By Walker Mills

CIMSEC Co-Host Walker Mills discusses Force Design 2030 with Travis Reese, Ian Brown, Zach Ota, Travis Hord, Leo Spaeder, and Brian Strom, who are all active or retired Marines in this wide-ranging conversation. They published an article “Trends in Maritime Challenges Indicate that Force Design 2030 is the Proper Path,” for War on the Rocks in January 2024.

Download Sea Control 550 – Six Marines Talk Force Design 2030

Links

1. Travis Reese, Ian Brown, Zach Ota, Travis Hord, Leo Spaeder, and Brian Strom “Trends in Maritime Challenges Indicate Force Design 2030 is the Proper Path,” War on the Rocks, January 29, 2024. 

2. “Force Design 2030,” Headquarters US Marine Corps, March 2020.

3. “Force Design 2030: Annual Update,” Headquarters US Marine Corps, June 2023.

C. Travis Reese retired from the Marine Corps after nearly 21 years of service. While on active duty he served in a variety of billets including tours in capabilities development, future scenario design, and institutional strategy. Mr. Reese is now the director of wargaming and net assessment for Troika Solutions in Reston, VA.

Ian T. Brown recently retired from the Marine Corps after 20 years of service. He frequently writes (and wargames) on modern and future war concepts. Ian currently works as a wargame analyst in the private sector.

Zach Ota is an infantry officer and an international affairs officer in the Marine Corps. LtCol Ota is also a non-resident fellow at the Brute Krulak Center for Innovation and Future Warfare who advances issues involving maritime security, alliances and partnerships, and military history in the Pacific. LtCol Ota currently serves as a future operations planner at U.S. Pacific Fleet and U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Pacific.

Travis Hord is an infantry officer. LtCol Hord contributed to future concept and capability development while assigned as a planner at the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory.

Leo Spaeder is the commanding officer of Combat Logistics Battalion 12 in Okinawa, Japan and a non-resident fellow at Marine Corps University’s Brute Krulak Center for Innovation & Future Warfare. In previous assignments, LtCol Spaeder participated in scenario design and capability development related to Force Design 2030. 

Brian Strom is an intelligence officer in the Marine Corps. Major Strom currently serves as the Marine Corps Forces Pacific Target Intelligence Officer and as part of the U.S. Pacific Fleet staff.

Walker Mills is Co-Host of the Sea Control podcast and an active-duty Marine. Contact the Sea Control team at [email protected].

This episode was edited and produced by Andrew Frame.

By Walker Mills

Dr. Joanna Siekiera joins the program for a discussion regarding her recent work on Indo-Pacific security and China. She is an international lawyer, legal advisor, and Doctor of Public Policy from Poland. She currently works as a consultant for NATO. She is also a non-resident fellow at the Brute Krulak Center for Innovation & Future Warfare at the Marine Corps University, and a certified sailor.

Download Sea Control 537 – Europe’s Role in Indo-Pacific Security with Dr. Joanna Siekiera

Links

1. “Dragons in the West: Chinese Communist Party Threats in Europe and the Imperative of a Strategic Pivot,” by Joanna Siekiera, Irregular Warfare Initiative, February 27, 2024. 

2. 21st Century as the Pacific Century: Culture and Security of Oceania States in Great Power Competition, edited by Joanna Siekiera, Wydawnictwa Uiwersytetu Warszawskiego, 2023.

3. Sea Control 501: Multilateral Approaches to Maritime Security in Oceania with Zach Ota, CIMSEC, March 10, 2024. 

4. Sea Control 255: Littoral Access Companies with Zach Ota, CIMSEC, June 3, 2021. 

5. #Brutecast S7 E01: European Security and China with Dr. Joanna Siekiera, The Krulak Center, July 16, 2023.

Walker Mills is Co-Host of the Sea Control podcast. Contact the podcast team at [email protected].

This episode was edited and produced by Andrew Frame.

By Walker Mills

The program is joined by Wilder Alejandro Sanchez, an analyst and researcher of Latin American security. The discussion covers some of his recent writing and maritime security in Latin America.

Alejandro has been featured in a wide range of publications including Jane’s, Breaking Defense, and Shepherd Media. Sanchez writes the CIMSEC column “Southern Tide” focused on maritime security in the Caribbean and Latin America, and he is the president and founder of Second Floor Strategies. He is a non-resident senior associate at the Americas Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Download Sea Control 526 – Maritime Security in Latin America Wilder Alejandro Sanchez (Part 2)

Links 

1. CIMSEC author page of Wilder Alejandro Sanchez.

2. Second Floor Strategies.

3. “Hospital Ships: A Vital Asset for SOUTHCOM and South American Navies,” by Wilder Alejandro Sanchez, CIMSEC, January 24, 2023.

4. “TIAR 21: Maritime Security, the TIAR, and IUU Fishing in the Western Hemisphere,” by Wilder Alejandro Sanchez, CIMSEC, October 16, 2020. 

5. Twitter: @W_Alex_Sanchez.

Walker Mills is Co-Host of the Sea Control podcast. Contact the podcast team at [email protected].

This episode was edited and produced by Andrew Frame.

By Walker Mills

The program is joined by Wilder Alejandro Sanchez, an analyst and researcher of Latin American security. The discussion covers some of his recent writing and maritime security in Latin America.

Alejandro has been featured in a wide range of publications including Jane’s, Breaking Defense, and Shepherd Media. Sanchez writes the CIMSEC column “Southern Tide” focused on maritime security in the Caribbean and Latin America, and he is the president and founder of Second Floor Strategies. He is a non-resident senior associate at the Americas Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. 

Download Sea Control 525 – Maritime Security in Latin America Wilder Alejandro Sanchez (Part 1)

Links 

1. CIMSEC author page of Wilder Alejandro Sanchez.

2. Second Floor Strategies.

3. “Hospital Ships: A Vital Asset for SOUTHCOM and South American Navies,” by Wilder Alejandro Sanchez, CIMSEC, January 24, 2023.

4. “TIAR 21: Maritime Security, the TIAR, and IUU Fishing in the Western Hemisphere,” by Wilder Alejandro Sanchez, CIMSEC, October 16, 2020. 

5. Twitter: @W_Alex_Sanchez.

Walker Mills is Co-Host of the Sea Control podcast. Contact the podcast team at [email protected].

This episode was edited and produced by Andrew Frame.