Carving a Path to a More Sustainable Ready Force: The Next Generation Heavy Lift Helicopter

07/10/2025 By Robbin Laird It may seem a strange candidate to blaze a path towards a more sustainable ready force or a "fight tonight" force but that is exactly the potential contribution of the CH-53K. You don't expect the Left Tackle of the offensive line to race down the field. But this is what in effect the most powerful rotorcraft in… Read more »

Training on Display at the Paris Air Show 2025: The M-346 and International Flight Training School

07/09/2025 By Pierre Tran Le Bourget, France - Visitors climbing up to the open cockpit of the Leonardo M-346 could see the two distinctive tilted and overlapping glass screens which delivered a head up display (HUD) for pilots flying the advanced military jet trainer. Steve “Jo Jo” Helmer, an engineering test pilot at Textron Aviation Defense, gave a quick visit of… Read more »

AUKUS at a Strategic Crossroads: Redefining the Path Forward

07/08/2025 By Robbin Laird The AUKUS partnership stands at a critical juncture. Born from the vision of three leaders who have since left the political stage, this ambitious trilateral alliance centers on one of the most complex defense undertakings in modern history: enabling Australia, a non-nuclear nation, to operate nuclear-powered attack submarines. While the submarine program captures headlines, AUKUS represents something… Read more »

The Defense Department Should Restore Cornell University’s Research Funding

07/07/2025 By Ed Timperlake Cornell University President Michael I. Kotikoff recently expressed serious concerns about the sudden freeze of federal research grants, particularly those from the Department of Defense. His statement reveals the troubling scope of this funding suspension and its potential impact on critical national security research. President Kotikoff's initial statement outlined the gravity of the situation: "Cornell is aware… Read more »

Chinese Bravado and Australian Sovereignty: A New Era of Strategic Competition

07/06/2025 By Robbin Laird I have been coming to Australia since 2014 and writing the seminar reports for the Sir Richard Williams Foundation bi-annual seminar reports. I have done so because of my deep commitment to the U.S.-Australian relationship but more generally because of my concern with the rise of multi-polar authoritarianism and its threat to our democratic way of life.… Read more »

A B-17 Crashes at Noirmoutier Island, France, July 4, 1943: The B-17, Its Impact and Continuing Signifcance

07/04/2025 On this July 4th 2025, it is important to remember the Flying Fortress: When Heroes Fell from the Sky When that B-17 went down over France on 4 July 1943, it became part of a larger story. Seventy years after a B-17 Flying Fortress crashed into Nazi-occupied territory, French villagers gathered in 2013 to honor the American airmen who never… Read more »