The Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) recognized the achievements of its 2025 Winter Quarter graduates during its latest commencement ceremony, March 28, in King Hall auditorium on the school’s Monterey, Calif., campus.

NPS Hall of Fame inductee retired U.S. Navy Adm. Cecil D. Haney, former commander of U.S. Strategic Command and U.S. Pacific Fleet, provided keynote remarks for the class of nearly 200 graduates, consisting of 90 U.S. Navy and Marine Corps, 14 U.S. Army, 10 U.S. Air Force, 52 civilians, and 25 international graduates representing 20 countries. Of the graduates, two earned doctorates, and 40 more completed their Joint Professional Military Education (JPME) certification from the Naval War College Monterey campus at NPS.

Haney, the 26th inductee into NPS’ esteemed Hall of Fame, earned two master’s degrees from the institution, in engineering acoustics and systems technology, graduating with distinction in 1987. He recalled his own experiences as an NPS student, and the lasting impact it had on his career as a warfighter.

“The education, the network of friends, the colleagues, the professors, getting to travel and have exposure to various Navy laboratories as part of my thesis work, and the opportunity to work on an operationally-relevant problem gave me lots to be excited about when I was a student here,” Haney said. “I would surmise that, like me, you have had similar experiences … I just know that my critical thinking and problem-solving abilities as a leader, as a warfighter and operator, significantly improved while I was here at NPS.”

Haney focused his primary message to the graduating class on three key themes … value your achievements as a student and graduate, understand how this experience and the NPS network can benefit you into the future, and never stop developing your critical thinking and problem-solving capabilities.

Haney shared personal stories and anecdotes to underscore his three key themes … From a deeper understanding of emerging fleet technologies through his own student research at undersea warfare centers, to reconnecting with former classmates years later and using their shared experiences to build trust and advance the mission at hand. Many times, Haney said, he turned back to NPS to apply the school’s intellect and technological leadership to the challenges he faced as a senior naval leader.

“While in the Pentagon, with the Pacific fleet and at U.S. Strategic Command, I had my teams call on NPS many times for fresh ideas or to validate concepts in a variety of different areas,” Haney said. “Many of you will similarly see benefits in working with NPS and future assignments. This institution is a national treasure and vital to the future. So please use it.”

In closing his remarks to the near 200 graduating students and attending families, friends, faculty and colleagues, Haney stressed the importance of the graduating class utilizing the benefits of their NPS education.

“Recognize that your critical thinking capabilities, your innovative genes, and your intellectual stamina will be put to the test in ways that may be unimaginable today,” Haney said. “From under the ocean, to the surface of the sea and on land, to outer space and everything in between, you will be faced with significant warfighting and operational challenges, as well as opportunities … Use all of your resources effectively, and push your ideas aggressively as all of your efforts are needed as we face adversaries and potential adversaries in so many domains.”

“Thank you for all of your efforts here to become a graduate of this elite institution. Thank you for your dedication and your service to our country and to your countries,” he concluded. “Let’s go on with the celebration.”

Prior to her introduction of Haney as commencement speaker, retired U.S. Navy Vice Adm. Ann Rondeau, president of NPS, focused her address to the graduates on gratitude and leadership. She reminded the students to be grateful for the wide network of support that led to their academic success, from family and friends off campus to NPS faculty and staff on campus. But she focused the bulk of her remarks on leadership, and the graduates’ current and future roles as defense technology leaders.

“People often call students future leaders … But you are leaders today, and this is about leadership … intellectual, operational, strategic,” Rondeau said. “You are the leaders of today, and our obligation to you is to make sure that when you go back, you are better, enhanced and magnified in that leadership.

“And the expectation is that you will be,” she continued. “The expectation is that you will be able to deliver to your mission and your team better than you did before this experience.”

But NPS graduates are not just expected to lead, Rondeau stressed, they are expected to lead in the advancement of emerging technology.

“Emerging technology is all around us, and it is moving fast,” she said. “Emerging technology was around our predecessors 100 years ago, and 200 years ago … Emerging technology itself is not a new phenomenon. It is the speed and the pace of that technology development and the impact that it has on the democratization of the globe … What we have to do is to understand our parts in that, and it must be to lead.”

U.S. Navy Lt. Joseph Elvig, a surface warfare officer now engineering duty officer, received his master’s in systems engineering and was this quarter’s winner of the Surface Navy Association Award for Excellence in Surface Warfare Research. Elvig’s thesis, “Developing the Foundation for the Study of Maritime Passive Kinetic Close-In Missile Defense Architecture,” explored anti-ship missile defense when operating under restrictive emissions.

“Systems engineering has taught me to think of problems more holistically, from the design and development of solutions to potential problems to testing, implementing and sustaining an appropriate disposal of all those technologies,” said Elvig, who described his education as comprehensive of all aspects of emerging technology development. “Everything else that goes into this, such as policy, training, acquisitions of new technologies … Essentially everything that makes our Navy a lethal fighting force.”

U.S. Navy Lt. Allyson Franchi graduated with a master’s in manpower systems analysis through the NPS Department of Defense Management, and was recognized with the Chief of Naval Personnel Award for Excellence in Manpower Systems Analysis for her thesis research into organizational factors impacting first-term attrition.

“My thesis addresses the retention of our Sailors,” Franchi said. “With the recruiting challenges we’ve had in recent years, it’s more important than ever to get Sailors through their training pipeline and get them to their watch stations, and keep them there, so they can execute their missions.”

“I hope this research will inform future studies, and eventually, will enable the development of effective strategies to retain Sailors and reduce first term attrition,” she continued. “NPS has challenged me to think strategically. As I transition from my time as a junior officer in deckplate leaderships roles, this education marks a pivotal moment in my career as I transition to become a strategic leader.”

Following graduation, Franchi will report to the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations to serve as deputy protocol officer. “NPS has taught me to think big. It’s taught me to think about big problems and bigger solutions,” she said. “And I cannot think of a better place to see that in action than the office of the Chief of Naval Operations.”

For more information about the 2025 Winter Quarter class and to watch the full commencement ceremony, visit the NPS Graduation website at https://nps.edu/graduation.