Is China already a great power—or still becoming one? And if it is, what does that mean for the United States, the Navy, and the balance of power at sea?

Dr. Bernard “Bud” Cole is a 30-year U.S. Navy veteran, former warship commander, and one of America’s leading experts on China’s military and maritime strategy.

Bud Cole has spent a lifetime in the Pacific—at sea, in uniform, and in the classroom—studying the very questions now dominating headlines:

• Captain, U.S. Navy (Ret.) – Surface Warfare Officer with 30 years of service
• Commanded USS Rathburne (FF-1057) and a destroyer squadron
• Served in Vietnam as a naval gunfire liaison officer with Marines
• Former Professor of International History, National War College
• Author of landmark works on China and naval power, including The Great Wall at Sea

He has watched China’s rise not from afar, but up close—over decades—as its navy evolved into a global force challenging U.S. influence across the Indo-Pacific.

• What “great power” actually means—and whether China meets the test
• The rapid expansion of the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN)
• Why the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait matter so much
• How maritime power shapes global trade, energy, and security
• Where U.S.–China competition is heading—and what could go wrong
• Lessons from history about rising powers and established ones

This is not a cable news argument or a policy lecture. It’s a conversation with someone who has served, commanded, studied, and taught the realities of naval power and great-power competition.

About VBC LIVE:
The Veterans Breakfast Club brings veterans, families, and the public together in communities of listening—where stories, experience, and history help us better understand today’s world.

#China #USNavy #IndoPacific #Taiwan #SouthChinaSea #Geopolitics #MilitaryHistory #NavalStrategy #Veterans #GreatPower #VBC

Where were you on September 11, 2001?

Most of us who were alive that day remember exactly where we were when he saw images of smoke pouring from the North Tower of the World Trade Center. We remember the second plane striking the South Tower live on television. And then, 56 minutes later, that same tower collapsed, followed by its North twin at 10:28am. Meanwhile, another hijacked airplane hit the Pentagon, and reports came in of a fourth crashing into a Pennsylvania field after passengers fought back. We also remember the sickening feelings, the grief, and the sense that everything had changed in an instant.

Join the Veterans Breakfast Club for an open conversation marking the 25th anniversary of 9/11. We’ll remember the day itself, talk about the wars that followed, and reflect on how the events of September 11 shaped a generation of Americans in uniform and those who loved them. Veterans, military family members, first responders, and civilians all have stories to tell and perspectives worth hearing.

This program will be what the Veterans Breakfast Club does best: gathering people to listen, remember, ask questions, and share experiences.

Everyone is welcome, whether you served or not. Bring your memories, your stories, and your questions as we reflect together on the day that changed so much—and the twenty-five years that followed.