Join the band of merry maritime revelers on December 17th by the fireplace at Franklin Hall’s Roosevelt Room for CIMSEC’s annual holiday party, with drinks and discussions about the year that was.
RSVPs not required but appreciated at director@cimsec.org. Guests welcome.
When: Tuesday, December 17th, 5:30-8:00pm
Where: Franklin Hall, 1358 Florida Ave NW, Washington, DC (Nearest Metro: U Street)
CIMSEC’s officer elections are here! Please vote on the next round of volunteers who will continue advancing CIMSEC’s priorities of shaping the discourse on maritime security and building a community of engaged thinkers.
See the voting form and candidate bios below. Elections will close on Thursday, October 17.
Jimmy Drennan
Michael Madrid
Lieutenant Michael Madrid graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 2014 and joined the Surface Warfare community, serving his first tour on USS MUSTIN (DDG 89) homeported in Yokosuka, Japan. After two years across the Western Pacific, he served another tour in the Forward Deployed Naval Forces (FDNF), with USS DONALD COOK (DDG 75) homeported in Rota, Spain. He currently works at the Office of Chief of Naval Personnel Support. He has served as CIMSEC’s Director of Membership since 2018.
Dmitry Filipoff
Dmitry Filipoff graduated from the University of California, Merced in 2013 with a B.A. in Political Science. He has served as CIMSEC’s Director of Online Content since June 2015.
David van Dyk
David Van Dyk is an associate editor with the Center for International Maritime Security and a copy editor/page layout designer at The News & Advance, an award-winning newspaper in Central Virginia. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Communication Studies and a Master of Arts in International Affairs. He is currently a Ph.D. student at the Helms School of Government at Liberty University studying foreign policy. He completed studies in international law at United Nations University for Peace and enjoys reading about naval warfare, maritime security and international criminal law.
Steph Umbert
Steph Umbert recently completed his Master of International Affairs (MIA) program at Columbia University’s School of International & Public Affairs (SIPA) in New York, where he Concentrated in International Security Policy and Specialized in East Asian Studies and International Conflict Resolution. His graduate studies at SIPA built on academic foundations in Economics and Political Science, in which he holds a double major Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree, and Legal Studies, in which he holds a Diploma, laid prior in DC and Florida where he studied at George Washington University, the University of Miami, and American Heritage School. He also has experience in legislative politics, track-two diplomacy, and political analysis gained on Capitol Hill and on Manhattan. From his earliest days he has held and pursued, among other things, an intense interest in history, including military history, and in the broad spectrum of military affairs, from the development of technological capabilities and doctrines to the deterioration of veteran relations and regimes. He is a native of Florida born to naturalized immigrant parents and he has traveled extensively across both the Western Hemisphere and Eurasia.
Mark Jbeily
Lieutenant (j.g.) Mark Jbeily is currently in the naval aviation training pipeline in Kingsville, Texas. Prior to flight school, he graduated from the University of Texas and subsequently the University of Oxford with a masters in international relations. He has written for the U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings and his article entitled “An Ace For All Seasons” won first prize in the 2017 Emerging and Disruptive Technologies essay contest.
Adam Humayun
Lieutenant Adam Humayun is a native of Madison, New Jersey, and graduated summa cum laude from The George Washington University with a B.A. in International Affairs (Conflict and Security Studies) in 2012. He commissioned in December 2013 from the U.S. Navy Officer Candidate School in Newport, Rhode Island. Onboard USS SHILOH (CG 67). He has served as CF Division Officer and Turbines Officer, and onboard USS MUSTIN (DDG 89) as Fire Control Officer.
By Dmitry Filipoff
On July 16, 2019, the annual CIMSEC Forum for Authors and Readers was held at the Center for Naval Analyses in Arlington, VA. Readers were invited to nominate and vote on their top CIMSEC articles of the preceding year as well as studies by CNA scholars. The winners were invited to present on their articles, offer any updates, and field questions from the audience.
We thank the authors for their writings and presentations. Feel free to watch and read below.
CNA Category Winners
The Case for Maritime Security in an Era of Great Power Competition – Joshua Tallis @ 26:15
Nuclear Arms Control without a Treaty? Risks and Options After NEW START – Vince Manzo and Madison Estes @ 1:28:45
CIMSEC Category Winners
Sea Control at the Tactical Level of War – Adam Humayun @4:30
Then What? Wargaming the Interface Between Strategy and Operations – Barney Rubel @ 42:00
How the Fleet Forgot to Fight – Dmitry Filipoff @ 57:50
The Nanxun Jiao Crisis and the Dawn of Autonomous Undersea Conflict by David Strachan (runner-up) @ 1:16:05
CIMSEC Category Winners Who Were Unable to Attend
Chinese Shipbuilding and Seapower: Full Steam Ahead, Destination Uncharted – Andrew Erickson
The Deep Ocean: Seabed Warfare and the Defense of Undersea Infrastructure – Bill Glenney
Dmitry Filipoff is CIMSEC’s Director of Online Content. Contact him at Content@cimsec.org.
By Michael Madrid
We are excited to announce the launch of several new CIMSEC chapters, as well as a new president for our Italy chapter. Below is information and president contacts for the newly created Caribbean, South Korea, and Nigeria CIMSEC chapters.
CIMSEC chapters bring together like-minded individuals who share an interest in maritime security. Located all over the world, CIMSEC chapters can organize many sorts of activities for their membership, ranging from an informal meetup at a local bar to a panel discussion at a university. To learn more about CIMSEC’s membership activities you may reach us at membership@cimsec.org.
Not a CIMSEC member? Sign up here for free!
Caribbean Chapter
President: Vice-Admiral (Ret.) Omar Eduardo Andujar-Zaiter
Contact: caribbean@cimsec.org
Vice-Admiral (Ret.) Omar Eduardo Andujar-Zaiter was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, in 1961. He entered to the Dominican Naval Academy as Midshipman in 1978 where he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Naval Sciences and commissioned Ensign of the Dominican Republic Navy (DRN) in December 1982. On active duty as Surface Warfare Officer, he served for (9 years in a variety of naval, maritime, joint, and combined assignments. At sea, he was Logistics, Navigator, Operations, XO, and Commanding Officer. Ashore, he served as aide to several Chiefs of the Navy; Public Affairs Director of the Ministry of Defense, as well as at the Navy. He integrated a Commission to Reform and Modernization of the Armed Forces. He was Vice President of the Caribbean Information Sharing Network Conference. At the Naval Academy, he had different assignments as Junior and Senior Officer, obtaining the position of director prior to becoming Vice Chief of the Navy in 2002. Next, he served as Director, Military Institute of the Human Rights and International Conflict Rights; and Director, Haitian Affairs Office of the Ministry of Defense.
South Korea Chapter
President: Alexander Hynd
Contact: korea@cimsec.org
Alexander M. Hynd works as a security analyst in Seoul, South Korea. He holds a BA from SOAS, University of London, and an MA from Korea University
Nigeria Chapter
President: Umoh Ofunmbuk
Contact: nigeria@cimsec.org
Umoh Ofonmbuk (born in 1975, in Nigeria and to Nigerian parents) is a chemical engineer, writer, environmentalist, security consultant and entrepreneur. A farm owner, whose company, Garfield Services started in 2017, has been a key producer of organic vegetables in Rivers State. He has served as the Coordinator of Homeland Preservation and Luminosity Foundation (HPLF), an NGO in Nigeria involved in the restoration of the environment, humanity and its values since 2018. He has served as a research consultant to the Chairman and House Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream), House of Representatives-National Assembly, from 2011 to 2014, and an independent researcher on the role of the Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) in maritime safety and security. He has completed the UN advanced Security in the Field Course, and completed a UN sponsored course on climate change. He has been a freelance correspondent to The News Magazine and New Dawn, under the supervision of Sylvester Asoya, Former Assistant Editor, The News Magazine.
Italy Chapter
We are pleased to announce the CIMSEC Italy chapter has a new president, LtCdr (r.), French Navy, Francois-Phillipe M. Durbach. Contact him at Italy@cimsec.org.
Born in Nancy, France in 1973, Francois-Phillipe Durbach has a B.A. in Political Sciences/Administrative branch in 1995 at the Institut d’Etudes politiques (Strasbourg). An Erasmus student in 1993-94, he studied at the Faculty of Political Sciences of the LUISS (Rome). In love with the Eternal City, he came back there in 1997 as a Midshipman (French Navy reserve) serving in the Military Attaché Office of the French Embassy in Italy. He also served in the Navy as a political and military analyst in the Defence Mission of the French Embassy in Italy, continuing his career as an officer. He also served as a freelance translator until 1998 and an accountant of the French Desk of International Fides Agency (Vatican). A member of the French Navy Reserve officers’ central association (ACORAM), he is also counselor of Ladispoli’s group of ANMI (National Association of Sailors of Italy). He lives and works in Rome.
Michael Madrid is CIMSEC’s Director of Membership. Contact him at membership@cimsec.org.
Featured Image: Cruise ship approaching St Martin/St Maarten (Profcruise.com)
