AFCEA/USNI WEST 2026

CDR Jens Berdahl, USN
PhD Candidate
Naval Postgraduate School


CDR Berdahl hails from Lawton, MI, and currently lives with his family in Carmel Valley, CA. He is pursuing a PhD in Applied Physics at the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School and, upon completion of his degree, will transition to the faculty, where he will teach in the Space Systems Academic Group and the Physics Department. Previously, CDR Berdahl served as an F/A-18 and EA-18G test pilot with combat experience in Afghanistan and Iraq. He has accumulated nearly 2,000 flight hours in more than 25 different aircraft types. Additionally, he served as a war game developer at the Naval War College, where he built and facilitated CNO-directed war games. Jens enjoys travel, reading, the outdoors, gardening, mycology, and spending time with his wife, Christine, and their three children: Sven (9), Anneli (6), and Leif (4).

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