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NPS and AFIT Seek to Expand Partnership
U.S. Navy photo by MC2 Michael Ehrlich

NPS and AFIT Seek to Expand Partnership

By MC2 Michael Ehrlich

NPS Provost and Academic Dean Dr. Steven Lerman briefs the NPS Board of Advisors on the state of the campus in Herrmann Hall, April 26-27. During the two-day event, the relationship between NPS and the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) was examined on how both institutions can continue to benefit through future collaborations.

Two of the current high visibility partnerships between AFIT and NPS are High Energy Laser propagation in the atmosphere and adaptive beam control, and Space systems with a focus on CubeSat's, a type of miniaturized satellite.

"I think there are many more points of connection around other research and teaching areas like directed energy weapons," said Lerman. "I know that both the Navy and the Air Force are working on that, and I think it will continue to be less about where students attend here or there, but much more about the intersection of the various technologies."

AFIT director and chancellor Dr. Todd Stewart believes that there is, "significant untapped potential, for collaboration between the universities that will be mutually beneficial."

AFIT Provost and Vice-Chancellor Dr. Sivaguru S. Sritharan and former Dean of NPS' Graduate School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (GSEAS) and Professor of Mathematics believes that the faculty-to-faculty professional relationship is the key to sustaining and building academic partnership between the two institutions.

"I think AFIT and NPS should jointly work to identify the enabling science and technology areas of the "Third Offset Strategy" for the U. S. Defense department," said Sritharan.

The Third Offset Strategy is the challenge that the DoD combats with both a decrease in military spending and a need for modernization of all forces. The First Offset Strategy comes from the 1950's with the development of the U.S. Nuclear arsenal. The Second Offset Strategy came in the 1970's and 80's as new technologies began to emerge.

"It is fair to say that over the past half century or so, AFIT and NPS have directly or indirectly contributed to the policy and strategy," Sritharan said. "As well as science and technology aspects of the First Offset, the Second Offset, and educated generations of military leaders.

"It is quite natural to expect AFIT and NPS to team and take leadership in building a pathway for pursuing the "Third Offset Strategy" with the key areas currently identified as: unmanned and autonomous operations, extended-range and high speed air operations, low-observable air operations, undersea warfare, and the complex systems engineering and integration and associated cyber security," Sritharan concluded.
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