“Seapower in the Eastern Mediterranean”

James H. Bergeron assumed duties as Political Advisor to Commander, Allied Maritime Command in Northwood, United Kingdom on 1 September 2013 . Previously the POLAD to Naval Striking and Support Forces NATO from July 2005 as a member of the US Government Service, he is considered to be one of NATO's most experienced foreign policy advisors in the fields of maritime and joint expeditionary operations. He has served as POLAD in eighteen US and NATO exercises; as POLAD to the NATO Response Force exercise Steadfast Jaguar in Cape Verde and NATO Riga Summit mission in 2006; in a national capacity as POLAD to EUCOM Commander Joint Task Force Lebanon during the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah Conflict; to Commander US Naval Forces Europe during the August 2008 Russia-Georgia Conflict and as POLAD to STRIKFORNATO for four Baltic Host and two BALTOPs exercises to reassure Allies of NATO solidarity. From March until July 2011 he served as the Political Advisor to NATO's CJTF Operation Unified Protector in support ofUNSCR 1973 operations in Libya. He is regularly consulted on NATO maritime strategy, transformational issues and NATO-EU relations, and was one of the drafters of the Alliance Maritime Strategy. Prior to his appointment in Naples, Mr. Bergeron served as EUINATO Policy Advisor on the Staff of Commander, US Naval Forces Europe, London.

Dr. Sebastian Bruns heads the Center for Maritime Strategy & Security (CMSS) at the ISPK. His work focuses on naval strategy, maritime geopolitics, the German and United States navies, and maritime security issues. Sebastian holds a PhD in Political Science (U of Kiel). His study “US Naval Strategy and National Security. The Evolution of American Maritime Power” (Routledge: London, 2017) follows American naval strategy from 1981 to 2016. He is the editor of the Routledge Handbook of Naval Strategy and Security, together with Joachim Krause (Routledge: London, 2016). He is the Director of the Kiel Seapower Series, Conference Chairman of the Kiel International Seapower Symposium, and was a major driver behind the Kiel Conferences on Maritime Security Challenges in 2016 (Focus: High North) and 2015 (Focus: Baltic Sea). Sebastian also frequently provides insights to national and international media, edited volumes, professional magazines, journals, and online publications. As the only non-American citizen, he was selected to contribute to a U.S. Navy research series on naval history and strategy (2016). Sebastian also teaches at the University of Kiel. Before coming to the North, Sebastian served Rep. Todd Young (R-IN) as legislative aide in the 112th U.S. Congress (2010-2011) in Washington, D.C., handling defense and military policy affairs for the Congressman. He holds an M.A. in North American Studies from the University of Bonn (2007) and is an avid fan of soccer, the sea, “The Simpsons”, and the epic music of the Dire Straits.

Heiko Borchert runs Borchert Consulting & Research AG, a strategic affairs consultancy. Since 1997 he has managed over 90 consulting and study projects for public and private sector clients covering a diverse set of issues like armaments policy, critical infrastructure protection, cyber security, defense biometrics, defense-related science and technology, energy and resource supply security, maritime security, public-private security cooperation, and unmanned and autonomous maritime systems. He is Associate Partner of Verocy, a Dutch consultancy providing strategic advice on risk and value management with a focus on the MENA/Gulf region, and Wise Pens International, a European expert group focusing on maritime security policy and advice. He is also affiliated with the Hague Center for Strategic Studies (HCSS) and member of the Advisory Board of the Foreign and Security Policy Journal (Zeitschrift für Außen- und Sicherheitspolitik, ZfAS). Heiko Borchert studied international relations, business administration, economics, and law at the University of St. Gallen (Switzerland), where he also received his PhD. He has published more than 130 papers in his areas of work and is co-editor of the Arab Defense Industry Papers and “Vernetzte Sicherheit,” a series of books on the theory and practice of the Comprehensive Approach.

Shaul Chorev is a retired Israeli Navy Rear Admiral and a Professor in the International Relations division of the School of Political Science, University of Haifa. He is also the Director of the Haifa Research Center for Maritime Policy & Strategy and the Reuven Chaikin Chair in Geostrategy. Chorev lectures on maritime strategy and Israel defense policy, international security and arms control technology transfer, and innovation system in the defense laboratories. From 2007 to 2015, he served as the Head of the Israel Atomic Energy Commission. Chorev has also held numerous senior positions in the Israeli defense establishment, including: Assistant to the Minister of Defense for Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Defense; Deputy Chief of Naval Operations; Commanding Officer of the Haifa Naval Base; and Commanding Officer of an Israeli Naval Flotilla (missile boats & submarines). He was the project manager of the Dolphin Submarines Project in the German Shipyards (HDW & TNSW) between 1989 and 1992. Chorev holds a BA in Economics and Political Sciences from Bar Ilan University (1985), a MSc. from the United States Naval Postgraduate School (1989), and a Ph.D. from Bar Ilan University in Science Technology and Society (2005).

Mrs. Craanen is currently employed at the NATO Headquarters in the Strategic Analysis Capability (SAC) team within the Emerging Security Challenges Division (since 2010). Her main responsibility is to prepare assessments for the Secretary General and the Chairman of the Military Committee on potential security challenges and crisis situations in geographical areas of relevance and concern to NATO, as well as on their implications for individual Allies and the Alliance as a whole. She has written several assessments on the security dynamics in oceans and seas across the globe, from the Asia-Pacific region to the North Atlantic Ocean.

Prior to joining the SAC, Mrs. Craanen was a member of the Operations Division at NATO HQ where she was responsible for analysing and assessing current political and security developments related to the Alliance’s operations in Kosovo and at sea off the Horn of Africa.

Mrs. Craanen is the Secretary General of the Brussels chapter of Women in International Security (WIIS), a non-profit organisation dedicated to advancing the visibility and leadership of women in the field of security and defence.

Claire Craanen graduated from the University of Leiden, the Netherlands with a Masters Degree in Political Science/ International Relations and has a Certificate in Peace and Conflict studies from the University of California, Berkeley.

Dr Eyal is the Associate Director, Strategic Research Partnerships, and International Director, at the Royal United Services Institute.

Since 1990, Dr Eyal has been Director of Studies at the Institute and also serves as a Senior Research Fellow and Editor of the RUSI Newsbrief.

Dr Eyal has completed books on military expenditure in the former Warsaw Pact and a published a study on military relations in the Balkans during the time of Communism. He is a regular commentator on East European affairs for The Guardian, The Independent, The Times dailies and the Observer newspaper on Sundays.

He has also given evidence to the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee on the conduct of British foreign policy in Eastern Europe, and the teams of experts which contributed to the peace plans for the former Yugoslavia. He has acted as an adviser to the European Union's studies on the process of dividing the assets of the former Yugoslav state, and has published two studies on the errors committed by the West in handling the Balkan conflict since 1991.

He is fluent in English, French, Romanian, Italian, Hungarian and German.)

Ambassador Robert S. Ford Ford is a scholar at the Middle East Institute in Washington where he writes and speaks about Iraq, Syria and North Africa.  He is also a fellow at the Jackson Institute for Global Affairs at Yale University where he teaches about Arab politics and diplomacy. 

Ford served thirty years in the State Department and Peace Corps, finishing his career as the U.S. Ambassador to Syria from 2011 to 2014.  For his leadership of the American Embassy in Damascus he received a Presidential Honor award in 2012, and for his work on Syria he received in 2014 the Secretary of State’s Distinguished Service Award, the State Department's highest award.  For his defense of human rights in Syria, he received from the John F. Kennedy Library in Boston the 2012 Profile in Courage award. 

In September 2015 he received the Mark Palmer Award from the Community of Democracies on the margins of the United Nations General Asembly for his work supporting democracy during his career.

Ford also served as the U.S. Ambassador to Algeria (2006-2008) where he boosted bilateral cooperation in fields such as education and rule of law. 

He served three times in Iraq between 2003 and 2010, including as the Ambassador’s senior political advisor during the tumultuous elections and stand-up of the new, permanent Iraqi government 2004-2006.  Later, as Deputy Ambassador in Iraq 2008-2010 he assembled a government team that devised the logistical and security plans the new Obama administration used to establish American diplomatic

Serhat Güvenç received his BA and MA degrees from Marmara University and his PhD in Political Science and International Relations from Boğaziçi University, Istanbul, Turkey.

He is currently a Professor of International Relations at Kadir Has University. Previously he held fulltime, adjunct and visity faculty positions at Istanbul Bilgi University, the University of Chicago, Koç University and Boğaziçi University.

Dr. Güvenç’s research interests include Turkish foreign and security policy and  Turkish naval policy and history.

He is the author of: The Ottomans’ Quest for Dreadnoughts, Istanbul, 2009, Turkey in the Mediterranean during the Interwar Era (Indiana University Turkish Studies, 2010) (with Dilek Barlas) and 60 Years in NATO: Turkey’s Contributions to Transatlantic Security, (Istanbul, 2013).  His articles have appeared in Middle Eastern Studies, International Journal of Naval History, Uluslararası İlişkiler, Exotierika Themata (Greek), Journal of Strategic Studies, GMF Mediterranean Papers, Southeast European and Black Sea Studies, International Journal, Turkish Studies and Turkish Policy Quarterly.

His most recent article, co-authored with Mesut Uyar, “One Battle, Two Accounts: The Turkish Brigade at Kunu-ri in November 1950” was published in The Journal of Military History.

Professor Güvenç is a board member of the Foundation of Lausanne Treaty Emigrants and advisiory board member of Koç University Maritime Forum (KUDENFOR).

Commander Sebastian A. Hamann joined the German Navy in 1996 and graduated from the University of the Federal Armed Forces Hamburg with an M.A. degree in history and political sciences. His main research focus at university was the Middle East region. In 2001-02 he was trained as a submarine officer, serving on board of coastal submarines from 2002 until 2004. In 2004-05 Cdr. Hamann completed the principal warfare officer´s (PWO) course in the navy´s operational school in Bremerhaven. From 2005 to 2008 he served on board of the frigate FGS Niedersachsen as Operations Officer (PWO U and OPSO). In 2008-09 he served as a staff officer in the intelligence department (J2) of the Joint Forces Operations Command (Einsatzführungskommando) Potsdam. In 2009-11 Commander Hamann attended the National General/Admiral Staff Officer´s Course at the Bundeswehr Command and Staff College (Führungsakademie) in Hamburg. In 2011-13 he served as a staff officer in the operational planning (N5-) branch at NATO´s Maritime Headquarter MARCOM in Northwood/UK. In 2013-15 Commander Hamann served as Executive Officer on board of the frigate FGS Hamburg. Since December 2015 he is serving as an analyst for maritime issues in the Middle East within the German Federal Ministry of Defense, in Berlin.

Sarah K. Kirchberger is a China specialist who focuses on China’s global rise. She is the author of Assessing China's Naval Power: Technological Innovation, Economic Constraints, and Strategic Implications (Springer, 2015) and of a German-language monograph on informal institutions in Chinese and Taiwanese politics. Her areas of expertise include China's military and especially, naval modernization; China's and Taiwan's political systems; and China's 20th century history. Kirchberger holds an M.A. and a Ph.D. in Sinology from the University of Hamburg. She has served as a naval analyst with the shipbuilder Blohm + Voss, as assistant professor of Contemporary China Studies at the Asia-Africa-Institute, University of Hamburg and as a Senior Research Associate at the department International Political Economy of East Asia, Ruhr-University Bochum. In 2017 she joined ISPK as the head of a new Center of Asia-Pacific Strategy and Security. Her current research focuses on the nexus between China’s space and naval modernization programs.

Sarandis (“Randy”) Papadopoulos received his B.A. from the University of Toronto, an M.A. in military and naval history from the University of Alabama and earned a Ph.D. from the George Washington University (GWU). At GWU his dissertation was entitled “Feeding the Sharks: The Logistics of Submarine Warfare, 1935-1945.” He has been a Lecturer in History at GWU and the University of Maryland, College Park, worked at the US Navy History and Heritage Command, and is currently the Secretariat Historian for the Department of the Navy.

His publications include articles, book reviews, reference works, and service as principal co-author of the book Pentagon 9/11, published under the auspices of the Historian, Office of the Secretary of Defense. In August 2016 the Society for Military History Council appointed him Vice President. He is also President of the U.S. Commission on Military History and an organizer of its Military Classics Seminar. A recipient of the Department of the Navy Superior and Distinguished Civilian Service Awards, Papadopoulos is also Region III Coordinator for the Society for Military History.

Retired Rear Admiral Chris Parry CBE, served in the British Royal Navy for more than three decades. He joined the Royal Navy as a seaman officer in 1972 and then became an observer in the Fleet Air Arm in 1979.

He was mentioned in despatches for his actions during the Falklands War for his part in rescuing 16 SAS troopers from Fortuna Glacier in South Georgia and for detecting and disabling the Argentinian submarine Santa Fe.

He later commanded the air defence destroyer HMS Gloucester and the Maritime Warfare Centre. In January 2000, he became commanding officer of HMS Fearless.

As a commodore, he was Director Operational Capability in the Ministry of Defence and became Commander of the Amphibious Task Group in September 2003.

After retiring from the active line of duty, Parry has worked in the private sector and as a writer, broadcaster, and speaker. He is the author of the book: Super Highway: Sea Power in the 21^st Century (Elliott & Thompson Limited).

He also was the first Chair of the UK Government's Marine Management Organisation until 2011.

Today, he runs his own strategic forecasting firm in the United Kingdom and is well known for his expertise in strategic forecasting and in the maritime and marine environment.

Georgios X. Protopapas is Executive Director of the Center for International Strategic Analyses in Athens. He is an international relations specialist and his area of expertise is geopolitics and security. Furthermore, he has participated as Key–Speaker in ΝATO’s Αdvanced Research Workshop in Belgrade (2014). He has also participated in numerous international conferences organized, i.a., by the Institute of Corporative Security Studies (Slovenia) and Centre for Civil-military Relations in Monterey, Russian International Affairs Journal, and University of Athens. Protopapas has published articles in Greek and foreign media, such as institutes for geopolitical, diplomatic and energy affairs. His scientific contributions include articles in three foreign English-language books and various journals. He has pursued postgraduate studies in International Relations, University of Kent (UK) and has studied European Studies, University of Hertfordshire (UK). Since 2000, he closely observes and analyzes the Greek – Turkish relations, the geopolitics of Eastern Mediterranean Sea and the Middle East as well as issues pertaining to regional security.

Paul Schwartz is a research analyst with CNA's International Affairs Group.  As a member of CNA's Russia Program, he specializes in the Russian military and its defense and security policy.  His research focuses especially on Russia’s military capabilities, its recent military campaigns in Georgia, Ukraine and Syria, and its overall geostrategic outlook.  Mr. Schwartz is an expert on Russian security relationships within the European and Asian-Pacific theaters of operation, and in this context he has analyzed Russia’s recent interactions with Europe, China and other powers.  He has recently authored a number of articles and reports on topics ranging from Russia-China defense relations, the Ukraine crisis, Russia’s INF Treaty violations, Russia’s military modernization programs, Russian science and technology, and the capabilities of selected Russian weapon systems.  He is also a frequent speaker on the Russian military and its defense and security policy, and is regularly consulted on such matters by members of the media.  Mr. Schwartz is also currently a non-resident scholar with the Russia and Eurasia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. 

From June 2008 to May 2011, Mr. Stubbs was responsible for the coordination and implementation of Maritime Domain Awareness programmes, policies, and related issues across the Defense Department. In addition, from January to May 2009, Mr. Stubbs served as the Deputy Under Secretary of the Navy (Acting). In this position, he advised the Secretary of the Navy and the Under Secretary of the Navy on national security, foreign policy and intelligence issues. Prior to joining the Department of the Navy, Mr. Stubbs served as the Maritime Security Advisor to the Special Envoy for Middle East Regional Security, General James Jones USMC, Ret., and was a member of the Secretary of the Navy's Advisory Board to advise the Secretary on naval and maritime matters. Mr. Stubbs began his career as an officer in the U.S. Coast Guard. He served on the staff of the National Security Council, military aide to the Commandant of the Coast Guard, Commanding Officer of USCGC HARRIET LANE, and Commandant of Cadet at the Coast Guard Academy. He was also assigned as the Assistant Commandant for Capability with responsibility for the Coast Guard’s 275-ships, 2,000-boats, 220-aircraft, and 188-multi-mission coastal stations, as well as the Coast Guard’s intelligence programme, and the 35,000-members in the volunteer Auxiliary. As a Coast Guardsman, Mr. Stubbs also served in the U.S. Navy as a division officer in USS BADGER during a combat tour in Vietnam, and as an instructor at the Naval War College. He qualified for a Surface Warfare Officer Pin and is a graduate of Tactical Action Officer School. Mr. Stubbs received a Bachelor’s of Science from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, a master’s in business administration from the University of Washington, and an master’s of arts with distinction from the Naval War College.

Dr. Igor Sutyagin's is RUSI’s Senior Research Fellow in Russian Studies. His research is concerned with US-Russian relations, strategic armaments developments and broader nuclear arms control, anti-ballistic missile defence systems. Prior to joining RUSI, Dr Sutyagin completed his PhD in History of Foreign Policy and International Relations at the Moscow Institute for the USA and Canada Studies (Russian Academy of Science), which was supervised by Professor Andrey Kokoshin. His thesis explored the US Navy's role in carrying out the US foreign policy tasks throughout the 1970s and 1980s. He has written extensively on nuclear and conventional arms control, including naval arms control, safety and security of nuclear weapons, modernization and development of modern armaments as well as issues associated with ABM systems and their stabilising influence upon of the US-Russian relationship. He has authored over 100 articles and booklets published in the Soviet Union/Russia, the United States, United Kingdom, Germany and Switzerland. He is also the co-author of the book "Russian Strategic Nuclear Weapons". Igor worked at the Institute of US and Canadian Studies for twelve years at the Political-Military Studies Department, where he held the position of the head of section for US military-technical and military-economy policy. Igor also has a Masters Degree in Radio-physics and Electronics from the Physics Department, Moscow State University (1988).

Eric V. Thompson, Ph.D., is vice president and director of CNA Strategic Studies. As a Middle East political and military affairs specialist, he has traveled extensively in North Africa, the Persian Gulf, and the Levant, working closely with U.S. and regional military and civilian leadership. His most recent work has addressed counterterrorism operations, security cooperation activities, military-to-military relations with Egypt, interoperability with Turkish and Algerian maritime forces, and coalition building for military operations in the CENTCOM region.

Thompson's research and analysis extends beyond the Middle East. He has led studies addressing interoperability with NATO navies, global force structure requirements, the implications of the deployment of theater ballistic missile defense systems, the use of distance learning technology in preparing for coalition operations, the effectiveness of Partnership for Peace programs, and future security cooperation priorities for the U.S. military.

Thompson is also an adjunct professor at Catholic University of America, where he teaches graduate classes on terrorism and other national security issues. Prior to joining CNA, he was an adjunct professor of international relations and history at the Virginia Military Institute, where he taught courses in Middle East history, international relations and American government, and served as the director of the Model Arab League program.