DIU, Naval Post Graduate School team up to accelerate commercial tech adoption
NewsApril 10, 2024
NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. The Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) and the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) have teamed up to accelerate adoption of commercial dual-use technology solutions, while enhancing the advanced education of defense leaders necessary to employ them.
DIU Director Doug Beck and retired U.S. Navy Vice Adm. Ann Rondeau, President of NPS, announced a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on April 9 at the Sea-Air-Space Conference in National Harbor, Md. The MOU will build upon prior successes and existing relationships between DIU and NPS to expand complementary efforts and future opportunities targeting education, research, and innovation through student fellowships at DIU, personnel exchanges, collaborative experimentation, and projects with the Naval Innovation Center (NIC) at NPS.
Said, who announced the establishment of the NIC at NPS in December 2022: “I look forward to witnessing the vision for the Naval Innovation Center coming to life at NPS,” said Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro. “The NIC will provide an educational opportunity and venue unavailable anywhere else in the world, where industry and academic partners will work side-by-side with our NPS students to research and discover advanced warfighting solutions.”
According to a Navy release, the National Defense Science and Technology Strategy acknowledged the deep linkage of defense education and research to discovery and innovation, stating that “education is another cornerstone for building enduring advantage” and that DOD “cannot create 21st century capabilities using 20th century equipment, education, and employment policies.”
Partnership with industry will be a key component of this effort.
“DIU partners with many Silicon Valley organizations, from tech icons to start-ups as well as universities, and NPS is a natural fit given its defense focus,” Beeck said. “Through this partnership we will connect companies with NPS talent and technology leaders, providing a catalyst for their learning and applied research to deliver innovative solutions for the joint force.”
According to Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti, the new partnership with DIU will enhance the capabilities of NPS aligned with her top priorities.
“NPS develops warfighters who are able to translate today’s uncertainties into tomorrow’s strategies, and continuously create warfighting advantages,” Franchetti said. “As the Navy’s flagship technical graduate school, this DIU partnership will strengthen NPS’ foundation to develop student excellence in their primary warfighting duties and further empower them to lead and solve real-world operational problems with leading-edge companies.”
The NPS faculty has expertise across multiple disciplines in defense-related fields such as cybersecurity, oceanography, physics, naval engineering and space systems.
“Our students are warrior-scholars, and they come to NPS to learn and make a difference,” Rondeau said. “NPS provides a venue to challenge assumptions, try new ideas, and with our industry partners, we serve as an innovation hub to rapidly adapt research concepts into prototype applications and capabilities. This new partnership with DIU will greatly enhance the impact our students can have on the fleet and force through expanded collaborations and greater access to emerging technologies.”
For more information on the Defense Innovation Unit, click here. For more information on the Naval Postgraduate School, click here.
