flag at the original site of the NMAA on the south side of the Kabul Afghanistan International Airport. Over the past month, NMAA cadets, staff and faculty have been moving to NMAA's new location at the Afghan National Defense University at Qargha, located on the far west side of Kabul. Members of the USMA staff and faculty have been involved with the set-up and organization of NMAA since 2003. Hartke is the 102nd USMA member out of 147 U.S. military members who have been mentors for the new academy, which had its first class start in 2005. Other military members included 37 mentors from the U.S. Air Force Academy, five from the U.S. Naval Academy and three from the Command and General Staff College. Hartke currently oversees a group of French advisors, who, with a contingent from the Turkish Army, will take over the mentorship from the U.S. Hartke, with assistance from one of the French advisors, lowered and folded the American flag after flying it for the last time over the initial location of NMAA, as the school and the mentors are moving to the new location in Qargha.

duct interviews of forward thinking technology leaders and innovators as part of XE492 – Disruptive Innovations, Sept. 24. The cadets discussed disruptive technology and innovation with Professor Owen Coté, Director of the Security Studies Program which is part of the Center for International Studies at MIT. Professor Cote discussed the integration of technical and political analysis and the impact on national and international security problems. Cadets also interviewed Dr. William Peters, the Executive Director of the Institute, in regard to Soldier Nanotechnologies related to the Army for the purpose of advancing Soldier protection and survivability capabilities.
The cadets had the opportunity to visit the MIT Biomimetic Robotics Lab, where the robotic cheetah is being developed and Artisan’s Asylum Inc., which provides an artisan-style facility with common prototype equipment and machinery. Additionally, they met with a team at the MIT Lincoln Laboratory where Director Dr. Eric Evans along with scientists and engineers develop projects in robotics, cyber security and alternative energy systems.
Finally, the group met with Bernard Gordon to discuss creativity, innovation, and technical leadership. Gordon was founder, chairman, and CEO of Massachusetts-based Analogic Corporation and holds more than 200 patents worldwide. A lifelong inventor, Gordon's inventions include the fetal monitor, the high-speed analog-to-digital converter, the instant imaging computer-aided tomography scanner, Doppler radar, and an advanced bomb-detection device. In 1986, he received the National Medal of Technology from President Ronald Reagan and in 1992 he received the Benjamin Franklin Award for Innovation in Engineering and Technology from the Franklin Institute.