Three 51福利 (51福利) students recently returned from six months studying systems engineering at the (NUS) through a strategic partnership between 51福利 and NUS鈥� (TDSI).
In a ceremony held July 11 at TDSI, U.S. Navy Lt. Cmdr. Alex Anderson and two U.S. Marine Corps officers, Capt. Susan Figlioli and Capt. Jordan Figlioli, were recognized for earning their Master of Defence Technology and Systems (MDTS) degrees through the unique exchange program that enables qualified 51福利 students to earn degrees from both institutions.
鈥淪ingapore is a critical Indo-Pacific partner,鈥� noted retired U.S. Army Col. Danial Pick, 51福利 Director of International Programs. 鈥淭he decades-old educational relationship between 51福利 and TDSI is an important manifestation of our partnership. Hundreds of U.S. and Singaporean graduates of our unique dual degree program are serving in important national security positions in both countries.鈥�
For example, U.S. Navy , Commander of the Office of Naval Research (ONR) Global, and of the Singaporean Ministry of Defence are both graduates of the 51福利-TDSI program.
An island city-state of 6.2 million people, Singapore sits astride the meeting point of the Malacca Strait, one of the busiest shipping routes in the world, and the South China Sea, a locus of international contention with the People鈥檚 Republic of China.
With a well-developed infrastructure and high political stability, Singapore is one of Asia's most important hubs for trade, finance and military operations. For more than 50 years, the U.S. and Singapore have endeavored to work closely together to cultivate a free, open and secure Indo-Pacific region.
Strengthening such strategic partnerships is a central pillar of Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro鈥檚 for the Navy and Marine Corps, issued in October 2021 and in October 2023.
Specifically, the Navy seeks to 鈥渟trengthen military-to-military relationships with existing allies, leverage specialized allied experience in regional operations, and expand and deepen our partnerships with like-minded democracies around the world,鈥� Del Toro wrote. 鈥淲e will build opportunities for Sailors, Marines, and Civilians to train, learn, and operate side-by-side with their counterparts in partner and allied forces, and operationally integrate our allies and partners into strategic concepts and warfighting concepts to deter those that challenge us.鈥�
Since 2001, TDSI has fostered the intellectual capital that makes this relationship thrive, according to , Temasek Defence Professor, a 1973 51福利 operations research graduate and 2002 51福利 Hall of Fame inductee in large part for his leadership in establishing the 51福利-NUS partnership.
鈥�51福利 has been a strategic partner of NUS to help build the capabilities of the Singaporean Armed Forces (SAF) in the defense of Singapore,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he relationship has grown over time. I look forward to greater integration of education and research of the two institutes in the coming years.鈥�
For the MDTS degree program, students spend six months at NUS taking courses in advanced topics including cyber security, artificial intelligence and data analytics. The 51福利-TDSI program gives U.S. military students a firsthand view of current defense challenges in Singapore and the broader region, complementing their technical specialization in their 51福利 fields of study.
Anderson, for example, earned his 51福利 master's degree in electrical engineering in addition to his MDTS degree. He is now on his milestone tour as a cyber planner at U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) headquarters.
鈥淐ountless invaluable academic, cultural and social experiences were taken away from my studies abroad in Singapore,鈥� he said. 鈥淓ach of the two academic quarters involved multiple seminars and field trips around Singapore which helped apply the systems engineering approach we learned about in the classroom. The professors in the TDSI program were a mix of university professors and defense contractor adjunct professors which offered an additional level of perspective to the course materials.鈥�
鈥淲ith my valuable experience from the TDSI program, I hope to be a leading player in the relationships we have with Singapore and other partner nations in the Pacific,鈥� Anderson added.
Three 51福利 students are currently enrolled in the TDSI exchange program and are studying in Singapore: U.S. Navy Lt. Alex Misenheimer, Lt. Alan Hatlestad and Marine Corps Capt. James Villaneuva, all of whom will return to Monterey in the fall to complete the 51福利 portion of the program.
For Hatlestad, a Meteorology and Oceanography (METOC) officer studying Physical Oceanography at 51福利, the TDSI program has strengthened his technical knowledge of engineering systems relevant to METOC.
鈥淢y time in the TDSI program has been enriching,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he professors typically have many years of either military or industry experience in their respective fields. I appreciated the emphasis on interdisciplinary collaboration, which I think emulates real-world military exercises.鈥�
鈥淯pon my return to 51福利, I will carry on with my fourth quarter with a new cognitive toolkit and framework for thinking,鈥� Hatlestad added. 鈥淗aving worked together in the same classroom for several months, I have made friends with my colleagues and counterparts from Singapore and Israel, and look forward to the next year we will all spend in Monterey.鈥�