Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 461 (HMH-461) Brings the King Stallion to the Force

07/18/2025 By Robbin Laird Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 461 (HMH-461) at MCAS New River, North Carolina plays the foundational role in introducing the CH-53K King Stallion into Marine Corps operational service. Their operational expertise directly informs the ongoing transition of additional Marine Corps squadrons to the King Stallion. Here is a chronological outline of their key activities since the CH-53K achieved… Read more »

Putin’s War Economy: How Ukraine’s Invasion Became a Tool for Domestic Control

07/17/2025 Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 has fundamentally transformed Russia into a war economy, but not in the way many initially expected. Rather than serving merely as a means to achieve territorial conquest, the prolonged conflict has evolved into something far more strategically valuable for Putin: a mechanism for consolidating domestic power and tightening his grip on Russian… Read more »

U.S.-Philippines Military Cooperation: Fast Boat Bases and Unmanned Systems Contribute to South China Sea Strategy

07/16/2025 As tensions in the South China Sea reach new heights, the United States and Philippines are dramatically expanding their military cooperation through a combination of new infrastructure projects and cutting-edge unmanned systems. The United States plans to fund and construct a facility capable of hosting watercraft and assault boats on the western coast of Palawan, strategically positioned to support Manila's… Read more »

Marines Break New Ground in Anti-Submarine Warfare During Atlantic Alliance 2025 Exercise

07/14/2025 In a significant demonstration of evolving naval warfare doctrine, U.S. Marines with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 162 successfully integrated into anti-submarine warfare operations during Atlantic Alliance 2025, marking a significant evolution in how the Navy-Marine Corps team approaches undersea threats. The exercise, conducted at the Surface Combat Systems Center on Wallops Island, Virginia, represents the culmination of experimental efforts… Read more »

Italy Sets to Establish First F-35 Training Center Outside U.S. in Sicily

07/13/2025 By Robbin Laird Italy is poised to make aviation history by establishing the first F-35 fighter pilot training center outside the United States, Defence Minister Guido Crosetto announced during a ceremony in Sardinia July 2. The groundbreaking facility will be located in Sicily, further cementing Italy's position as a key partner in the international F-35 program. Speaking at the Decimomannu… Read more »

Australian Defense and Energy Security: A Key Enabler

03/02/2016 2016-03-02 Our colleague Air Vice Marshal (Retired) John Blackburn has focused attention on the energy security shortfall for Australia for some time. As an island continent at the bottom of the Asia Pacific region, Australia is heavily dependent upon liquid energy imports and with a rapidly disappearing domestic refinery production capacity, these imports necessarily are with regard to refined end products… Read more »