Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class Janiel Adames | MONTEREY, Calif. (Sept. 26, 2025). Commencement speaker Rear Adm. Michael S. Mattis,...... read more read more
The Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) celebrated its 2025 Summer Quarter graduates during a commencement ceremony on Sept. 26 at King Hall Auditorium. A total of 233 student warrior-scholars, including 19 allied and partner nation military officers, were recognized for advancing their expertise in service to the nation and the joint force.
NPS president retired U.S. Navy Vice Adm. Ann E. Rondeau opened the ceremony, reflecting on the enduring value of naval education and research, and the leaders who have advanced their skills on the NPS campus. She highlighted retired U.S. Navy Cmdr. Everett Alvarez, NPS Hall of Fame alumnus and legendary naval aviator whose courage and service was recognized with the Congressional Medal of Honor.
She stressed the growing technological nature of warfare, highlighting several graduates from the class whose advanced research directly addresses critical challenges and advances capabilities needed now more than ever. That vision for NPS, she noted, continues to define the institution as a hub of science, research and innovation, providing the intellectual capital that strengthens the Navy, the joint force, and U.S. allies around the world.
“NPS is a unique place; it’s a Navy command, wrapped inside higher education, and all about industry partners and others working the pursuit and integration of knowledge to solve problems,” Rondeau said. “At the heart of us is science and research, education and innovation, and frankly operational advantage … When we send men and women out to the front lines or back to enabling the fight, they are working towards solving problems that will actually deter the conflict.”
Rondeau then turned the podium over to the ceremony’s commencement speaker, Rear Adm. Michael S. Mattis, director of strategic effects for U.S. Naval Forces Europe and Africa and Commander, Task Force 66 (CTF-66). In his remarks, Mattis underscored the pivotal role NPS graduates play in leading the Navy and joint force through an era of accelerating strategic and technological change, demonstrating how their education, and the relationships formed in the process, are critical elements of the NPS advantage.
“This is perhaps the greatest legacy of your NPS experience – these deep and enduring relationships and networks formed here in Monterey that will continue to serve you throughout the rest of your careers,” Mattis said.
In his remarks, Mattis discussed how he called upon his own relationships with NPS president Rondeau, and his shipmate —and now NPS Dean of Students — U.S. Navy Capt. Eric Skalski, when he stood up Task Force 66 in Naples, Italy, to “help the U.S. Navy better support Ukraine in the maritime fight against Russia in the Black Sea,” he noted.
“The whole point of standing up CTF 66 was that the Navy recognized that we were under‐responding to the challenge of supporting Ukraine in the maritime, failing to innovate fast enough to keep up with the rapidly changing character of war and missing opportunities to learn some important lessons from what we would eventually call the Black Sea Battle Lab,” Mattis described.
With limited resources, people, and especially time, Mattis knew he needed to find innovation in “our approach to providing Ukrainian maritime security assistance,” and quickly. “We reached out to the Naval Postgraduate School for help, finding willing support from Admiral Rondeau and the entire institution,” he added.
“This help took many forms,” Mattis said emphatically. “It included embedding liaisons within our team in Naples; linking our capabilities development process with the newly emerging Naval Innovation Center to ensure we had innovation at the heart of our efforts to build and deliver kit to our Ukrainian partners; forming technical support teams that included faculty and students who would help us focus on key operational problems; and, ensuring that lessons of the changing character of war observed in the Black Sea Battle Lab were documented and shared across the Navy, connecting the fleets, and in particular NAVEUR and PACFLT, so that the lessons from a conflict in Europe might inform our readiness for a fight in the Pacific.”
Mattis emphasized the Navy’s need, and NPS’ role, in developing intellectual warfighters, leaders who can innovate, adapt and deliver decisive contributions across every domain. He praised NPS for cultivating officers who fuse academic rigor with operational relevance, in an environment where their engagement with their peers across U.S. and allied militaries is an integral part of their NPS experience.
“Our Allies and partners are one of the greatest strengths we have as a nation. We must continue to find ways to share information at speed and scale with them if we hope to compete in the fight due to the changing character of war and these rapid “action‐reaction‐counteraction” cycles,” Mattis said. “You have learned how to interact with allies and partner here at NPS, so now your task is to grow your ability to operationalize these partnerships throughout the rest of your careers.
That same spirit of combining education, collaboration and innovation was reflected in the work of U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Jennifer Nolta, recipient of the Outstanding U.S. Air Force Student Award and a dual degree graduate in astronautical engineering and applied physics.
“My experience here at NPS has prepared me to carry forward the traditions of innovation and leadership through the friendships and connections I made with the different branches of our military, as well as the foreign military students who are here,” Nolta said. “We all come from diverse backgrounds, but we have to work together to solve common problems.”
Echoing that balance of tradition and innovation, Chief Information Systems Technician Robert Shaddock graduated from the Master of Applied Cyber Operations program, a hands-on degree designed to strengthen the Navy’s technical enlisted community. His research advanced zero trust remote remediation in unmanned network environments, and he became the first enlisted student to complete the challenging NPS Meyer Scholar program for combat systems.
“From first class petty officers to commanders, students here at NPS are all peers, and leadership is built into every project and assignment we undertake,” Shaddock said. “Learning and performing effectively as a leader among leaders is the standard, and the Meyer Scholar student community embodies this value.”
As Mattis closed his remarks to the graduating class, he urged the NPS warrior-scholars to carry forward the legacy of the institution throughout their careers ahead, and utilize what they have learned to drive innovation and ensure warfighting excellence.
“Your degree and experiences from this institution have laid the groundwork for you to succeed in the very challenging operating environment that you find yourselves in given the trends of the changing character of war,” Mattis said. “You must build on this foundation, be bold in your actions, reactions and counter‐actions, and enable our Joint Force, Allies and partners in all that you do moving forward. Victory will depend on it.”
The ceremony reflected both personal achievement and professional readiness, underscoring NPS’ legacy as an institution where education fuels innovation, strengthens leadership, and provides the intellectual foundation for the strategic advantage of the United States and its allies.
• Watch the full Summer Quarter graduation ceremony: https://nps.edu/graduation
• Read Rear Adm. Michael S. Mattis’ full remarks: https://nps.edu/2025- summer-quarter-graduation-remarks
Located in Monterey, California, the Naval Postgraduate School provides defense-focused graduate education, including classified studies and interdisciplinary research, to advance the operational effectiveness, technological leadership, and warfighting advantage of the naval service. Established in 1909, NPS offers master’s and doctoral programs to Department of War military and civilians, along with international partners, to deliver transformative solutions and innovative leaders through advanced education and research.
| Date Taken: | 09.26.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 09.26.2025 18:04 |
| Story ID: | 549466 |
| Location: | MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 47 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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