You are listening to Warren The Rocks, a podcast on strategy, defense, and foreign affairs.

My name is Ryan Evans. I'm the editor-in-chief of Warren the Rocks, but I am not the host of this episode.

Our contributing editor in AI Senior Fellow of Awesomeness, Zach Cooper has the reins for this episode, which was recorded on

the sidelines of a conference up at the U.S. Naval War College.

This conference, and decided a research agenda for this new period of great power competition,

everyone is talking about.

And this episode of the show features or at least

I'm told a fascinating exploration of the promises and perils of maritime competition

with China. If in this episode they talk about the conference a lot maybe even too much but don't tell you what was actually said by specific people because of a silly rule named after a London-based think tank please forgive them

Anyway lots of smart people were there and we corralled some of them for this show, and they'll introduce themselves in due time.

When we were planning this, Zach asked me what would make a good podcast episode, what is sort of the secret of a good War on the Rocks episode?

And I said, first and foremost,

the most important thing is that everyone drinks, including him,

unless of course as a religious issue or a past problem with addiction.

This is because most people are too stiff

when they are being recorded and a drink or two helps most people loosen up.

Let's see if he followed my advice.

If he does not follow my advice, you should email him at z-a-c-c-c-k.

Cooper, co-o-o-E-R at A-E-I-D and send him some holiday drinking suggestions.

Enjoy the show.

All right, we're here at the Naval War College sitting on a pier in Newport, Rhode Island.

We have four of the leading thinkers about Naval Strategy, China, and people that have really been at the forefront of thinking through where this

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