs analysis, concept exploration, and concept definition. Informed by background research and interviews with key individuals in the EMS training field, the primary output of this thesis is a defined system concept for implementation which can be further developed through the system life cycle model. This concept provides the basis for the creation of a training tool which can directly improve the Marine Corps’ ability to operate and thrive in contested environments, leading to a more lethal, proficient, and survivable force.Distribution Statement A. Approved for public release: Distribution is unlimited.Outstanding ThesisCaptain, United States Marine Corp
CONTESTED BY NATURE: EXPLORING THE VALUE OF EXTENDED RANGE METOC FORECASTS IN PREDICTING PERIODS OF OPERATIONAL FAVORABILITY
Get PDFCurrent operational planning relies on either short-range forecasts (less than 10 days) or long-term averages (climatology), leaving a gap in the 10-to-45 day subseasonal range. Forecasting in this range is key for informing decisions that require significant lead time to implement; the repositioning of forces, adjustment of strategic logistical flows or reallocation of high-demand intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance platforms may take weeks to coordinate and fully execute. Without reliable guidance in the subseasonal range, planners must either act prematurely with uncertainty or risk being unprepared when conditions shift. The development of the United States (U.S.) Navy’s Earth Prediction System Version 2 (ESPCv2) ocean-atmosphere model attempts to reduce this gap by producing 45-day ensemble model weather predictions. This research seeks to apply machine learning (ML) techniques to the ESPCv2 data to evaluate its forecast accuracy at extended timelines, and link results to critical thresholds for amphibious operations. Success will be measured by actionable insights into the accuracy of the ESPCv2 ensemble model and its operational relevance.Distribution Statement A. Approved for public release: Distribution is unlimited.Outstanding ThesisMajor, United States Marine CorpsNPS Naval Research ProgramThis project was funded in part by the NPS Naval Research Program
MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES AND PRACTICES FOR TELEWORK AND IN-OFFICE WORK WITHIN THE NAVAL EDUCATIONAL AND TRAINING COMMAND (NETC)
No full textThis study identifies management impacts on telework (TW) and return-to-office (RTO) transitions. The literature review identifies factors that support effective management of distributed workforces and transitions from TW to onsite work. These include managerial character traits, communication tools and technology, relationship management, collaboration and engagement, agile responses to evolving policies, and mitigation of RTO challenges. Responding to the U.S. Navy’s shift in January 2025 from TW to full-time in-office work and a redistributed workforce, the study documents supervisors’ assessments of the benefits and challenges associated with the change. The applications focus on supervisors within the Naval Education and Training Command (NETC), where most people teleworked until they were required to work onsite. The Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey (FEVS) data collected in the summer of 2024 indicated that trust, communication, and accountability were strong at NETC; however, the transition created challenges. This capstone presents three literature-informed conceptual models that depict effective management for hybrid teams, in-office management challenges, and best practices for transitioning back to in-office work. The recommendations build on managers’ responses to the NETC-RTO survey, offering practical strategies to enhance management practices and optimize hybrid and in-office work environments within NETC’s evolving operational landscape.Distribution Statement A. Approved for public release: Distribution is unlimited.Outstanding ThesisCivilian, Department of the Nav
RECONSIDERING READINESS FOR THE EGYPTIAN NAVY
No full textThis thesis evaluates and compares two readiness reporting models for the Egyptian Navy: the traditional binary classification system and the proposed Operational Readiness Score Model (ORSM). The current system reports a ship as either fully operational (100%) or unavailable (0%), failing to capture partial mission capabilities. ORSM introduces a mission-based readiness framework, assigning readiness scores based on the percentage of missions a vessel can complete. A stochastic simulation implemented in Excel and R was employed to test these models across a representative sample of Egyptian Navy ships. Initial results suggest that ORSM provides a more accurate, data-driven, and operationally relevant assessment, reducing overestimation errors and improving fleet management. Findings emphasize the importance of transitioning to mission-based readiness evaluations for strategic decision-making, maintenance optimization, and resource allocation. The study offers actionable recommendations for fleet sustainment, modernization, and predictive maintenance strategies to enhance operational effectiveness.Distribution Statement A. Approved for public release: Distribution is unlimited.Captain, Egypt Nav
Faces of NPS: The Hon. Leon Panetta
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/MRx8r2fKIKc?si=IDTzbnjCGTlgaTI