Conference 2025

Navigating Tomorrow's Challenges

Keynote Speakers:

David H. Berger

38th Commandant of the United States Marine Corps

A native of Woodbine, Maryland, General Berger graduated from Tulane University and was commissioned in 1981. He commanded at every level – including a Reconnaissance Company; 3d Battalion, 8th Marines in Haiti during Operation SECURE TOMORROW; Regimental Combat Team 8 in Fallujah, Iraq during Operation IRAQI FREEDOM.

As a General Officer, he commanded 1st Marine Division (Forward) in Afghanistan during Operation ENDURING FREEDOM; I Marine Expeditionary Force; U.S. Marine Corps Forces Pacific/Fleet Marine Forces Pacific; and Marine Corps Combat Development Command.

General Berger’s staff and joint assignments include serving as Assistant Division Commander of 2d Marine Division; policy planner in the Strategic Plans and Policy Directorate, J-5; Chief of Staff for Kosovo Force (KFOR) Headquarters in Pristina, Kosovo; and Director of Operations in Plans, Policies, and Operations, Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps; Deputy Commandant for Combat Development and Integration.

General Berger’s formal military education includes the U.S. Army Infantry Officer Advanced Course, U.S. Marine Corps Command and Staff College, and U.S. Marine Corps School of Advanced Warfighting. He holds multiple advanced degrees including a Master of International Public Policy from Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies.

Retired General David H. Berger served as the 38th Commandant of the Marine Corps from July 11, 2019 to July 10, 2023.

RDML Craig T. Mattingly

Commander, Naval Service Training Command

Rear Admiral Craig T. Mattingly, a native of Austin, Kentucky, left the family dairy farm and began his Navy journey in 1987 as an enlisted Aviation Anti-Submarine Warfare Operator. He was commissioned as a naval officer in 1995 following graduation from the U.S. Naval Academy. He has accumulated over 3,900 flight hours in the P-3C Orion and P-8A Poseidon as a Naval Flight Officer. Mattingly has led at multiple levels and deployed supporting every combatant commander across the globe. He was Commanding Officer of Patrol Squadron 9 (375 personnel deployed conducting maritime and combat operations) and Commodore of Patrol and Reconnaissance Wing Eleven (3,475 personnel conducting maritime intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions on manned and unmanned platforms) where he directed critical global missions and advanced aerial deployments. Before his current role as Commander, Naval Service Training Command (accessions of 45,000 personnel annually), Mattingly served as Senior Military Advisor to the Secretary of the Navy. He now brings his extensive leadership experience to developing the Navy’s future leaders, fostering their growth and readiness for the challenges facing our nation’s defense.

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James "Jimmy" Hatch

Senior Chief Petty Officer (ret.), Yale College '24

Veteran, Citizen and aspiring scholar, James Hatch served 25+ years in the US Navy, 22 in the SEAL Teams. James was seriously wounded on his last mission and now shares his story of struggles, redemption and kindness to help others find their way through this life.

He is the author of Touching the Dragon: And Other Techniques for Surviving Life's Wars and is the founder of Spike's K9 Fund, a nonprofit which works to enhance the training, care, and preservation of working dogs.

Presently, James Hatch is a lecturer at Yale, teaching a class on "The Impact of War on its Willing (and Unwilling) Participants."

Genevieve Chase

U.S. Army Reserve, Yale College '26

Genevieve Chase is a decorated United States Army Reserve Senior Enlisted Soldier, intelligence professional, and veterans advocate. Over her 22-year career as a counterintelligence agent, Chase completed multiple overseas tours, including two deployments to Afghanistan, earning the Bronze Star, Purple Heart, and Joint Service Commendation Medal. Wounded in a suicide bombing during her first deployment, Chase’s experiences inspired her to dedicate herself to veterans' advocacy.

In 2009, she founded American Women Veterans, a pioneering organization whose mission was to raise awareness of women in military service. She championed healthcare for women veterans, advanced appropriations for the VA healthcare budget, and supported the abolishment of the combat exclusion policy while serving as a “straight ally” advocating for the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell for her fellow LGBTQ servicemembers. Chase has testified twice before Congress and is a sought-after speaker on her experiences as a woman in Afghanistan in the early years of war, resilience, veterans’ issues, and the challenges of reintegration after military service.

Chase’s achievements include induction into the Army Women’s Foundation Hall of Fame, recognition as a Points of Light honoree, and selection as a L’Oréal Paris Woman of Worth, Tillman Scholar, and Yale Law School Launchpad Scholar. She is a junior in Berkeley College and is pursuing her bachelor’s degree in philosophy at Yale through the Eli Whitney Students Program, with aspirations of attending law school to continue her work in public service. A passionate advocate, Chase also volunteers as a court-appointed special advocate (CASA) in Connecticut, supporting vulnerable children navigating the judicial system.

Panelists:

Panel 1: Special Operations in the Great Power Era

CDR Ricardo Estrada, USN

Fleet Scholar, Yale School Of Management, Naval Special Warfare Officer

Commander Ricci Estrada is a Fleet Scholar at the Yale School of Management, where he is completing his Master of Business Administration. He also holds a Master of Science in Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict from the Naval Postgraduate School.
He has served 16 years as a U.S. Navy SEAL officer, holding leadership positions including Executive Officer of a SEAL Team, Troop Commander, and Platoon Commander. In these roles, he led special operations forces in training, preparation, and execution of global missions.
His operational experience includes multiple deployments to East Africa, Yemen, Iraq, and Afghanistan. In these combat theaters, he served in numerous roles including J33 for an unconventional warfare and intelligence task force, commander of SEAL elements conducting combat and reconnaissance missions, and commander of a forward-deployed Strike Cell supporting counterterrorism operations.

Phil Kaplan, Yale University

Executive Director, Blue Center for Global Strategic Assessment

Phil Kaplan is the executive director of the Blue Center for Global Strategic Assessment and a lecturer at the Jackson School. His research and coursework focus on counterterrorism, special operations, and national security decision-making. Prior to joining the faculty, he served as the Senior Advisor for Terrorist Financing and Financial Crimes at the U.S. Department of the Treasury, where he played a key role in the development of U.S. sanctions policy. In particular, he was involved in the sanctions response to Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, including the establishment of a price cap for Russian oil and efforts to counter Russian sanctions and export control evasion. Previously, he was a ranger-qualified airborne infantry officer in the U.S. Army and deployed to Iraq and Syria in support of a counterterrorism-focused Special Operations Joint Task Force.

Panel 2: Assessing China's Foreign Strategy

RDML Joshua Himes, USN

Vice Director for Intelligence Joint Staff

RDML Joshua Himes, a native of Annapolis, Maryland, graduated and was commissioned in 1993 from the University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor’s Degree in International Relations and Diplomatic History. He subsequently graduated with a Master of Science Degree in Systems Technology from the Naval Postgraduate School in 2001. RDML Himes has served as the Deputy Director for Intelligence at the Joint Special Operations Command; on the Joint Staff as Deputy Director for Intelligence in the National Military Command Center and as Senior Editor for the Chairman/SECDEF Daily Intelligence Brief; and at the USINDOPACOM, USEUCOM and USJFCOM Joint Intelligence Centers. RDML Himes has commanded the multinational Southern Region Joint Operational Intelligence Cell in Naples, Italy; the Defense Intelligence Agency Navy Element in Washington D.C.; and the Joint Intelligence Center, USCENTCOM, in Tampa, Florida.

Dr. Joseph Gagliano, Capt. USN

Military Professor, National Security Affairs

Dr. Joseph Gagliano, Capt. USN, holds a Ph.D. and master’s degree in international relations from The Fletcher School at Tufts University. He has worked as the Director for Defense Policy and Strategy for the National Security Council at the White House; Deputy Director for Navy Plans and Policy; China Desk Officer on the Joint Staff; head of strategic plans for China, Russia, North Korea and Iran; and Director of the Strategic Integration Group for the Vice Chief of Naval Operations. He commanded Destroyer Squadron 60 and Task Force 65. He is the author of three books, including "Between Allied and Alone" and "Congressional Policymaking in Sino-U.S. Relations"

Panel 3: American Shipbuilding and the Industrial Base

Emil C. Casciano, Capt (ret.) USN

Vice President, Groton Operations at General Dynamics Electric Boat

Emil Casciano began his career at Electric Boat in 2013 and has served as the Program Manager for the UK TRIDENT Program Office, Director of Mechanical Engineering and Design, Chief Nuclear Officer, Vice President of Engineering and Design, and Vice President of Nuclear Operations and Fleet Support.

Casciano joined Electric Boat following a distinguished 31-year career in the naval submarine force during which he served as
commanding officer of USS Philadelphia and Commander, Submarine Squadron Two in Groton, with responsibility for seven
Navy ships and crews including six submarines. He also carried out assignments as Director for Training and Tactical Development for Submarine Force Atlantic in Norfolk, VA., and as Commanding Officer of the Submarine Learning Center in
Groton. In this position, he supervised seven global submarine training sites including four major commands and 200,000 students.
Casciano earned a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Lafayette College and a Master’s degree in Engineering Management from the Catholic University of America. He is also a qualified nuclear-propulsion engineer.

Tom Moore, VADM (ret.) USN

Corporate Vice President, Customer Affairs, Mission Technologies Division

Tom Moore is the corporate vice president of customer affairs at Huntington Ingalls Industries where he is responsible for outreach to executive branch principals and the fleet for the Mission Technologies portfolio. He was named to the position in November 2021 and works in HII’s Crystal City office. Prior to joining HII, Moore served 39 years in the U.S. Navy, retiring as a vice admiral. During his last four years, he served as the commander of the Naval Sea Systems Command where he managed an 85,000 workforce and an annual budget of $55 billion in the design, construction and life cycle management of the Navy’s ships, submarines and combat systems. Previously, Moore was the program executive officer for aircraft carriers, where he led the Navy’s largest acquisition program in the design and construction of the Navy’s Ford-class carriers. Moore is a 1981 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and earned master’s degrees in information systems from The George Washington University and in nuclear engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Phil Dur, RADM (ret.) USN

Rear Adm. Dur was commissioned in 1965 from the NROTC program at the University of Notre Dame. His first assignment was duty under instruction at the University of Notre Dame as a scholarship recipient, and in June of 1966 he earned a master’s degree in Government and International Studies with a specialization in Soviet East European Area Studies.

Following this command tour in August of 1982, he reported to the Executive Office of the President to serve on the staff of the National Security Council as director of Political Military Affairs and as military assistant to the President's Special Envoy to the Middle East. In November of 1984 he reported as executive assistant to the DCNO Plans Policy and Operations. In April of 1988 he reported to the Office of the Secretary of the Navy as executive assistant and senior naval aide to the Secretary.

Following selection to flag rank in 1989, he was assigned as defense attache to France. In June of 1991 he assumed command of Cruiser Destroyer Group Eight and the Saratoga Battle Group. Following this command tour, he reported to the Office of the CNO as director of the Strategy and Plans Division and subsequently as assistant DCNO Plans, Policy, and Operations. While serving in the latter assignment, he was elected to the Council on Foreign Relations.