MONTEREY, Calif. – The Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) celebrated the achievements of its 2026 Spring Quarter graduating class during a commencement ceremony in King Hall, June 18, recognizing more than 400 U.S. and allied military officers and government civilians prepared to excel in the fleet and force through advanced education and research.
NPS President retired U.S. Navy Vice Adm. Ann E. Rondeau welcomed graduates, faculty, family members and distinguished guests to the ceremony, highlighting the institution’s role in preparing leaders to solve emerging operational challenges.
In the weeks following graduation, America will celebrate its 250th anniversary, and Rondeau reflected on NPS' place in that history. Founded in 1909 at the U.S. Naval Academy and relocated to Monterey in 1951, the institution marks its 75th anniversary on the Monterey Peninsula.
“You graduate in a world of rapid change — technologically, demographically, strategically, globally — and these emerging challenges will shape the future of security and prosperity for decades to come,” said Rondeau.
America's enduring strength lies not simply in its existence, Rondeau added, but in the generations of citizens who have answered the call to serve and defend the ideals upon which the nation was founded. From the Founding Fathers to the preservation of the Union during the Civil War; from the sacrifices of World War II to the challenges of the Cold War and the global war on terror, she emphasized that each generation has faced defining moments requiring courage, leadership and commitment.
The graduating class included 405 graduates earning a total of 414 degrees: 207 U.S. Navy, 68 U.S. Marine Corps, 34 U.S. Army, four U.S. Air Force, two U.S. Coast Guard, five U.S. Navy Reserve, 56 civilian and 29 international graduates representing 18 partner nations. Among the graduates, five earned doctoral degrees, 63 students completed their studies through distance learning programs, 25 were recognized as Meyer Scholars, and 102 completed Joint Professional Military Education requirements.
Serving as the ceremony’s guest speaker, U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Gen. William J. Bowers, deputy commandant for Manpower and Reserve Affairs, addressed graduates on the importance of innovation, critical thinking and lifelong learning in an increasingly complex security environment.
In his commencement address, Bowers emphasized the value of the intellectual agility and technical expertise honed through their studies, especially in an era shaped by advancing technologies like AI, autonomous systems, and cyber warfare as well as rapidly evolving global competition.
“NPS is not simply another military institution,” he said. “It is our nation’s premier STEM-focused military graduate school, and one of the few places where operational experience meets advanced scientific inquiry in direct support of our national security.”
“Students and faculty here are developing applied AI tools for operational problems, advancing counter-drone technologies, exploring autonomous systems, operational data science, advanced manufacturing, cyber capabilities, and the integration of AI into warfighting concepts,” Bowers continued. “This campus has become a laboratory for military innovation.”
Drawing on the history of NPS and its longstanding connection to innovation and emerging technologies within the naval services, he encouraged the graduates to apply their education to solving the operational problems facing the joint force.
“These technologies will matter only if leaders like you can move them from prototypes into operational units, planning cycles, training pipelines, and battlefield decision-making. And that is where your value comes in,” Bowers said.
“All of you in this graduating class are the leaders who will solve problems that do not yet have names. The knowledge and experiences you’ve gained here is valuable,” he concluded. “What you choose to do with it now is up to you.”
Among the graduates recognized during the ceremony was U.S. Navy Lt. Evan D. Humphreys, one of four recipients of the Surface Navy Association Award for Excellence in Surface Warfare Research.
Humphreys earned a master’s degree in mechanical engineering and conducted research focused on improving the survivability of autonomous unmanned surface vessels operating in contested environments. Through hundreds of simulations across multiple tactical scenarios, Humphreys developed a quantitative analysis evaluating the effectiveness of various autonomous defensive behaviors. His work contributes to ongoing efforts to improve the survivability and operational effectiveness of future autonomous naval systems.
Humphreys credited his experience in the school’s Meyer Scholar Program for helping understand the broader context of his work.
“The Meyer Scholar Program has allowed me to connect what we do here academically to the operational needs of the Navy and out in the fleet,” said Humphreys. “Bringing together myriad students with different backgrounds and perspectives, combined with different seminars and weekly topical discussions, has allowed me to become a more learned scholar as well as a better warfighter.”
Just two days before the commencement, Bowers, Rondeau and the broader NPS community welcomed one of the school's most distinguished alumni, U.S. Navy Capt. Victor Glover, Artemis II mission pilot and NASA astronaut, during a Secretary of the Navy Guest Lecture, June 16.
Speaking to a packed King Hall audience, Glover reflected on the role NPS played in shaping his career, from naval aviator to test pilot to astronaut. Throughout his visit, Glover repeatedly congratulated the graduating class and encouraged students to continue pursuing opportunities that challenge them both professionally and personally.
“[NPS] helped me to become a better version of myself,” said Glover. “This place not only helped me to do my job better, but it helped me to have a perspective about my job that I very much care about to this day. It's so interesting to grow, not just academically to say that I got a degree, but for it to put all the work that you do into context … So, I am super grateful for this place.”
Glover's presentation detailed the history-making Artemis II mission, NASA's first crewed mission around the moon in more than 50 years, while highlighting the leadership, teamwork and resilience required to operate at the forefront of exploration.
Reflecting on humanity's place in the cosmos, Glover spoke about the perspective spaceflight provides, emphasizing that despite national boundaries and differences, people share a common responsibility to one another and to the planet they call home. His message resonated with NPS' community of U.S. and international graduates as they return to serve across the world.
As the graduates depart Monterey, they join a global network of NPS alumni whose research, leadership and innovation continue to shape national security and scientific advancement. From operational commanders and senior defense leaders to astronauts preparing for missions beyond Earth, NPS graduates continue to demonstrate how advanced education and discovery shape the future of our nation, our allies and partners, and the world.
NPS, located in Monterey, California, provides warfighting-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, doctoral and distance-learning certificate programs to U.S. Department of War military and civilian students, as well as to international partners, to develop warfighters and leaders who can think critically, solve complex operational problems and deliver mission-ready solutions through advanced education and research.
| Date Taken: |
06.18.2026 |
| Date Posted: |
06.18.2026 19:03 |
| Story ID: |
568220 |
| Location: |
MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: |
21 |
| Downloads: |
1 |
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This work, NPS Celebrates 400+ New Graduates During Spring Quarter Commencement, by PO3 Abreen Padeken, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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