Background

The OMSP is a strategic initiative to position Penn State in the lead among academic institutions for military, homeland security and defense, and information operations research and technology development (R&TD). Click here to view the OMSP organizational structure.

The mission of the OMSP is to:

• Develop and manage research, technology development, education, and training funding from across the federal government including DoD, DHS, and the intelligence agencies, as well as from relevant state governmental agencies charged with homeland security and homeland defense.
• Make Penn State the optimum value proposition (e.g. lowest cost for highest performance) for the government in all aspects of R&TD, education and training for military, security and information operations in ALL of academia.
• Create a long term, deep seated trust and mutual respect between these agencies and Penn State.
• Develop a culture of interaction between sponsors and faculty that is founded on service, value, and cutting edge research and teaching.

The OMSP personnel are retired Marine officers with collectively over 80 years of service who are well versed in:

• Military requirements generation and validation.
• The DoD budget and POM process.
• The Congressional authorization and appropriations processes.
• The roles and missions of DoD military services and agencies.
• Homeland Security and Homeland Defense requirements.
• The educational and research capabilities of Penn State .

Since 1999, OMSP personnel have developed and managed over 160 projects valued in excess of $90 million.