By J. Overton

Elaine Helm joins the program to reflect on the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, and her time as a journalist embedded with the U.S. military during their response and recovery operations in New Orleans and Houston.

Elaine Helm is a communications professional and former journalist who lives and works in the Seattle area. She was the military reporter for the Kitsap Sun and the founder and editor of the pioneering Northwest Navy News site. 

Download Sea Control 587: 20 Years After the Military Response to Hurricane Katrina

Links

1. Elaine Helm Linkedin.

J. Overton is Co-Host of the Sea Control podcast. Contact the podcast team at Seacontrol@cimsec.org.

Jonathan Selling edited and produced this episode.

By Brian Kerg

Commander William Spears, U.S. Navy, joins the program to discuss his article, “What Moral Leadership Looks Like,” which examines the philosophical approach of Admiral Stockdale during his time as a POW in North Vietnam.

Commander William C. Spears is a submarine warfare officer in the U.S. Navy and the author of Stoicism as a Warrior Philosophy: Insights on the Morality of Military Service, forthcoming in November by Casemate Publishers. 

Download Sea Control 586: What Moral Leadership Looks Like with William Spears

Links

1. “What Moral Leadership Looks Like,” by William Spears, CIMSEC, July 16, 2025. 

2. Stoicism as a Warrior Philosophy: Insights on the Morality of Military Service, by William Spears, Casemate, 2025.

3. William Spears website.

Brian Kerg is Co-Host of the Sea Control podcast. Contact the podcast team at Seacontrol@cimsec.org.

Addison Pellerano edited and produced this episode.

By Jonathan Selling

Retired USN Commander Chuck Ridgway joins the podcast to discuss his article “What Imperial Germany Teaches About China’s Naval Basing Ambitions,” which appeared in the May issue of Proceedings.

Commander Ridgway is a retired U.S. Navy surface warfare and a reserve Africa foreign area officer. After leaving active duty, he worked for 10 years as a NATO international civilian at the NATO Joint Analysis and Lessons Learned Centre in Portugal while also serving as a Navy reserve officer with Naval Forces Africa.

Download Sea Control 585: Imperial Germany and China’s Basing Ambitions with Chuck Ridgway

Links

1. “What Imperial Germany Teaches About China’s Naval Basing Ambitions,” by Chuck Ridgway, Proceedings, May 2025.

Jonathan Selling is Executive Producer of the Sea Control podcast. Contact the podcast team at Seacontrol@cimsec.org.

Brendan Costello edited and produced this episode.

By Brian Kerg

Major Chris Denzel of the United States Marine Corps and Mr. Sebastian Bae of the Center for Naval Analyses to discuss their experience supporting wargaming in the Pacific, specifically in support of bilateral wargames involving the U.S. and Japan.

Chris Denzel is an intelligence officer and operational planner. He is currently serving as the J-52 Posture Plans Officer, U.S. Forces Japan. He previously served as the G-5 bilateral U.S.-Japan plans officer, III Marine Expeditionary Force, in Okinawa, Japan, where he ran an annual bilateral U.S.-Japan ground-force wargame. 

Sebastian Bae is a Senior Game Designer and Research Scientist at the Center for Naval Analyses (CNA). He focuses on wargaming, emerging technologies, and future warfare. He is also an adjunct assistant professor at Georgetown University, teaching a graduate course on game design. Additionally, he co-chairs the Military Operations Research Society (MORS) Wargaming Community of Practice. Bae served six years in the Marine Corps as an infantryman and is a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Download Sea Control 584: Wargaming in the Pacific with Chris Denzel and Sebastian Bae

Links

1. Sebastian Bae Twitter.

Brian Kerg is Co-Host of the Sea Control podcast. Contact the podcast team at Seacontrol@cimsec.org.