For the first time in six years, the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) welcomed professionals from the operations research and analytics communities at the 92nd Military Operations Research Society (MORS) Symposium, June 24-27.

The event brought together more than 900 attendees from the military, government, industry and academic sectors – mainly from the operations research (OR) field – to exchange information, examine research and discuss critical national security issues.

In line with the symposium’s theme, “Advancing Analytical Leadership,” senior leaders emphasized the increasing importance of the OR and analytics communities across the Department of Defense (DOD).

“I believe we are in a period of significant importance for the analytic community,” said U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Douglas Sasse, Director, Assessment Division (OPNAV N81), during his remarks at the symposium’s kickoff session on June 25. “Most of us that have been in this business for a while have seen the weight decision-makers place on analysis ebb and flow over the years. From my viewpoint, we are seeing a resurgence in demand, and the analytic community needs to remain focused on answering the bell.”

Symposium attendees participated in a wide range of OR and analytics focus sessions and working groups at locations throughout the campus, including several classified working groups at Ingersoll Hall. In addition, special sessions were offered for junior and senior analysts from each of the DOD services, and a wargaming expo took place on June 25 and June 27 at Reed Hall.

“The symposium really benefits the community because it's a way to break down stovepipes across all the services and government and industry and academia,” said MORS Chief Executive Officer Jennifer Ferat. “I think it's a way for people to network and collaborate on different problem sets and analysis that they're trying to provide to decision makers in the community. And it's a great forum to do that.”

NPS, which last hosted the MORS Symposium in 2018, is home to one of the nation’s largest and most respected OR programs – the “best operations research department in the world,” according to retired Navy Capt. Arthur (Trip) Barber, a MORS fellow and 1979 NPS graduate.

“They set the standard for how others do it,” said Barber, who currently serves as chief analyst at Systems Planning & Analysis in Alexandria, Va. “And it's the only one that is uniquely focused on the military applications of operations research. So it's kind of the Mecca that everyone comes back to when they want to know what the state of the art is, and the technology, and how to teach it.”

As a testament to NPS’ standing in the world of operations research, two NPS flag officer alumni served as the MORS Symposium’s keynote speakers – Sasse and Vice Adm. Brad Skillman, Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Integration of Capabilities and Resources (OPNAV N8).

During their opening remarks at King Hall Auditorium, Skillman and Sasse both talked about the need for analysis and warfighting to exist side-by-side and complement each other.

“Realistically, I would hope that both the analyst and the warfighter are constantly striving to expand their knowledge of each other's worlds,” said Skillman. “At the very least, a robust partnership between the analytical community and operational forces is essential as we confront our challenges head-on.”

In addition to Skillman and Sasse, speakers at symposium’s kickoff session included retired Vice Adm. Ann Rondeau, President of NPS, and MORS President Dr. Andy Turner. During the session, Turner announced the induction of NPS graduate and retired Navy Capt. Brian Morgan as the newest MORS fellow, and MORS award winners were acknowledged, including Marine Corps Lt. Col. Christopher Bromley, a recent NPS graduate who was honored with the MORS Tisdale Graduate Research Prize.

The kickoff session also included a government sponsor panel for senior leaders from the DOD and Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Participants included representatives from OPNAV N81, the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment (OUSD A&S), the Center for Army Analysis, U.S. Marine Corps Combat Development Command, the Office of the Secretary of the Air Force, and the DHS Science and Technology Directorate.

For retired Navy Cmdr. Nicholas Ulmer, a 2014 NPS graduate who was elected to serve as the next president of MORS, the selection of NPS to host this year’s MORS Symposium couldn’t have been more appropriate.

“NPS is a critical component of the operations community,” Ulmer said, “because it brings together warfighters and professors with extremely amazing technical abilities in the field, and helps them teach those operators – as well as the operators providing feedback, those warfighters providing real-world problems and real-world experience to the problems that we get to work on at the Naval Postgraduate School.” 

• Check out this recap and hear from key leaders at the 92nd MORS Symposium held at NPS.
• Learn more about Operations Research at NPS.