Dr. Bernard D. Cole Retired from full time teaching duties at the National WarCollege in 2015 and was awarded the title of Professor Emeritus as a tribute to his decades long service to Professional Military Education. While on the NWC faculty, Dr. Cole taught courses on Sino-American Relations and Maritime Strategy. He has written numerous articles and eight books: Gunboats and Marines: The U.S. Navy in China; The Great Wall at Sea: China's Navy Enters the 21st Century; The Great Wall at Sea: China's Navy in the Twenty-First Century, Oil for the Lamps of China: Beijing's 21st Century Search for Energy; Taiwan’s Security: History and Prospects; Sealanes and Pipelines: Energy Security in Asia, and Asian Maritime Strategies: Navigating Troubled Waters, and Ships, Oil, and Foreign Policy in China.
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. He previously served 30 years as a Surface Warfare Officer in the Navy, all in the Pacific. Dr. Cole commanded a frigate, USS RATHBURNE, and Destroyer Squadron 35. He served as a Naval Gunfire Liaison Officer with the THIRD Marine Division in Vietnam, and as Special Assistant to the CNO for Expeditionary Warfare.
FUNCTIONAL EXPERTISE: Asia Energy and Military Issues, Maritime Strategy
REGIONAL EXPERTISE: China, Asia