WTI Events: The Engine of Marine Aviation Transformation at MAWTS-1

06/10/2026 By Robbin Laird At the heart of Marine aviation's drive for combat excellence lies a semi-annual event that most outsiders have never heard of, yet which one senior MAWTS-1 Commanding Officer described in unambiguous terms: WTI is where the United States Marine Corps comes together every year to train for war. That statement, offered by Colonel Wellons during a 2016… Read more »

Training as a Weapon: How HMHT-302 Is Building the Kilo Generation

06/09/2026 By Robbin Laird In the fall of 2010, I was at Marine Corps Air Station New River talking to a group of Marines who had been flying the MV-22 Osprey for several years. One of them told me a story about a group of Marines who simply would not get off the back of the aircraft after landing. They were… Read more »

Bitcoin, Power Projection, and the Indo Pacific: Reading Admiral Paparo’s Intervention

06/08/2026 By Robbin Laird When Admiral Samuel Paparo told the Senate Armed Services Committee that Bitcoin is “a reality” and “a valuable computer science tool, as a power projection,” he did more than offer an off‑the‑cuff comment on a fashionable technology. He signaled that at least one major combatant commander now sees the Bitcoin protocol not simply as a financial curiosity… Read more »

The End of the Polish-Ukrainian “Honeymoon”

06/04/2026 By Robert Czulda The period of sympathy and mutual understanding between Poland and Ukraine has effectively ended. The authorities in Kyiv have once again taken a provocative step, antagonizing their key strategic partner. By mid-2026, what seemed possible just a few years ago feels like distant history. Following the 2022 invasion, Poland was the first nation to provide Ukraine with… Read more »

Learning Before the Hulls Arrive: Applying Transformation Lessons to Australia’s Hybrid Fleet

06/03/2026 By Robbin Laird The Royal Australian Navy is crossing a dangerous bridge. On one side sits the fleet it has today: three Hobart‑class air warfare destroyers, a diminishing number of Anzac‑class frigates, and a support structure increasingly strained by the weight of strategic demand. On the other side sits the fleet Australia intends to build: Hunter‑class frigates, general‑purpose frigates, optionally… Read more »

Mastering Chaos: Why Leaders Need a New Playbook for a World That Will Not Sit Still

06/02/2026 By Robbin Laird In every sector today, leaders are discovering the same uncomfortable truth: they can no longer plan their way through genuine chaos. The familiar script, stabilize the crisis, restore normal, move on, no longer fits a world where disruption is constant, tightly coupled, and accelerating. Mastering Chaos is written for that world. It is a book for senior… Read more »