Center for Homeland Defense and Security

What Center for Homeland Defense and Security does

The Center for Homeland Defense and Security (CHDS) is an educational and research center operated by the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS), a U.S. Navy educational institution headquartered in Monterey, California. Founded in 2003, CHDS provides graduate-level education, executive leadership development, and applied research for homeland defense and security decision-makers across federal, state, local, tribal, and private sectors. Its mission, as stated in source materials, is to educate decision-makers, conduct critical and practical research, and foster real-time collaboration across the homeland security enterprise.

CHDS's portfolio spans a Master of Arts in Security Studies degree (11 courses plus thesis over 18 months with seven in-residence sessions), executive education (Executive Leaders Program, Emergence Program, Executive Education Program, Pacific Executive Leaders Program), the specialized Radiological Emergency Preparedness Program for nuclear emergency leaders, and a self-study catalog of 40+ non-credit online courses. Supporting assets include the Homeland Security Digital Library (HSDL) — described in source materials as the nation's premier collection of homeland security policy and strategy resources — the peer-reviewed Homeland Security Affairs journal, the CHDS Live Network alumni platform, and a Master's Thesis Repository. Delivery combines in-residence sessions on the NPS Monterey campus with field-delivered seminars from mobile education teams nationwide, all run on the Canvas learning management system.

CHDS operates as a government-funded program rather than a commercial enterprise. All academic and executive programs are provided at no cost to eligible government officials and military personnel, with travel, per diem, and lodging for in-residence components covered by sponsorships. Operating capital derives from government appropriations through NPS; specific programs such as the Pacific Executive Leaders Program are fully sponsored by FEMA Region 9. The University & Agency Partnership Program (UAPP) extends CHDS curriculum and the HSDL to 400+ partner colleges and universities, creating a shared national infrastructure for homeland security academic discipline development.

Name

Center for Homeland Defense and Security

Legal name

Center for Homeland Defense and Security

Website

https://chds.us

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Center for Homeland Defense and Security (CHDS), operated by the Naval Postgraduate School, delivers homeland security graduate degrees and executive education to federal, state, local, tribal, and military decision-makers at no cost to participants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Government Professional Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Educational Services (61), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Defense Universities & Joint Professional Military Education (PME) (EDAHAOAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Command & Staff Colleges (Intermediate-Level Education) (EDAHAOAD), Security Training, Exercises & Force-on-Force (FoF) Evaluation (drills, red teaming) (EUAKAJAK)

Keywords

• Homeland security education
• Executive education programs
• Security studies degree
• Emergency preparedness training
• Government professional development

Headquarters

HQ city

Monterey

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Government Funded Education: CHDS operates as a program of the Naval Postgraduate School, funded through government appropriations. Programs are provided at no cost to eligible government officials and military personnel.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

CHDS educates homeland defense and security decision-makers through a Master of Arts in Security Studies degree program, multiple executive and specialized training programs (ELP, Emergence, REP, EEP, PELP), and a self-study online course catalog. Programs blend in-residence sessions at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey with distance learning, and are offered at no cost to eligible federal, state, local, tribal, and military participants.

Product overview

The Center for Homeland Defense and Security (CHDS) is an educational institution operated by the Naval Postgraduate School that offers a portfolio of academic and professional development programs. The core offerings include a Master's Degree Program (Master of Arts in Security Studies), multiple executive education programs (Executive Leaders Program, Emergence Program, Executive Education Program, Pacific Executive Leaders Program), specialized training (Radiological Emergency Preparedness Program), and self-paced learning options. Supporting resources include the Homeland Security Digital Library, the Homeland Security Affairs peer-reviewed journal, and the University & Agency Partnership Program that shares CHDS curriculum with partner institutions nationwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Master's Degree Program Master of Arts in Security Studies from the Naval Postgraduate School. Cross-disciplinary program for homeland defense and security professionals consisting of 11 courses and a thesis over 18 months, with 7 in-residence sessions at NPS in Monterey.
• Executive Leaders Program (ELP)
• Emergence Program
• Radiological Emergency Preparedness Program (REP)
• Executive Education Program (EEP)
• Pacific Executive Leaders Program (PELP)
• Self-Study Program
• Homeland Security Digital Library (HSDL)
• Homeland Security Affairs Journal
• University & Agency Partnership Program (UAPP)

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 400 colleges and universities have developed homeland security programs through the University & Agency Partnership Program (UAPP)
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Naval Postgraduate SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCHDS is a center within the Naval Postgraduate School. NPS provides institutional infrastructure, academic accreditation, and degree conferral for the Master's program. The center operates as part of NPS's academic mission.
• Department of Homeland SecuritycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDHS is the primary federal stakeholder for homeland security. CHDS programs are aligned with DHS priorities and serve DHS components and partners.
• FEMA Region 9coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFEMA Region 9 fully sponsors the Pacific Executive Leaders Program (PELP). Partnership includes joint curriculum development and regional stakeholder coordination for Pacific emergency management and homeland defense.
• University & Agency Partnership Program (UAPP) PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner400+ colleges and universities nationwide partner through UAPP to share curriculum, collaborate on homeland security education, and accelerate program establishment. Partners include St. John's University and Tulane University.
• State and Territorial Homeland Security OfficialscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState governors and their homeland security teams are target participants and stakeholders. CHDS delivers customized executive education sessions for state leadership, with curriculum tailored to state-specific needs.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Air University: Air University is the U.S. Air Force's higher education institution delivering PME across officer career milestones. Comparable as a sister military university offering accredited degree and professional education to defense and homeland security-relevant audiences.
• National Intelligence University: NIU is the intelligence community's accredited university, offering degree programs and professional education to intelligence and national security professionals. Comparable as a defense/intelligence community accredited PME institution serving senior officials.
• National Defense University: NDU is the senior PME institution for joint and interagency education across the U.S. national security enterprise, offering resident and distance programs for senior military and civilian officials. Highly comparable as a sister PME provider offering graduate-level education to homeland security and defense decision-makers.
• Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers (FLETC): FLETC is the primary federal training facility for law enforcement officers across dozens of partner agencies. Comparable as a federal interagency training provider serving the homeland security workforce with executive and specialized programs.
• Naval War College: Senior service college delivering strategic and operational education to Navy, joint, and interagency leaders. Comparable as a sister PME institution under the Naval university system with overlapping homeland defense and security curriculum.
• U.S. Army War College: Senior service college delivering strategic leadership education to senior military officers and interagency fellows. Comparable as a senior-tier PME institution serving a similar senior official cohort with a homeland defense/security nexus.

Direct peers

• FEMA Emergency Management Institute: FEMA EMI delivers emergency management training to federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial officials across the homeland security enterprise. Closest functional peer in terms of target audience (emergency managers and homeland security officials) and curriculum overlap.

Emerging players

• Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security: JHU Center for Health Security is a leading academic center on health-related homeland security and biodefense policy. Comparable as a research-and-education institution focused on a specialized homeland security subdomain with policy and practitioner engagement.
• George Washington University - Homeland Security Studies: GWU offers graduate programs in homeland security and emergency management through its College of Professional Studies. Comparable as a private-sector academic competitor in homeland security degree programs, though without CHDS's NPS credentialing or government-only free model.

Regional players

• St. John's University Master of Professional Studies in Homeland Security: St. John's University is one of CHDS's named UAPP partners and offers homeland security academic programs. Comparable as a UAPP partner institution that distributes CHDS curriculum and credentials homeland security professionals at scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/npschds
• Facebookfacebook.com/npsCHDS
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/center-for-homeland-defense-and-security

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Center for Homeland Defense and Security