Intel officer earns degree in homeland defense at Naval school

Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead presents Maj. Robert Cannon with a master’s degree during the graduation ceremony at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif., March 25. Major Cannon, the special security officer for Air Forces Northern, completed a rigorous 18-month program at NPS, earning a master’s degree in homeland defense and security. (Courtesy photo)

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Intel officer earns degree in homeland defense at Naval school

Published April 18, 2011
By Angela Pope
AFNORTH Public Affairs

TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- The special security officer for Air Forces Northern graduated from a rigorous 18-month program at the Naval Postgraduate School March 25, earning his master's degree in homeland defense and security.

"The master's degree program at NPS is one of the premier programs in the country for homeland security," said Maj. Robert Cannon, who is an intelligence officer by trade. "I looked at several schools once I decided to get an advanced degree, but I chose NPS because of the prestige and the opportunities it presents."

Getting into the program, however, wasn't as easy as just applying. To even be eligible to apply to the program, potential students must already hold a position in the homeland defense arena, either with local, tribal, state or federal government.

During the application acceptance period for Major Cannon's class, a total of 187 hopefuls applied for 38 spots. U.S. Northern Command was allotted two of those spots, narrowing the chances for the major even more.

"I think my military and civilian backgrounds helped me stand out to the selection committee," he said.

In addition to serving as the SSO for AFNORTH, Major Cannon is also a lieutenant with the Florida Highway Patrol, giving him years of experience dealing with defense support of civil authorities, natural disasters and the like.

Because all of the students selected for the program hold important jobs in homeland security, the in-residence portion is limited to two weeks every quarter. For those two weeks, the students attend class at the NPS campus in Monterey, Calif. The rest of the coursework is completed online.

While on campus, the students are taught by some very distinguished and highly-regarded people in their fields.

"There is probably not another program in the country that offers the same level of expertise," Major Cannon said. "NPS brings in professors from universities like Harvard, Georgetown and Stanford. That's the caliber of instructors we had."

Aside from featuring experts during the in-residence portion, NPS also relies heavily on the subject matter expertise brought in by the students themselves.

Major Cannon's class consisted of students from several government agencies at all levels of the hierarchy, from city to federal, including the Transportation Security Administration, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the New York City fire and police departments, the Barren River District Health Department in Bowling Green, Ky., and Milwaukee Water Works.

"NPS lets us all talk about the problems and issues we face," Major Cannon said. "We had discussions in a low-speed environment and found ways to calmly manage a potential crisis situation so when we're in a high-speed emergency environment, we can focus on what needs to be done rather than figuring out how to do it."

For his required thesis, Major Cannon addressed a topic that is of high value to AFNORTH.

"Major Cannon wrote his thesis on incident awareness and assessment," said Col. Gregory Keetch, AFNORTH Intelligence director. "The ideas and proposals in his important work have the potential to improve both the efficiency and effectiveness of a U.S. government response to a major catastrophic event."

Though the program demanded a lot of time and attention from the major, his boss believes the sacrifices will be rewarded.

"We invested 18 months and a lot of money in this degree for Major Cannon," Colonel Keetch said. "Our return on investment will come from the knowledge he gained and the contacts he cultivated in this unique and rewarding educational experience."

Major Cannon is thankful for the opportunity to attend NPS, and he hopes others from AFNORTH get the chance to attend the school.

"I am very proud of Major Cannon for the hard work and dedication he gave to this rigorous program," said Maj. Gen. Garry C. Dean, AFNORTH commander. "This degree will enable him to better serve AFNORTH, the Air Force as a whole, and even the Florida Highway Patrol. I extend my congratulations to him for a job extremely well done."