Colonel Randy Pugh, USMC (Ret.), joined the Naval Postgraduate School in 2019, where he served as the Marine Corps Senior Service Representative and Military Associate Dean of Research. He became Deputy Director of the Naval Warfare Studies Institute in 2020 and took on the role of Acting Director in 2022. In August 2023, he become the first permanent director of NWSI. In this position, he helps connect NPS to the Fleet Marine Forces and Headquarters Marine Corps and Navy on research topics of the highest priority and helps ensure that NPS’ educational offerings satisfy the Navy's knowledge and skills requirements.

Colonel Pugh has spent the majority of his career as a Signals Intelligence / Electronic Warfare Officer, serving in command and staff billets at 1st Radio Battalion, as the SIGINT/EW Project Lead at Marine Corps Systems Command, as the Operations and Executive Officer at 3d Radio Battalion, and as the Commanding Officer of 2d Radio Battalion.  He has deployed with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable), I MEF, II MEF, Special Operations Command Pacific and Special Operations Command Europe to locations including Iraq, Afghanistan, and the southern Philippines.  He recently served as the Commanding Officer of Marine Corps Intelligence Schools.

Colonel Pugh has a Master’s degree in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College, a Master in Military Studies from the Marine Corps Command and Staff College, a Master of Science degree in Computer Science (Software Engineering) from Naval Postgraduate School, and a Bachelor of Science degree from United States Naval Academy. His NPS Master’s thesis explored the use of artificial intelligence as a means to accelerate system integration.

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