SLD Special Reports

Enhancing and Accelerating the Integrated Force: An Operational Perspective

10/07/2024 On September 26, 2024, the most recent seminar of The Sir Richard Williams Foundation was held. It was entitled: “Enhancing and Accelerating the Integrated Force: An Operational Perspective.” This seminar focused on how the force in being or the ready force was focused on improving its capability, its survivability and lethality for the fight tonight.… Download PDF Now »
Whats New

The Return of the Nuclear Deterrence Challenge in Europe

04/14/2025 By Robbin Laird The war in Ukraine has brought the nuclear question back again as a central topic in European security. And now the Trump Administration with its focus on… Read more »

Leadership is More than a Title — It is a Calling

04/09/2025 By Lt. General (Retired) David Deptula Leadership is more than a title — it is a calling. Few have answered that call with the depth of dedication, intellect, and vision… Read more »

CMV-22B and Distributed Maritime Operations: A Key Enabler

04/03/2025 By CAPT (Ret) Christoper C. Misner, Senior Manager, Bell Strategic Pursuits The U.S. National Defense Strategy prioritizes the Indo-Pacific as a critical theater for national security. Yet, the current U.S. Navy… Read more »

European Defence Uptick: The View from the Defense Industries

04/01/2025 By Pierre Tran Paris – Two European arms companies, KNDS France and MBDA, recently pointed up their hefty investment to boost production of cannon shells, artillery, and missiles, indicating a… Read more »

Restoring Grounded Discourse in an Anxious America: The Focus of the Invisible Threads Lab

03/29/2025 By Robbin Laird and Ed Timperlake Journalist Kate Woodsome has been laser-focused on a key challenge facing democracy in the United States and, frankly, within liberal democracies more generally: the… Read more »

The U.S. Navy and the “Hybrid Fleet”

03/26/2025 By George Galdorisi The U. S. Navy stands at the precipice of a new era of technology advancement. In an address at a military-industry conference, then-U.S. Chief of Naval Operations,… Read more »
In Briefs

Pitch Black 2024

04/25/2025 Airmen participating in Exercise Pitch Black 2024 in Australia concluded operations Aug. 2, 2024, marking the end of the largest iteration of the Royal Australian Air Force’s biennial capstone exercise.… Read more »

I Marine Expeditionary Force

04/23/2025 U.S. Marines with I Marine Expeditionary Force have conducted a multitude of exercises and operations across the Indo-Pacific throughout 2024. I MEF provides the Marine Corps a globally responsive, expeditionary,… Read more »

C-5M Super Galaxy

04/21/2025 A time-lapse of the sunrise with the U.S. Air Force C-5M Super Galaxies parked on the flight line at Travis Air Force Base in California Dec. 30, 2024. The C-5M… Read more »

USS Gerald R. Ford and JMSDF

04/18/2025 The world’s largest aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), sails in formation with the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force (JMSDF) Kashima-class training ship, JS Kashima (TV-3508), front and… Read more »

35th FW F-35 exercise Arctic Gold 25-1

04/16/2025 F-35A Lightning II aircraft from the 354th Fighter Wing participate in exercise Arctic Gold 25-1 on Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska. 10.07.2024 Video by Travis Minyon  F-35 Joint Program Office Read more »

ACE exercise at Ebbing Air National Guard Base

04/14/2025 The 33rd Fighter Wing conducted an Agile Combat Employment exercise at Ebbing Air National Guard Base, Arkansas, Sept. 9 – 20, 2024. The purpose of the exercise was to demonstrate… Read more »

Truman’s COMPTUEX

04/11/2025 The Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group is underway in the Atlantic Ocean completing integrated naval warfighting training. Composite Unit Training Exercises are an intense, multi-week exercise designed to fully… Read more »
SLD BOOKSHOP

The Second Line of Defense team provides high quality publications with regard to key global strategic developments. You can purchase these on a number of booksellers such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Kobo.

Video of the Month

Shaping a Way Ahead for U.S. Air and Space Forces

03/04/2025 The Department of the Air Force faces a crisis. Decades’ worth of insufficient budgets has slowed essential modernization, necessary capacity and key personnel investments. Air Force and Space Force leaders… Read more »
Our Partners