Center for a New American Security

Affiliation: National War College
Professor of International History

Dr. Bernard D. Cole (Captain, USN, Ret.) is Professor of International History at the National War College in Washington, D.C., where he concentrates on the Chinese military and Asian energy issues.  He previously served 30 years as a Surface Warfare Officer in the Navy, all in the Pacific, during which he commanded USS RATHBURNE (FF1057) and Destroyer Squadron 35; he also served as a Naval Gunfire Liaison Officer in Vietnam with the THIRD Marine Division.  Dr. Cole has written numerous articles and six books: Gunboats and Marines: The U.S. Navy in China, The Great Wall at Sea, Oil for the Lamps of China: Beijing’s 21^st Century Search for Energy, Taiwan’s Security: History and Prospects, Sealanes and Pipelines: Energy Security in Asia, and most recently The Great Wall at Sea: China’s Navy in the Twenty-First Century, which was published in December 2010.  Dr. Cole earned an A.B. in History from the University of North Carolina, an M.P.A. (National Security Affairs) from the University of Washington, and a Ph.D. in History from Auburn University.