The Contributors:

Note: The opinions and views expressed in these posts are those of the authors alone and are presented in their personal capacity.  They do not necessarily represent the views of their parent institution U.S. Department of Defense, the U.S. Navy, any other agency, or any other foreign government.

 

LCDR Joe Baggett, USN

Joe is an officer in the U.S. Navy currently assigned to OPNAV N95.

LT Jake Bebber, USN

LT Robert “Jake” Bebber is an information warfare/cryptology officer assigned to the U.S. 7^th Fleet embarked on the USS Blue Ridge in Yokosuka, Japan.  Prior to coming to Japan, Jake was stationed at Navy Information Operations Command, Maryland at Ft. Meade (2007-2011).  While there, in 2008 he deployed to Afghanistan on an IA as the Information Operations officer at the Provincial Reconstruction Team in Khost province.  Upon returning in 2009 to Ft. Meade, he worked at the National Security Operations Center at the NSA leading the Expeditionary Support Team.  From 2010-2011, he was a submarine Direct Support Officer, leading direct support teams on subsurface cryptologic missions.  Jake holds a doctorate in public policy from the University of Central Florida.  He is supported by his wife, Dana, who is a registered nurse.

Follow on twitter: @JakeBebber

Sebastian Bruns, Germany

Sebastian is a fellow at the Institute for Security Policy at the University of Kiel, Germany.

Rex Buddenberg, U.S. Naval Postgraduate School

Rex spent 20 years in the U.S. Coast Guard and has spent the next 20 on the faculty at the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School (NPS).  At NPS he researches and teaches information system interoperability and internet-to-sea issues.

LT Scott Cheney-Peters, USNR

LT Scott Cheney-Peters is a surface warfare officer in the U.S. Navy Reserve and the former editor of Surface Warfare magazine.  He is the founding director of the Center for International Maritime Security and holds a master’s degree in National Security and Strategic Studies from the U.S. Naval War College.

Follow on twitter: @CIMSEC

Matt Cosner, U.S. 

Matt provided no further information.

Dr. Robert Farley, Professor University of Kentucky

Robert is an associate professor for the Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce at the University of Kentucky, where he specializes in military doctrine, transnational politics, and national security.  He is the author of several journal articles and book chapters, in addition to frequent analysis at a variety of online sites including WikiStrat; Lawyers, Guns & Money; and Information Dissemination.

Follow on twitter: @drfarls

YN2(SW) Michael George, USN

Michael graduated from Asbury University in May 2007 with a B.A. in Sports Management.  He’s been on active duty since June 2008 and is also a part-time graduate student with the University of Maryland University College (UMUC) MBA program.

LT Drew Hamblen, USN

Drew is the Assistant Operations Officer for the U.S. Navy’s Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron Nine and a graduate of Georgetown University.

Marc Handelman, Washington, U.S.

Marc is a security researcher and former U.S. Navy SPAWAR information security employee.

CDR Chuck Hill, USCG (Ret.)

Chuck has had a long-term interest in ships, aircraft, and things military that goes back to elementary school.  He is a graduate of the Coast Guard Academy (1969), the U.S. Naval War College (Command and Staff Course), and has a Masters from George Washington University.  He served on four cutters, as a rescue coordination center controller, as Coast Guard liaison officer at Fleet Training Group San Diego, and on staff at Headquarters and Pacific Area.  Chuck is currently retired, and enjoying the perks of being a grandfather.  He has been blogging since 2009 and runs Chuck Hill’s CG Blog.

Prof. James Holmes, U.S. Naval War College

James is a defense analyst for The Diplomat, where he runs the The Naval Diplomat blog.  He is also a professor of strategy at the U.S. Naval War College where he specializes in U.S., Chinese and Indian maritime strategy and U.S. diplomatic and military history.  He is co-author of Red Star over the Pacific, an Atlantic Monthly Best Foreign Affairs Book for 2010 and a former U.S. Navy surface warfare officer.

Bryan McGrath, Director, Delex Consulting, Studies and Analysis

Bryan McGrath is the Founding Director of Delex Consulting, Studies and Analysis (CSA), a division of Delex Systems, Incorporated, headquartered in Herndon, Virginia.  Bryan earned a BA in History from the University of Virginia, and an MA in Political Science (Congressional Studies) from The Catholic University of America.  He is a graduate of the Naval War College.  Bryan blogs at The Conservative Wahoo and is a contributor to Information Dissemination.

A retired Naval Officer, Bryan spent 21 years on active duty including a tour in command of USS Bulkeley (DDG 84), a guided-missile destroyer homeported in Norfolk, Virginia.  His final duties ashore included serving as Team Lead and Primary Author of the US Navy’s 2007 Maritime Strategy “A Cooperative Strategy for 21st Century Seapower”.

Follow on twitter: @ConsWahoo

LCDR Mark Munson, USN

Mark is a Naval Intelligence officer currently serving on the OPNAV staff and is a regular contributor to CIMSEC’s NextWar Blog.  He has previously served at Naval Special Warfare Group FOUR, the Office of Naval Intelligence, and onboard USS Essex (LHD 2).  

Follow on twitter: @markbmunson

Bret Perry, Georgetown University

Bret is a student in Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service. 

LT Chris Peters, USN

Chris, a 2006 graduate of George Washington University, is a surface warfare officer who has served on USS Halsey (DDG 97) and USS Mason (DDG 87) as Navigator.  His current assignment is NROTC Instructor at Boston University.  Chris will begin department head training later this year.  

Chris Putko, JIATF South

Chris is an officer in the U.S. Navy working for a national task force that combats illicit trafficking and is a graduate of Georgetown University.

CDR Chris Rawley, USNR

Chris is an operations planner at US Special Operations Command.  He is also the Commanding Officer of the U.S. Navy Reserve’s detachment to Special Operations Command Africa.  He writes regularly at Information Dissemination and Naval Drones. 

Follow on twitter: @NavalDrones

Felix Seidler, Germany

Felix Seidler is a fellow at the Institute for Security Policy, University of Kiel, Germany and runs the site Seidlers-Sicherheitspolitik.net (Seidler’s Security Policy).

Follow on twitter: @SeidersSiPo

Alan Tweedie, Colorado

Alan was a Surface Warfare Officer and served as Ordnance Officer on USS Barry (DDG 52), then with the Civilian Police Assistance Training Team in Iraq. After a tour at NORAD he left active duty and worked as a contractor at OPNAV N96, Surface Warfare Division. He is now back in Colorado with STRATCOM as an Intelligence Officer serving in the USNR.

Follow on twitter: @aetweedie

Simon Williams, U.K.

Simon received a BA Hons in Contemporary History from the University of Leicester in 2008. His dissertation was entitled The Dardanelles Debacle: Forcing the Straits, 1915.  In early 2011 he was awarded an MA in War Studies from King’s College London.  His postgraduate dissertation was entitled The Second Boer War 1899-1902: A Triumph of British Sea Power.  

 

Follow-on Series:

Przemek Krajewski, Poland

Przemek Krajewski alias Viribus Unitis is a blogger in Poland and contributor to CIMSEC’s NextWar Blog.   His area of interest is the broad context of purpose and structure of a Navy and promoting discussions on these subjects in his country.

LCDR Claude Berube, USNR

Claude Berube is the author of “The Aden Effect” (Naval Institute Press, September 2012), and is co-author and co-editor of several other publications.  He earned his B.A. in History and Soviet Studies, his M.A. in History from Northeastern University, and his M.A. in National Security Studies from the U.S. Naval War College.  He is currently writing his doctoral dissertation on Andrew Jackson’s Navy through the University of Leeds.

An intelligence officer in the U.S. Navy Reserve, he has served on active duty assignments in Europe and deployed to the Persian Gulf in 2004-2005 with Expeditionary Strike Group Five.

Follow on twitter: @cgberube

LT Chad Hutchins, USN

Chad is a Lieutenant in the U.S. Navy, currently attending the Naval Postgraduate School.  He has previously served aboard ships participating in capability development operations in Africa.

N.R. Jenzen-Jones, Australia

N.R. is a security and defence industry consultant, writer, and analyst based in Perth, Western Australia.  He is a co-editor and a frequent contributor to Security Scholar, and editor of The Rogue Adventurer.  He has written numerous times on counter-piracy operations, Maritime Security (MARSEC) capability development, and the role of private industry in countering the threat of piracy. 

Follow on twitter: @RogueAdventurer

Capt Christopher Barber, USMCR

      Chris Barber is CIMSEC’s director of membership and a contributor to the NextWar blog. He     has deployed twice to Helmand Province AFG. He is a 2008 graduate of the United States Merchant Marine Academy 

LTJG Matt Hipple, USN

Matt Hipple is a surface warfare officer in the U.S. Navy and CIMSEC’s Director of Operations and NextWar Blog.