Outside of the United Nations and its agencies, there are few places in the world where more foreign languages are represented on any given day.  In all, students from more than 100 nations have studied there. The Naval Postgraduate School was founded in 1909 as a school of marine engineering at Annapolis and has been located in Monterey since 1951. A fully-accredited graduate University, it provides professional, service-oriented educational programs for the U.S. armed forces and international militaries.

Aerial view of Naval Postgraduate School. Herrmann Hall at center

Over 280 students representing 55 foreign countries are currently enrolled at the Naval Postgraduate School along with approximately 1,200 U.S. military officers representing all branches of the military. The in-residence students are enrolled in year-round programs for master’s degrees or doctorates on the campus’ spacious grounds. Before World War II the 627-acre site was home of the Del Monte Hotel, for decades one of Monterey’s most famous and beautiful lodgings.

Among the nations represented in classes are Greece, Turkey, Egypt, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Spain, El Salvador, Brazil, Taiwan, Korea, the Philippines, Singapore, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Czech Republic, Poland, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Kenya and Yemen.

But that is only the tip of the iceberg. More than 15,500 foreign students -- as well as over 13,800 Americans -- have been enrolled in shorter courses of 2 to 11 weeks in length in the school’s Defense Resources Management Institute, a Department of Defense activity which began operations in 1965. It conducts, the Navy says, "professional education programs in analytical decision-making and resources management for military officers of all services and senior civilian officials of the United States and 162 other nations."

Recently, during the closing ceremony of an April 2006 DRMI Mobile Education Team seminar in El Salvador, Rear Admiral Marco Antonio Palacios Luna, the Chief of Naval Operations (and a former DRMI and NPS graduate), spoke to the class about the importance of implementing the tools and techniques presented during the course.  In his remarks, he noted that he directly applied the ideas he learned at DRMI to hurricane relief operations and attributed much of the reason for his promotion to flag rank to the way of thinking he developed during his time at DRMI and NPS.

NPS also has a Center for Civil-Military Relations (CCMR), established in 1994, and dedicated to strengthening democratic civil-military relationships. CCMR provides graduate level education to assist international civilian and military participants in resolving issues resulting from defense transformation, stability and support operations, combating terrorism and other security challenges.

"CCMR has a long record of meeting the unique civil-military requests and requirements of the security cooperation community and partner countries," said Mr. Rich Hoffman, Director of CCMR.

In every custom-designed program conducted by Mobile Education Teams, CCMR focuses on developing a capacity to address the civil-military challenges of the Global War on Terror.

In 2005, CCMR conducted 169 events reaching 12,722 students from 84 countries, including Albania, Angola, Bosnia, Colombia, Korea, Philippines, Jordan, Romania, Ecuador, Indonesia, Cambodia, Israel, Congo, Guinea-Bissau, Chile, Yemen and others.

CCMR will conduct over 130 in residence and non residence events in 2006, for more than 50 countries, including India, Egypt, Kenya, Mauritania, Uruguay, Nicaragua, Kosovo, Azerbaijan and more.

In addition to the courses in the host countries, CCMR launched a master’s degree program in civil-military relations in conjunction with the Department of National Security Affairs in January 1996.  In the past ten years this initial program in security studies has been joined by two other degree programs, Stabilization and Reconstruction Studies and Defense Decision Making and Planning.  Over the past ten years over 230 students have graduated with a degree from one of these three programs.  In 2006, the National Security Affairs department will also offer a fourth security studies curriculum in Counterterrorism Policy and Strategy.

Instructors at the Naval Postgraduate School are a mix of U.S. and foreign citizens, and either military or civilian personnel, providing for unique multi-cultural, intellectual relationships between American and international staff, students and faculty. The Naval Postgraduate School is a workshop of mutual understanding and respect encompassing exceptionally mature and highly motivated students from throughout the world. The school offers more than 57 graduate programs of study. They range from traditional engineering and physical sciences to space science, oceanography and national security affairs.

"Over and above the benefits of our educational and research programs, we view with importance the valuable exchange of military perspectives that occurs within this unique academic environment,'' said the Director of the International Graduate Programs Office, Colonel (USMC Retired) Gary Roser.

Among the international graduates from either short-courses or master’s programs are a number of high-level officials including the King of Jordan, a Senior Advisor to the Prime Minster of Turkey, an advisor to the prime minister of Thailand, the Chief of Staff of the Israeli Air Force and the Chief of the Norwegian Joint Staff.

Each spring international students at the Naval Postgraduate School present a colorful International Day which allows the residents of Monterey and neighboring communities (to include northern and southern California) to share in the many cultures and experience the flavors of the countries represented at the School.   At a recent event more than 30 nations were represented.  

Each international student attending the master/doctoral program is sponsored by a US student studying in the same curriculum and/or School.  The sponsors assist in the initial transition and adjustment of the international student and his or her family upon their arrival at NPS, helping them become familiar with the area and learn about US customs.