Vice Adm. Eugene “Gene” Black assumed duties as Commander U.S. Sixth Fleet; Commander Naval Striking and Support Forces NATO; Deputy Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe /Africa in June 2020.

As a flag officer, he most recently served as the director, Surface Warfare Division, N96, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations in Washington, D.C.  Previous flag officer assignments include, commander, Carrier Strike Group Eight; and deputy commander, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command/U.S. Fifth Fleet, Manama, Bahrain.

At sea, Black served as commanding officer of USS Leyte Gulf (CG 55) and USS Mason (DDG 87). While in command, Leyte Gulf and Mason deployed to the Arabian Gulf, and the North Arabian Sea.

His other sea assignments include executive officer in USS Ramage (DDG 61); weapons officer and combat systems officer in USS Normandy (CG 60); fire control officer in USS Leyte Gulf (CG 55); combat information center officer and damage control assistant in USS Gallery (FFG 26); and the staff of commander, South Atlantic Force, U.S. Atlantic Fleet.

Black’s shore assignments include director, Surface Warfare Officer Distribution (PERS-41), Navy Personnel Command, Millington, Tennessee; Future Ships branch head, Surface Warfare Division (N86) on the staff of the Chief of Naval Operations; and Afghanistan/Pakistan Politico-Military Policy branch head, Joint Staff, Strategic Plans and Policy (J5), Washington, D.C. His other assignments include Commander Detailer, Navy Personnel Command and Surface Warfare Officer School department head instructor, Newport, Rhode Island.

He is a native of New Jersey and 1986 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, earning a Bachelor of Science in Political Science, and later a Master of Science in Management from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California.

His decorations include the Legion of Merit (seven awards), Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal (bronze star), Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal (six awards), Joint Service Achievement Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, and various unit, service and campaign awards.

Keith Blount is the Commander of NATO’s Allied Maritime Command. He is NATO’s principal maritime adviser and has Operational Command of NATO’s Standing Naval Forces.
He joined the Royal Navy in 1984 as a helicopter pilot. He received his wings in 1986 and was a front line aviator at the age of 20. Through a varied flying career, he qualified as an instructor and flew in the Royal Navy Helicopter Display Team.
Blount has blended his aviation experience with a broad span of Command. He has commanded three warships, including the helicopter carrier HMS OCEAN and sailed in NATO Task Groups during Operations SHARPGUARD and ACTIVE ENDEAVOUR. He was the Iraqi Maritime Task Group Commander during Operation TELIC and, more recently, was the United Kingdom’s Maritime Component Commander, based in Bahrain, spanning Operations in Syria and Iraq.
His staff appointments have included three periods in the Ministry of Defence, including two years as Military Assistant to the Vice Chief of the Defence Staff. He holds a Master of Arts degree in Defence Studies and has been awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Plymouth. Appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 2012, he was bestowed an operational Legion of Merit by the President of the United States in 2016. Blount was appointed Companion of the Order of the Bath in 2018.
Between 2015 and 2019 he was the Head of the Fleet Air Arm and the officer accountable for the delivery and programme management of the two Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers.
Having previously been Chief of Staff to the European Union Naval Force and Deputy Commander of the Combined Maritime Forces, he was appointed as the Commander of NATO’s Maritime Command in May 2019.

Rear Admiral Christian Bock joined the Navy in July 1988, subsequently achieved a Master “Business Administration” and served on minehunting- and support vessels, holding command of a minehunter from 1998 until 2000.
After a period at the German MOD (Naval Staff Plans and Policy) and following the staff course at the German Armed Forces General Staff and Command College in Hamburg, he was seconded to SACT as Military Assistant for the 2* and 3* level in 2003.
Back to sea from 2005 – 2007, he served as the Deputy Squadron Commander of the 3rd Minesweeper Squadron in Kiel, followed by a posting at the German MOD Joint Staff Current Operations Branch.
From 2008 to 2010, Commander Bock was appointed Commanding Officer of the 5th Minesweeper Squadron, including a detachment as Commander German contingent UNIFIL.
Following a second assignment at the German MOD Joint Staff (conceptual planning), he joined the Federal Chancellery as Deputy Division Head "Military Aspects of Security Policy" in 2011.
From 2013 to 2015, promoted Captain (N), he was responsible for Maritime Operations (Horn of Africa region) at the Bundeswehr Joint Forces Operations Command in Potsdam.
Back to the MoD again, he held a Branch Chief post in the Planning Directorate until 2018, when Rear Admiral Bock took over as Commander Flotilla 1 and Director NATO COE CSW.

Since 2021 he serves as Director Training and Education at Bundeswehr Command and Staff College in Hamburg.

Dr. Sebastian Bruns is the inaugural McCain Fulbright Distinguished Visiting Professor at the Political Science Department, United States Naval Academy. The program was created by Congress to bring mid-career international academics to USNA to teach classes on subjects pertaining to their regional background. Scholars will also practice outreach to D.C. area think tanks and military higher education institutions around the country.

Before coming to the U.S., Dr. Bruns - who hails from Germany - directed the Center for Maritime Strategy and Security (CMSS) at the Institute for Security Policy, Kiel University (ISPK), continental Europe's only think tank for seapower. He also founded and chaired the Kiel Seapower Series. His dissertation examined the evolution of the U.S. Navy strategy, 1981-2016 and was published by Routledge (US Naval Strategy and American National Security. London: 2018). He is co-editor of several books, including Conceptualizing Maritime & Naval Strategy. Festschrift for Peter M. Swartz, Captain (US Navy), retired. Baden-Baden: Nomos 2020 (with Sarandis Papadopoulos), Maritime Security in the Eastern Mediterranean. Kiel International Seapower Symposium 2017. Baden-Baden: Nomos: 2018 (with Jeremy Stoehs), and the Routledge Handbook of Naval Strategy and Security. London: Routledge 2016 (with Joachim Krause).

Before coming to Kiel, Sebastian Bruns served on the staff of then-Rep. Todd Young (R-IN) on Capitol Hill, handling the Congressman`s legislative defense and military portfolio (2010-2011). Sebastian is an avid fan of soccer, "The Simpsons", the music of Dire Straits, hiking, photography and road biking.

Rear Admiral Luis del Carpio is the Director of the Peruvian Naval War College and a career naval submarine officer. A native of Lima, Perú, he graduated from the Peruvian Naval Academy in 1992. He earned his submarine qualification in 1995, and attended the Submarine Engineering Course at the German Submarine Base in 2000. He attended the Naval Command College at the U.S. Naval War College in 2015. He holds a Master of Arts in International Relations from Salve Regina University, Newport RI USA in 2016. He served during his career in the Submarine Force, Pacific Operations Command, Torpedo Station, and Material Directorate. He was Commanding Officer of the Type 209 Submarine “Angamos” in 2010, Chief of the Staff of the Peruvian Submarine Force in 2017 and Cyber Commander in 2021.

Bryan Clark is a senior fellow and Director of the Center for Defense Concepts and Technology at Hudson Institute. He leads studies there in naval operations and fleet architecture, electronic warfare, autonomous systems, military competitions, 5G telecommunications, and command and control.

Before joining Hudson Institute, Bryan was a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments (CSBA), where he led studies for the DoD Office of Net Assessment, Office of the Secretary of Defense, and Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency on new technologies and the future of warfare. Prior to joining CSBA, he was special assistant to the Chief of Naval Operations and director of his Commander’s Action Group, where he led development of Navy strategy and implemented new initiatives in electromagnetic spectrum operations, undersea warfare, expeditionary operations, and personnel and readiness management. During his 25-year Navy career, Bryan was an enlisted and officer submariner, serving in afloat and ashore submarine operational and training assignments including tours as chief engineer of two nuclear submarines and operations officer at the Navy’s nuclear power training unit. He has a Master of Science degree in national security studies from the U.S. National War College, a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry and philosophy from the University of Idaho and conducted graduate research in chemistry at the University of Washington.

Prof. Dr. Jürgen Krahl was born in Detmold in 1962 and lived in Lemgo until his secondary school graduation. From 1984 to 1990 he studied chemistry at the TU Braunschweig. From 1990 to 1997 he worked as a research assistant at the Federal Research Institute for Agriculture in Braunschweig. In 1993, he earned his doctorate on the topic "Determination of the pollutant emissions of Agricultural tractors operating with rapeseed oil methyl ester in comparison to diesel fuel" at the TU Braunschweig. In 2001, he received the Venia Legendi for Ecological Chemistry at the TU Braunschweig and in 2014 the teaching authorization for Inorganic Chemistry at the University of Bayreuth.

In 1996, Prof. Dr. Jürgen Krahl began lecturing at the TU Braunschweig, before moving to a professorship at the Coburg University of Applied Sciences in 1997. There he took over the office of Vice President and Research and International Affairs from 2009 to 2014 and was also responsible for the Career Service.

In July 2016 Prof. Dr. Jürgen Krahl was elected as the new President of the OWL University of Applied Sciences and Arts and has held this office since 1 December 2016.

Prof. Dr. Jürgen Krahl has been researching the subject of fuels and emissions since 1990. From 2008 to 2016 he was spokesman of the board of the Automotive Technology Transfer Center at Coburg University of Applied Sciences (TAC). He is a founding member of the Fuels Joint Research Group and Chairman of the UFOP Expert Commission on Biofuels and Renewable Resources.

In September 2021, Prof. Dr. Jürgen Krahl was elected for another six-year term starting in December 2022 at OWL University of Applied Sciences and Arts.

1981                 Joined the Bundeswehr

1983–1984      Officer training at Naval Academy Mürwik, Flensburg, as well as training vessels “Gorch Fock” and “Deuschland”

1984–1989      Academic studies Aerospace Engineering, Bundeswehr University Munich

1989                Training as aircraft engineering officer/airworthiness reverification inspector for weapon system Mk88 Sea Lynx at GKN Westland, Yeovil (United Kingdom)

1989–1994      Various assignment as aircraft engineering officer, head of engineering (shipboard operations) and security group, and chief evaluator, Naval Air Wing 3 “Graf Zeppelin”, Nordholz

1994–1996      Squadron commander, Technical Squadron Helicopter, Naval Air Wing 3 “Graf Zeppelin”, Nordholz

1996–1998      38th admiral staff officer course, Bundeswehr Command and Staff College, Hamburg

1998–2001     S3 (operations) staff officer and deputy commander, Technical Group, Naval Air Wing 3 “Graf Zeppelin”, Nordholz

2001–2003     Desk officer, FüS VI 6 Planning Control Branch, FüS VI Division, Armed Forces Staff, Federal Ministry of Defence, Bonn

2003–2006     Commander, Technical Group, Naval Air Wing 3 “Graf Zeppelin”, Nordholz

2006–2007     Head of branch, Coordination, Resources, Management Branch, Naval Office, Rostock

2007–2010     Chief of Staff, Naval Office, Rostock

2010–2012     Head of branch, Bundeswehr Planning Navy Branch, Naval Staff, Federal Ministry of Defence, Bonn

2012–2013     Head of branch, Planning III 1 – IPP Policy Branch, Planning Directorate, Federal Ministry of Defence, Bonn

2013–2014     Head of division, Planning Division, German Joint Support Service Headquarters, Bonn

2014–2017     Commander, Naval Support Command, Wilhelmshaven

2017–2020     Head of division, Material, Command and Control Division, German Navy Headquarters, Rostock

2020–2022     Chief of Staff, German Navy Headquarters, Rostock

since 03/2022 Commander of the German Fleet and Supporting Forces and Vice Chief of the German Navy, German Navy Headquarters, Rostock                      

1985 Joined the Bundeswehr
1985 – 1986 Officer education and training (Crew VII/85), Naval Academy, Mürwik, Flensburg
1986 – 1990 Studies in mechanical engineering, Bundeswehr University/Harburg Technical University, Hamburg
1990 – 1991 A-level underwater weapons specialist training
1991 – 1993 ASW Officer, Destroyer MÖLDERS, Kiel
1994 – 1995 Exchange Officer, HMS CUMBERLAND, Plymouth (GBR) 1995 – 1996 B-level surface weapons training
1996 – 2000 Various Operational Posts as Officer, Destroyer MÖLDERS, Kiel
2000 – 2002 42nd Admiral Staff Officers Course, Bundeswehr Command and Staff College, Hamburg
2002 – 2004 Desk Officer, Minstry of Defence Naval Staff III 2, Bonn
2004 – 2006 Executive Officer, Frigate BRANDENBURG, Wilhelmshaven
2006 – 2008 Desk Officer J5 IPL Branch, Joint Forces Command, Naples (ITA)
2008 – 2010 Commanding Officer, Frigate AUGSBURG, Wilhelmshaven
2010 – 2013 Desk Officer, Office of Parliamentary State Secretary to the Federal Minister of Defence, Thomas Kossendey, Berlin
2013 – 2014 Chief of Operations Division, Flotilla 2, Wilhelmshaven
2015 – 2017 Special Commissioner Type 125 Frigates, German Navy Headquarters, Rostock
2017 – 2019 Chief of Branch, Maritime Operations, Bundeswehr Joint Forces Operations Command, Potsdam
2019 Head of Naval Concepts and Development Branch, German Navy Headquarters, Rostock

Commander Anders Puck Nielsen is a military analyst at the Royal Danish Defence College. His research areas cover maritime operations and the Russian military. He also runs a YouTube channel where he publishes military analyses.

Emma is a PhD candidate at Birkbeck College, University of London - her research focuses on the military-industrial complex and defence procurement. She is a senior staffer at the UK Parliament, and an editorial assistant at War on the Rocks and the Texas National Security Review.

Bruce B. Stubbs is Director Navy Strategy and Strategic Concepts (OPNAV N722) at the U.S. Department of Defense. Navy Strategy and Strategic Concepts supports the Chief of Naval Operations by developing actionable strategic guidance to inform the Navy’s annual budget builds; articulating Navy strategies and value to internal and external audiences; and producing Navy and maritime strategies to align with emerging security trends and national guidance. Previously, Mr. Stubbs was Director of the Strategy Division (OPNAV N50).

Prior to this, he was responsible for the coordination and implementation of Maritime Domain Awareness programmes, policies and related issues across the Defense Department, and served as Deputy Under Secretary of the Navy (Acting). Prior to joining the Department of the Navy, he was Maritime Security Advisor to the Special Envoy for Middle East Regional Security. He began his career as an officer in the US Coast Guard.

Following his Coast Guard service, he worked in industry as a national security consultant, participating in the development of current maritime and homeland security strategies.

He has received numerous awards, including the Coast Guard Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, and the Department of the Navy’s Distinguished Civilian Service Award and Superior Civilian Service Award. He holds a BS from the US Coast Guard Academy, an MBA from the University of Washington and an MA with distinction from the Naval War College.

Johannes Peters heads the ISPK´s Center for Maritime Strategy & Security (CMSS).
His research focusses on undersea warfare and the broader undersea domain. He held numerous presentations at maritime security events both at home and abroad, teaches at Kiel University and is a frequent contributor to broadcast and subject matter media alike.
As a project manager, he signs responsible for the annual Kiel International Seapower Symposium (KISS), Europe’s dedicated maritime security conference.
Prior to joining the CMSS in 2017, Johannes worked for the German Shipowners’ Association (VDR) in Hamburg as a director for security policy. He was responsible for the VDR´s position on piracy, mass migration, and the security implications of the Crimean annexation for commercial shipping. Furthermore, he represented the VDR in the relevant bodies in Germany, the EU, and the IMO.
He holds an M.A. in politics from the University of Kiel and a B.A. in politics and history from the University of Rostock.
In his free time he is a passionate fly fisher, chasing for salmonids in the Baltic Sea and the rivers of Scandinavia. Johannes is married with two adorable daughters.

Dr. Alix Valenti is a defence and security expert with over 15 years of international work experience. As a defence and security journalist focusing on naval procurement and strategy around the world she has published articles in a wide variety of defence media, including IHS Jane's, Shephard Media and Armada International; she was also editor in chief of Naval Forces for two years.
Dr Valenti also regularly works on projects for the European Commission in the area of justice and home affairs. She holds a PhD in Development Planning from UCL, where she studied the impact of international organisations on the institutional and urban reconstruction of countries after conflict.