Vice Adm. Philip Sawyer, Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Operations, Plans and Strategy (N3/N5), and Flag Sponsor for the Navy Foreign Affairs Officer (FAO) community, visited the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS), Apr. 29, to observe the institution’s interdisciplinary academics relevant to Navy operations and strategy that lead to effective and globally-aware officers for the fleet and joint force.

His visit included touring NPS’ Oceanography Lab, Undersea Sensing Systems Lab, and Center for Autonomous Research (CAVR) where NPS faculty and students gave him a firsthand look into the variety of disciplines and educational opportunities that help develop military officers for global strategic competition.

For example, NPS student Lt. Cmdr. Shelly Moeller briefed Sawyer on her work testing the capabilities of an underwater camera in ultra-low-light environments.

“My research aims to improve future low-light underwater operations with existing surface light sources,” said Moeller. “Vice Adm. Sawyer asked insightful questions and offered suggestions and recommendations stemming from real-life expertise, and I am excited to move forward with the knowledge provided.” 

At each tour stop, NPS presented Sawyer prime examples of its multi-disciplinary education delivering solutions in direct support of naval strategies. He also spoke to students in the FAO program like Lt. David Manley, who is working on a thesis about China’s economic engagement in the Middle East, and the political implications of it. 

“It was wonderful to be able to articulate on these bigger topics that we [NPS students] have been devoted to researching during this part of our professional careers,” said Manley. “It’s great to be appreciated by some of the upper echelons of the Navy.”

Sawyer came away impressed by the educational value of NPS. Throughout the tour, Sawyer provided encouragement to the students noting that NPS students solve problems that make the Fleet better.