Naval postgraduate school research summaries

Navy Supply Corps Newsletter, May-June, 2003 by Philip J. Candreva

At the time this is being written, there are 82 Supply Corps officers enrolled in graduate degree programs at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif. This constitutes a fairly large percentage of our lieutenants and lieutenant commanders. Several other active and retired Supply Corps officers serve on the school's faculty. Just what are they doing and how is it contributing to the country, the Navy, and the Corps?

Academics

Most of the students are enrolled in the Graduate School of Business & Public Policy. For the more senior Supply Corps officers reading this, the GSBPP evolved from the former departments of Administrative Science and Systems Management. GSBPP is one of only two graduate schools in the country accredited by the main accrediting boards for both business schools and schools of public administration. GSBPP is awarding primarily the Masters of Business Administration degree and the first full class of M.B.A. students will graduate in summer 2003. Many of the Supply Corps officers are in the M.B.A concentration areas of acquisition, financial management, logistics, and transportation.

Other Supply Corps officer students are enrolled in the Graduate School of Operations and Information Sciences. The two programs in that school attracting most of our students are Information Science and Technology, and Military Operations Analysis and Research.

There are also seven Supply Corps officers on the faculty of NPS. One serves as the business school curricular officer; the others primarily teach: one with the Defense Resource Management Institute, one in operations research, one in information systems, two in acquisition/contracting, and one in financial management. These officers bring a wealth of fleet experience and perspective to the classroom as a complement to the theory and academic rigor the civilian professors with doctorates provide. Additionally, there are several retired Supply Corps officers on the faculty and staff including the Dean of the Graduate School of Business & Public Policy, Dr. Douglas Brook.

Jointness

In addition to their core academic subjects, most of the Supply Corps students are working on their Joint Professional Military Education (JPME) courses while in Monterey. This fundamental joint education is raising awareness among our junior and midgrade officers of the need to think jointly in order to best support military operations in support of national interests.

This joint perspective is carried back into the core academic program. In the. accompanying list of thesis abstracts, there are several topics that were co-authored by Navy Supply Corps officers and officers of other services. In the M.B.A. program, the thesis requirement is being replaced with a project. The intent of the project is to bring together an interdisciplinary team to work a particular problem. We can expect to see more interservice cooperation in the school.

Historically, the student body has been overwhelmingly Navy ... today it's not uncommon to see uniforms from all military branches and dozens of allied nations. Recent agreements with the Air Force Institute of Technology and the Defense Acquisition Career Manager will result in even more diversity of the student population and joint perspectives in the classroom.

Extracurricular

Currently led by LCDR Chris Parker, the Monterey Peninsula Supply Corps Association provides an oppurtunity for the students to network and support one another outside the classroom. From the traditional Supply Corps birthday ball and golf tournaments to hosting the OP Roadshow and distinguished guests, the MPSCA is vital to maintaining a sense of community for the Supply Corps officers in the Monterey area.

Guests

Naval Postgraduate School receives its share of distinguished visitors and the senior Supply Corps community is no exception. The students and staff have enjoyed visits in the past year from many of our community leaders including RADM Justin D. McCarthy, Chief of Supply Corps; RDML Robert E. Cowley III, Deputy for Acquisition and Business Management, Assistant Secretary of the Navy (RD&A); Captains Phil Valenti, Kevin White, Marty Brown, Eric Myhre, John Morris, Scott Bethmann, and others.

Theses

One of the most important aspects of the NPS experience has been the requirement for a student to complete a thesis (or now an M.B.A. project). The thesis is an opportunity for a student to study in depth a current issue of relevance to DoD. With the support of faculty advisors, the products are also academically sound. Below is a listing of abstracts of theses written by Supply Corps officers who have recently graduated. Anyone desiring more information or a copy of a thesis, should visit the NPS Dudley Knox Library website at http:// library.nps.navy.mil/home/theses.htm.

Please note that due to proprietary or classified content, the distribution of some theses is restricted.

Readers will also note that several topics address current issues within the NAVSUP claimancy. Other topics more directly address fleet readiness concerns. Some deal with the application of technology, some with the contracting and procurement process, and others with fleet logistics. All of them, however, expand the body of knowledge within the Supply Corps and make us collectively more valuable to the Navy.