Northern Tier Defense and UK-Norwegian Defense Cooperation

05/04/2018
By Robbin Laird I have spent last week in Norway and visited Bodø air base as well as Ørland airbase, home of the first F-35s in Norway. This week I visited RAF Marham, the Tornado and F-35 base, and RAF Conigsby, a QRA and Typhoon base and then yesterday Portsmouth to…

Avoiding a Car Crash for UK Defense: The Brexit Challenge

05/04/2018
By Philip Butterworth-Hayes Time, they say, slows down the few seconds before a car crash. For close observers of the UK’s disentanglement from the European Union’s (EU) defence and security institutions, time has started to decelerate over the last few weeks. First came the reports of the Commission’s decision that…

The Challenges Facing Australian Defense: The Perspective of Senator Jim Molan

05/04/2018
By Robbin Laird During past visits to Australia, I have had a chance to talk with Major General (Retired) Jim Molan. The last time we talked was during my August 2017 visit and we focused on the challenge for Australia preparing for future conflicts. In that interview, he focused on…

NATO’s Allied Transformation Command: The Challenge of Shaping a Way Ahead

05/04/2018
By Murielle Delaporte Recent interviews conducted in Norfolk, Virginia, and in particular with Supreme Allied Transformation Commander (SACT) General Denis Mercier, focused on how NATO is addressing its transformation. In the wake of February’s NATO Defense ministers’ two-day meeting in Brussels and the reform of the command structure, the ACT…

The RAAF Transition and Tron Warfare: The Case of the Growler

05/03/2018
By Robbin Laird The RAAF has been in the throes of significant modernization over the last decade as the C-17, KC-30A, Super Hornet and the Wedgetail have come together to shape an integrated and effective power projection force. The next wave of change is spearheaded by the F-35. But the…

Shaping a Kill Web Approach to Dealing with the High End Fight

04/28/2018
We are focusing on several aspects of change in the global strategic situation as well the approach which U.S. and allied forces are taking to engage effectively as the strategic situation changes. One key dynamic of change is the distribution of sensors and strike throughout the battlespace and the use…