2024 Fall Graduates Profile - Lt. Adam Summers and Lt. Jordan Whittle, U.S. Navy

The Fall Quarter graduating class of 248 new NPS alumni includes U.S. Navy Lt. Adam Summers and U.S. Navy Lt. Jordan Whittle, whose classified thesis research racked up an impressive five quarterly student awards, including the Surface Navy Association’s Award for Excellence in Surface Warfare Research.

Summers and Whittle, a submarine officer and nuclear trained surface warfare officer respectively, are graduating from NPS’ defense financial management curriculum, and are both heading back to sea for Department Head tours. Their award-winning thesis explored the most cost-effective means of imposing localized sea denial in a constrained water space.

“Our thesis addresses two priorities of the CNOs 2024 NAVPLAN, one of them being the integration of robotic and autonomous systems, and the other being non-conventional sea denial,” said Whittle.

In their thesis, the duo compare conventional surface and other assets to a flotilla of unmanned surface vessels, generating concepts of operation and employment that meet the commander’s intent for a specific threat environment.

“Our research is inspired by modern conflicts in the Black Sea and the Red Sea, where unmanned systems are targeting capital ships,” said Summers.

“These relatively low-cost unmanned systems are imposing a negative cost asymmetry on warships by forcing them to expend multi-million dollar defensive ordnance, or risk loss of the warship,” added Whittle.

LIVE, Dec. 18 at 10:00 a.m. PST, watch Summers, Whittle and all of the near 250 Fall Quarter graduates cross the stage in King Auditorium with commencement speaker, former Secretary of Defense, the Honorable Leon Panetta.

• Watch graduation live: https://www.nps.edu/watchlive
• More about this graduating class: https://www.nps.edu/graduation
• More about Defense Financial Management at NPS: https://nps.edu/web/ddm/degrees-resid...