SECDEF Panetta Celebrates NPS 2024 Fall Graduates with Distinguished Honors

In a solemn ceremony at the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS), 248 graduates received a total of 250 degrees, marking a significant milestone in their educational and professional journeys. Retired U.S. Navy Vice Adm. Ann E. Rondeau, president of NPS, officiated the event, offering words of wisdom and encouragement to the graduating class.

Rondeau emphasized the vital role of international partnerships in advancing global peace and prosperity. She paid special tribute to Cmdr. Bagus Jatmiko, the first Ph.D. graduate from Indonesia at the institution. Representing a spectrum of international collaboration, officials from Chile, Indonesia, Sierra Leone, and Sweden were present to mark the occasion.

“Those partnerships, friendships, and alliances really matter,” Rondeau commented, stressing the importance of mutual respect and dignity in fostering meaningful relationships.

The keynote speaker, Leon Panetta, former CIA Director and Secretary of Defense, delivered a compelling address to the graduates. He drew attention to the critical duty of those in defense careers to protect the United States. Panetta’s extensive career in public service, including his leadership role in Operation Neptune Spear, underscored his expertise in national security.

Panetta highlighted the indispensable role of the Naval Postgraduate School in equipping students with advanced skills and leadership qualities essential for national defense. He touched on current geopolitical tensions, emphasizing unity, communication, and safeguarding democratic stability.

In his closing remarks, Panetta urged graduates to use their enhanced skills to strengthen national security and foster alliances. “I believe in American leadership,” he said, pointing to the resilience of communities and the courage of the American people as the nation’s core strengths.