Thomas J. Cutler is a former petty officer second class and retired lieutenant commander who has been serving the U.S. Navy in various capacities for more than fifty years, including a combat tour in Vietnam and service in aircraft carriers, cruisers, destroyers, and patrol craft. The author of many articles and books, he is the Gordon England Chair of Professional Naval Literature at the U.S. Naval Institute and Distinguished Fleet Professor of Strategy and Policy with the Naval War College. He has received the William P. Clements Award for Excellence in Education as military teacher of the year at the U.S. Naval Academy, the Alfred Thayer Mahan Award for Naval Literature, the U.S. Maritime Literature Award, the Naval Institute Press Author of the Year Award, and the Commodore Dudley Knox Lifetime Achievement Award in Naval History.

Mark T. Hacala served 30 years in uniform, retiring as a Master Chief Hospital Corpsman, and has continued with 12 years of civilian Navy service. He served in combat with the Marines in Beirut, Lebanon in 1983 and continued with Marine infantry units for 13 years. Since 2000, he has spoken to over 10,000 Sailors on naval history subjects, including guest lectures at the Naval Academy, Georgetown University, Vanderbilt University, and the Navy Senior Enlisted Academy. A graduate of the University of Michigan with a bachelor’s degree in history, he is a prolific writer with dozens of articles in various military publications to his credit. For ten years, he served as Director of History and Education for the U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation, where he designed historical exhibits of graphics and artifacts, as well as educational programs. Since 2009, he has served as ceremonies specialist and drillmaster for the U.S. Navy Ceremonial Guard in Washington, DC.  

Paul A. Kingsbury, a retired master chief petty officer, spent over 31 years on active service in the Navy and served in leadership positions in aircraft carriers, cruisers, amphibious ships, an aviation squadron, two overseas regions, and the naval safety center. His career culminated with his selection as the 18th Fleet Master Chief for U.S. Fleet Forces Command advising senior Navy executive leaders and their staffs and serving on a variety of military boards and panels. He served as a member of the U.S. Naval Institute’s editorial board and has published several articles on Navy policy and issues in Proceedings, the USNI Blog, and Joint Forces Quarterly. He has received awards in both the U.S. Naval Institute General Essay and Enlisted Essay contests and is the author of the 2nd edition of The Chief Petty Officer’s Guide and The Petty Officers Guide.