Expanding the Assault Support Mission to a Broader Mission Set

12/08/2023
By Robbin Laird During my November 2023 visit to MAWTS-1, I had a chance to meet with Maj Nicholas Peters to discuss the activities of the assault mission training part of MAWTS-1. Maj Peters is the Assault Support Department Head. While the traditional image of assault support remains a key…

The Replicator Project: In Search of a Con-Ops and a Manufacturing Base

12/06/2023
By Robbin Laird In August 2023, Deputy Secretary of Defense Hicks announced a new "replicator" project or initiative. As she said in her speech: "At DoD, we’ve already been investing in attritable autonomous systems — across the military services, DIU, the Strategic Capabilities Office, and the combatant commands themselves —…

Eric Trappier’s Perspective on French Arms Exports and Cooperation: December 2023

12/06/2023
By Pierre Tran Paris - The wars in Ukraine and Gaza have not fueled fresh sales of the Rafale, Eric Trappier, executive chairman of Dassault Aviation, prime contractor for the French-built  fighter jet, said Dec. 5. “These two crises are very hard, very sad, (but) there has been no impact,”…

Crafting a Sustainable Distributed Force: Maintenance and Logistics Challenges

12/05/2023
By Robbin Laird Each of the services is seeking ways to distribute their force for survivability and presence, but at the same time working through a joint lens to enhance lethality. But the elephant in the room is sustainability, maintainability, and broader considerations of logistics support. When visiting PACFLEET and…

C3 and the Way Ahead for the USMC: The Perspective from the C3 Department Head at MAWTS-1

12/04/2023
By Robbin Laird C3 is the key tissue allowing for the shaping of a distributed force which can be integrated to create the desired combat effect. During my November 2023 visit to MAWTS-1, I discussed the way ahead in this crucial area with Major Christopher Werner, the C3Department Head. Werner…

The Technology is Important: But the Con-ops Against a Reactive Enemy is Determinate

12/03/2023
By Robbin Laird With the coming of maritime autonomous systems, we are reminded once again about the importance of understanding what a technology does and does not do for an organization. If you keep the structure of the organization the same, you simply wait for the technology to be useful…

The USMC Ground Combat Element and Shaping a Way Forward: Challenges to be Met

11/30/2023
By Robbin Laird During my visit to MAWTS-1 in November 2023, I had a chance to talk with Maj Scott Mahaffey, the Department Head for the Ground Combat Department. Maj Mahaffey has been at MAWTS for three years but prior to that has had a number of deployments, including Afghanistan,…

French Air Force Takes Up NATO Air Police Mission on the “Eastern Flank”

11/29/2023
By Pierre Tran Paris -  The French air force will fly Nov. 28 four Mirage 2000-5 fighter jets to Lithuania in a Nato air police mission in the skies of the allied Baltic nations, amidst Ukraine’s concerns on waning Western support for its fight back against Russian forces. The despatch of…