By Alex Clarke

Bilge Pumps, Episode 26. This is special, this is one of those times the Bilge Pumps team just gets amazed! We cannot believe how lucky we are to have this person come on our podcast yet again! This is Stephen George, Commander, Royal Navy (ret.), an aero engineer the likes of which you will rarely get to speak in public.

Last time, Commander George came to talk about his part in the unprecedented effort which went into achieving over 80 percent availability from nine aircraft for nearly 120 days during the 1982 Falklands War. This time again it will be the F-35, myth busting, context providing, actual explanations by a real engineer whose only concept of spin is the centrifugal force variety, not the make-things-sound-pretty variety.

Beware though, this interview was the fulfilment of Jamie’s dreams, after years of only hearing full declarative sentences from those with an axe to grind against the F-35. Finally, here was an engineer, who has worked closely with the project both in and out of uniform, prepared to be candid about its mistakes, but also be full-throated in explanation of why it did what it did and what it got right.

#Bilgepumps is six months old and this is Episode 26, so in puppy training terms we have reached the point of potentially being house trained. So we may no longer boast that new car smell, in fact decidedly more of pineapple/irn bru smell with a hint of jaffa cake and the faintest whiff of cork. But we’re getting the impression it’s liked, so we’d very much like any comments, topic suggestions or ideas for artwork to be tweeted to us, the #Bilgepump crew (with #Bilgepumps), at Alex (@AC_NavalHistory), Drach (@Drachinifel), and Jamie (@Armouredcarrier). Or you can comment on our Youtube channels (listed down below).

Download Bilge Pumps Episode 26, Part 1: An F-35 Deep Dive with Special Guest Steve George

Download Bilge Pumps Episode 26, Part 2: An F-35 Deep Dive with Special Guest Steve George

Links

1. Dr. Alex Clarke’s Youtube Channel
2. Drachinifel’s Youtube Channel
3. Jamie Seidel’s Youtube Channel

Alex Clarke is the producer of The Bilge Pumps podcast.

Contact the CIMSEC podcast team at Seacontrol@cimsec.org.

By Jared Samuelson

Dr. Krista Wiegand joins us this week to discuss her piece, with coauthor Hayoun Jessie Ryou-Ellison, for Norwich University’s Journal of Peace and War Studies, “U.S. and Chinese Strategies, International Law, and the South China Sea.” 

Download Sea Control 213 – U.S. and Chinese South China Sea Legal Strategies with Dr. Krista Wiegand

Links

3. “U.S. and Chinese Strategies, International Law, and the South China Sea,” Dr. Krista E. Wiegand and Hayoun Jessie Ryou-Ellison, Journal of Peace and War Studies, 2nd edition, October 2020.

By Alex Clarke

Welcome because this week the Bilge Pumps crew thinks they have escaped reality as they grapple with the news of the Type 32, Britain increasing its defense spending, and most importantly, the Bilge Pumps Curse.

So without much further ado, in Episode 25 good Jamie is back, bad news is our guest couldn’t make it. Good news is that thanks to Boris Johnson’s latest announcements and recent events we had plenty still to discuss. So sit back, relax, enjoy as poor Jamie does  the work that should actually earn him a paycheck and tries to keep Alex and Drach from disappearing down all sorts of random rabbit holes.

In the past Alex has said that once it reached Episode 25 he could no longer claim that “#Bilgepumps is still a newish series and new avenue…” The crew is actually starting to get the hang of it, although they need to work on their endings…We can still hope you enjoy the easy listening relaxed atmosphere as our three normal crewmembers attempt to make sense of the world around them, all whilst imbibing a lot of Irn Bru and catering to the needs of some rather large fluffy research assistants who seem to only want us for our beds.

Thank you to our audience for staying with us, for those who  it’s a first listen, we hope you enjoy and return. As always we’d very much like any comments, topic suggestions or ideas for artwork to be tweeted to us, the #Bilgepump crew (with #Bilgepumps), at Alex (@AC_NavalHistory), Drach (@Drachinifel), and Jamie (@Armouredcarrier). Or you can comment on our Youtube channels (listed down below).

Download Bilge Pumps Episode 25: Are we Dreaming? Is this just Fantasy?

Links

1. Dr. Alex Clarke’s Youtube Channel
2. Drachinifel’s Youtube Channel
3. Jamie Seidel’s Youtube Channel

Alex Clarke is the producer of The Bilge Pumps podcast.

Contact the CIMSEC podcast team at Seacontrol@cimsec.org. 

By Jared Samuelson

Do you have a question about the Chinese Distant Water Fishing Fleet? Several questions? They’re all getting answered. Here. In the next hour. Following their popular article for CIMSEC, Dr. Tabitha Mallory and Dr. Ian Ralby join the program to discuss the fishing fleet off the Galapagos, the enforcement challenge for Ecuador, the importance of flag states, policy recommendations, and lots more!

Download Sea Control 212 – China’s Galapagos Fishing Fleet with Dr. Tabitha Mallory & Dr. Ian Ralby

Link

“Evolution of the Fleet: A Closer Look at the Chinese Fishing Vessels Off the Galapagos,” Dr. Tabitha Mallory and Dr. Ian Ralby, CIMSEC, October 19, 2020.

Jared Samuelson is the Executive Producer and co-host of the Sea Control Podcast. Contact him at Seacontrol@cimsec.org.