PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii — U.S. Navy Adm. Steve. Koehler, commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet, and retired U.S. Navy Vice Adm. Ann E. Rondeau, president of the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS), signed a memorandum of agreement at Pacific Fleet headquarters, formalizing support for an NPS fleet liaison officer embedded with the Pacific Fleet staff. Nov. 2, 2026
The agreement establishes the administrative, logistical and command relationships necessary to support the liaison position while documenting a direct institutional relationship between U.S. Pacific Fleet and NPS. The liaison will help Fleet commands connect operational priorities with relevant NPS educational opportunities, faculty expertise, student research, programs and innovation activities.
U.S. Pacific Fleet and the commands it supports face operational challenges that can benefit from advanced education, interdisciplinary research and analytical support. The liaison will provide those commands with a clearer pathway for bringing educational needs and research questions to NPS while helping the university keep its academic and research efforts informed by current Fleet requirements.
“This agreement strengthens the well-established bonds between NPS and PACFLT,” said Koehler. “It further enhances the Pacific Fleet’s ability to educate the warfighter, advance critical research, and solve real-world tactical and technical challenges.”
NPS combines the operational experience of its military and government students with the sustained expertise of defense-focused faculty. Students bring challenges encountered in the Fleet and Joint Force into the classroom and research environment. Faculty provide disciplinary depth, continuity and rigorous research methods, while Fleet commands contribute operational context, requirements and access to intended users.
U.S. Navy Adm. Steve Koehler, commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet, center right, retired U.S. Navy Vice Adm. Ann Rondeau, president, Naval Postgraduate School (NPS), center left, and members of their respective staffs pose for a photo at the NPS academic center at the PACFLT headquarters on Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, Nov. 2, 2026. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Christopher Sypert)
The fleet liaison officer will serve as a two-way connection between U.S. Pacific Fleet and NPS. The liaison will coordinate educational opportunities through the NPS Extended Campus initiative, facilitate research opportunities for faculty and students, connect relevant NPS programs and organizations with Fleet priorities, and help NPS remain informed about current operational challenges. The liaison will also facilitate engagement among NPS, Pacific Fleet and appropriate government, private-sector and international subject-matter experts.
“By embedding an NPS representative alongside U.S. Pacific Fleet leadership, we create a more direct path for commanders and staffs to connect operational challenges with relevant NPS education, research and innovation resources,” said Gary Thomason, NPS Hawaii representative and professor of the practice in the Space Systems Academic Group. “That two-way exchange will help Fleet requirements inform academic inquiry while giving faculty and students better access to the operational context needed to conduct relevant work.”
Following the signing, NPS and Pacific Fleet will implement the liaison relationship, engage Fleet commands and identify priority educational and research opportunities. Specific cohorts, academic programs and research projects will be announced separately as their requirements, participants, resources and timelines are approved.