Robbin Laird, Author at Second Line of Defense

Moscow’s Collective Security Organization: A Challenge to NATO?

Posted on July 9, 2018 | by Robbin Laird | Leave a Comment

07/09/2018

By Richard Weitz

One issue that will probably not be on the NATO summit agenda, but should be, is to develop a strategy for dealing with the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO).

NATO has consistently rejected to do so, dismissing the organization as a façade for Moscow’s aspirations for regional hegemony.

It is true that Russia dominates the CSTO, which also includes Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan as full members.

For example, the CSTO helps to justify the Russian military presence in other former Soviet republics.

But the organizationhas become increasingly active in recent years and NATO can hardly have a comprehensive role for Eurasia without addressing its prominent role.

The CSTO has several types of collective military forces: large combined regional forces, standing rapid reaction forces, and smaller special purpose forces for sub-conventional missions.

Most importantly, in 2009, the CSTO created a Kollektivniye Sily Operativnogo Reagirovaniya (KSOR or Collective Rapid Reaction Force) to conduct low-intensity operations such as peacekeeping, counterterrorism, counterinsurgency, emergency response, and countering drug trafficking.

The KSOR includes special purpose forces as well as conventional troops.

Its more than 25,000 personnel are split into a large battle group of 22,000 and a 3,500-member Central Asian Regional Collective Rapid Deployment Force (KSBR TsAR), which maintains a higher state of combat readiness but is intended for use only in Central Asia.

The KSOR has engaged in more major exercises in recent years, especially since the Ukraine conflict began in 2014:

The “Vzainmodeystviye” (translated in English as “Interaction” sometimes “Cooperation” or “Collaboration”) are annual large-scale rehearsals of the KSOR’s conventional capabilities.

The “Rubezh” (“Frontier”) drills tests rapid deployment against hypothetical terrorist organizations in Central Asia.

The “Nerushimoe bratstvo” (“Unbreakable Brotherhood) series rehearse various peacekeeping skills.

The periodic “Kobalt” (also translated as “Cobalt”) exercise internal security forces including special police and emergency response.

The similar “Grom” (“Thunder”) exercises involve members’ national drug and law enforcement bodies.

The “Search” series drill the CSTO’s reconnaissance and interdiction capabilities.

The “Combat Brotherhood” label is sometimes used to refer to multi-phased exercises that link several of these more specialized drills.

For example,the “Combat Brotherhood 2017” was based on a single integrating political-military concept and scenario. Under Colonel General Alexander Dvornikov, Commander of the Russian Southern MD, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan contributed both regular and specialized units for the CRRF drills, which totaled 12,000 troops, 1,500 major pieces of hardware, as well as some 90 aircraft and other combat equipment.

The first phase, which ran from October 3-7, “Search-2017,”drilled members’ reconnaissance forces. In the second, “Interaction-2017,” which lasted from October 9-13, Russian and Armenian regular units exercised at Armenia’s Bagramyan and the Alagyaz training grounds.

The third stage, the “Unbreakable Brotherhood 2017” peacekeeping drills, took place from October 16-20 at two ranges in Kazakhstan. The CSTO Collective Peacekeeping Forces rehearsed conducting negotiations, escorting humanitarian deliveries, operating checkpoints, psychological and information operations, and eliminating terrorists.

In the final phase of “Combat Brotherhood-2017,” which ran from November 10-20, more than 5,000 troops, 300 major ground platforms, and some 60 fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft of the CRRF rehearsed counter-terrorist missions in mountainous areas of Tajikistan. ‘

The multiple forces, locations, and phases of the “Combat Brotherhood 2017” exercise simulated the various missions that might occur under unified command and control when defending the southern CSTO region from state and especially non-state actors.

Later this fall, Kyrgyzstan will host “Interaction-2018”. An estimated 3,000 personnel, 600 pieces of military hardware, and some 40 aircraft will participate. The drill will rehearse peacemaking, rapid response, interoperability, reconnaissance, and air force missions. It will reportedly feature a new operational format allowing for more synchronized exercise management across CSTO members.

In October, the CSTO peacekeeping exercise “Indestructible Brotherhood-2018” will occur in Russia.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu explained that these exercises are part of an integrated series of drills that the CSTO will conduct in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan “sequentially under a single plan.”

Here is a more comprehensive description of the more recent significant CSTO and CSTO-related Russian exercises, compiled from various Russian and other publicly available sources:

Name of Exercise	Actors Involved	Dates	Location	Purpose of Exercise	Resources Involved
“Zapad” 2009 (non-CSTO)	Belarus and Russia	Perform various strategic exercises	Russia’s Western MD and Belarus	Preparation for defense against NATO or other major threats from Europe
Kobalt-2010	Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan	June 7-11	Kadamovsky District in the Russian North Caucasus Regional Command	Countering terrorism and drug trafficking	Special Operations Units from each country
Interaction-2010	Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan	October 25-28	Chelyabinsk Region, Russia	CRRF defeats armed groups in Ural Mountains	1700 soldiers, 12 II-76 transport planes, 20 BMP’s
Interaction-2012	Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Russia	September 15-19	Marshal Bagramyan Range in Armenia	CRRF rescues hostage and expels terrorist groups from Caucasus region	2500 personnel and 500 pieces of equipment
Unbreakable Brotherhood-2012	Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan	October 8-17	Iliskiy, Shoshkala, and Bereg training ranges in Kazakhstan	Counterterrorist and peacekeeping missions in Central Asia	Almost 1,000 soldiers (half from Kazakhstan)
Interaction-2013	Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan	September 19-26	Asipovichy Range in Belarus	CRRF recaptures terrorist-controlled natural gas compressor	600 personnel and 60 pieces of equipment
Zapad-2013 (non-CSTO)	Russia and Belarus	September 20-26, 2013	Russia’s Western MD and Belarus	Countering external non-state actors trying to destabilize Belarus	250 pieces of military equipment
Unbreakable Brotherhood-2013	Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan	October 7-11	Chelyabisnk Province, Russia	joint peace-keeping	2,500 personnel units
Unbreakable Brotherhood-2014	Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan	July 29-August 1	Tokmok, Tajikistan	peacekeeping mission, suppressing terrorists, and delivering humanitarian aid	Belarus: One battalion Kazakhstan: One battalion Kyrgyzstan: One battalion and an Interior Ministry Unit Tajikistan: One Battalion Armenia: One battalion, BTR-70’s, BMP-2’s, and MI-7’s
Zhetisu Antiterror-2014	Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan	August 14-22, September 9	No Specific Location	tracking and destroying a terrorist group	Belarus: Law Enforcement agencies, BTR-80 armored personnel carriers, MI-8 transport helicopters
Interaction-2014	Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan	August 18	Spassk, Kazakhstan	CRRF suppresses separatist movement in neighboring countries	3000 units of personnel and over 100 pieces of equipment Kazakhstan: One National Guard unit Tajikistan: Air assault company Kyrgyzstan: A mountain rifle company Armenia: Police Special Purpose unit Belarus: One Special Forces Brigade and the Interior Ministry unit
Russia-Armenia Joint Exercise-2014	Armenia and Russia	October 13-19, 2014	Armenia	military preparedness	3,000 personnel
CRRF Exercise-2015	Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan	May 12-14, 2015	Tajikistan	repelling armed groups attempting to infiltrate Tajikistan from Afghanistan	Russia: 450 soldiers, 20 aircrafts, and a few hundred pieces of equipment Belarus: N/A
Interaction-2015	Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan	August 22-28, 2015	Strugi Krasniye range in Russia	eliminating an irregular armed group	2000 personnel, 40 aircrafts, 200 pieces of equipment Kyrgyzstan: 50 paratroopers Kazakhstan: airborne, nuclear, biological, and chemical units Tajikistan: Airmobile platoons
Union Shield Exercise-2015	Russia and Belarus	September 10-16, 2015	Russia’s the Kirylkovskiy and Strugy Krasniye training grounds in the Pskov and Leningrad Oblasts	enhancing Belarusian-Russian interoperability	8,000 soldiers and 400 pieces of military hardware (tanks, infantry fighting vehicle, self-propelled artillery, and aircraft
Unbreakable Brotherhood-2015	Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan	September 30-October 4, 2015	Bagramyan training center in Armenia	peacekeeping activities	Russia: 100 personnel Belarus: A platoon from the peacekeeping company in the 103^rdguards Mobile Brigade and 50 pieces of equipment
Caucasus-2016	Russia	2016	Russia’s Southern MD	power projection	12,500 troops
Poisk-2016	Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan	April 18-22, 2016	Magob and Lyaur ranges in Tajikistan	reconnaissance of terrorist group infiltrating through Afghan-Tajik mountainous terrain	1,500 personnel, various aircrafts, and unmanned aerial vehicles
CRRF Exercise		October 2016	Kyrgyzstan	simulating land operations and air strikes against incursions from Afghanistan	N/A
Dushanbe-Antiterror-2017	CSTO Countries	May and June 2017	N/A	anti-terror exercises	5,000 troops and 400 pieces of equipment Russia: 2,000 troops and 300 of the pieces of equipment
Zapad-2017	Russia and Belarus	October 2017	Russia’s Western MD and Belarus	Prepare for a major war in Europe	12,700-70,000 Russian and Belarussian troops, Russia’s Baltic Fleet, S-400 air defense interceptors, and SS-26 Iskander missiles.
Kobalt-2018	Internal security forces from Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan	June 2018	Kazakhstan	The three days of drills simulating a range of scenarios, including detection and elimination of an illegal armed group of terrorists	More than 700 special forces units, 70 pieces of combat and specialized equipment, six aviation systems and unmanned aerial vehicles and artillery weapons

The featured graphic is credited to Stratfor.

https://worldview.stratfor.com/article/nato-future-alliance

“European Defence Initiatives: An Opportunity for the Italian Economy.”

Posted on July 7, 2018 | by Robbin Laird | Leave a Comment

07/07/2018

Undersecretary of State for Defence Angelo Tofalo recently participated in a workshop focused on “European Defence Initiatives: An Opportunity for the Italian Economy.”

According to a story published by the Italian Ministry of Defence on Jun e 26, 2018:

The location of the event -organized by Assemblea Generale della Federazione aziende italiane per l’aerospazio, la Difesa e la sicurezza (Aiad) (General Assembly of the Italian Aerospace, Defence and Security Industry Federation)- was the Auditorium of Palazzo Guidoni in Rome, headquarters to Direzione nazionale degli armamenti (Dna) (Defence National Directorate of Armaments).

The workshop focused on various themes: investment opportunities made possible by a market based on high-quality products, increased cooperation in the Defence industry sector thanks to the presence of market operators in Brussels, influence of the geopolitical scenario on the development of the European defence system as well as possible better synergies between EU Member States.

The workshop was attended by AIAD President Guido Crosetto, Defence Secretary General and National Director of Armaments (Dna), General Carlo Magrassi, who underscored the importance of the European Defence Action Plan (EDAP) and Permanent Structured Cooperation (Pesco): “Two fundamental initiatives – requiring the highest level of synergy among all relevant bodies and a country that functions as an integrated system- for the development of the European Defence sector”.

In his speech Undersecretary Tofalo, having greeted all participants on behalf of Defence Minister Elisabetta Trenta, has highlighted the closeness of the Government – in particular the Defence Ministry- to the military industry sector:

“There are some totally new realities, jewels in the crown of our technological production: if we succeed in enhancing them by exporting their output, this will benefit our national economy as a whole”, the Undersecretary said.

“Italy’s aim for its defence industry is to be one of the top players at the world level. We have all we need to achieve this goal. If our military and civilian components will succeed in harmonizing their actions, we will be able to speak with one strong voice. We have all the potential to go even beyond our present goals, and compete at the same level with our main competitors such as France and Germany”.

New UK MBDA Facility: Infrastructure for the Complex Weapons Project

Posted on July 7, 2018 | by Robbin Laird | Leave a Comment

A new MBDA facility was officially opened during a July 2, 2018 ceremony during the visit of Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson.

According to a Ministry of Defence article:

An opening ceremony saw the Defence Secretary unveil a plaque to mark the completion of five years of work and £50 million worth of investment into the high-tech site, which has been labelled ‘the jewel in the crown’ of weapons firm MBDA.

It marks a major milestone for the new site, where design, engineering and manufacturing experts are producing state-of-the-art equipment and systems. Complex weapons being built there will go on to do everything from arming F-35 fighter jets to protecting British troops and Royal Navy ships, whilst the move to the site has seen 100 new jobs created.

Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson said:

“This £50m factory supports 700 jobs in Bolton, showing how central strong British defence industry is to our national prosperity.

“MBDA’s investment has created more than 100 new jobs, and this has been supported by a £400m contract from the Government helping to create a further 100 roles within the company.

“You can’t have prosperity without security. MBDA in Bolton is keeping Britain safe while creating highly-skilled jobs and opportunities, demonstrating our commitment to the people of Bolton and the North West.

MBDA has a history in the Lancashire region stretching back for more than 80 years when the Lostock site was first opened to build propellers for the war effort.

The new facility will now replace that site and provide a truly cutting-edge solution, designed to meet the modern requirements of the MOD and worldwide export customers.

It will significantly improve the company’s manufacturing and test capabilities, as well as making them a more agile outfit whilst improving value-for-money for the taxpayer through contributing further cost reductions to the £1.4 billion in savings already generated by the innovative partnership approach to complex weapons between the MOD and MBDA.

Work at the site was given a boost just last April when the Defence Secretary signed a £400 million deal with MBDA to upgrade the ultra-accurate Brimstone missile to become compatible with Typhoon jets. That contract created around 130 new jobs and sustained a further 270 existing jobs at MBDA’s sites in Bolton, Stevenage and across the supply chain.

The Bolton factory also works on the Sea Ceptor missile, which entered service on the Type 23 frigates in May and provides a powerful shield against airborne threats for Royal Navy ships. Land Ceptor, from the same family completed its first successful firing trials in April 2018 as the future battlefield barrier launched from a vehicle on a Swedish test fire range.

Other missiles the site works on include:

Meteor – world-class air-to-air, radar-guided missile able to defeat fast-moving manoeuvrable targets at long range. It will enter service on Typhoon with the RAF in 2018 and the F35 from 2023
ASRAAM – Advanced Short Range Air-to-Air Missile enabling UK pilots to engage and defend themselves against other aircraft ranging in size from large multi-engine aircraft to small drones. In service with the Royal Air Force on the Tornado and Typhoon aircraft
Sea Venom – primarily anti-ship missile designed to destroy small, medium and large vessels, using an imaging infrared seeker that offers full ‘fire and forget’ capabilities in all environments will equip the Royal Navy’s Wildcat Helicopters
Spear 3 – weapon powered by an innovative miniaturised turbojet engine instead of a rocket motor being developed to meet the F-35’s ground attack requirement

Chris Allam, Managing Director of MBDA UK, said:

“I am delighted that the Secretary of State for Defence has today opened our brand-new facility in Bolton. This new site builds on 80 years of illustrious company history down the road at Lostock and prepares us for the challenges of the future.” The significant investment placed by MBDA into Bolton is testament to our commitment to our people, to the area, and to delivering on our order book for our customers.

The new facility will also support the Anglo-French “One Complex Weapon” Centres of Excellence initiative – a cross Government scheme which will allow MBDA to develop cutting-edge technology in both the UK and France, while driving new ways of working and increasing efficiency.

The photo shows Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson unveiling a plaque to mark the opening of MBDA Bolton. Credit: MBDA Ltd.

The Strategic Shift: Recovering and Building Out ASW Skill Sets

Posted on July 4, 2018 | by Robbin Laird | Leave a Comment

07/04/2018

As the land wars dominated the past 15 years, a number of key skill sets atrophied or certainly were drawn down.

A core one was clearly anti-submarine warfare skill sets.

As the defense of Northern Europe returns as a direct challenge to core NATO nations, recovering and building maritime domain awareness capabilities and the skill sets to prosecute threats is being highlighted as a key task in dealing with the new threat environment.

Currently, NATO is engaged in Dynamic Mongoose 2018 which is the second annual NATO-led maritime Anti-Submarine Warfare interoperability exercise and Norway is the host nation.

After Dynamic Manta, conducted in the Mediterranean, Mongoose is conducted off the coast of Norway and is scheduled for June 25 to July 6, 2018.

Naval forces from Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States are participating in the NATO Allied Maritime Command-led exercise Dynamic Mongoose 2018.

According to NATO, the drill will be joined by two submarines, 7 surface warships and three maritime patrol aircraft. Dutch Navy frigate HNLMS Van Speijk, Spanish frigate ESPS Álvaro de Bazán and US destroyer USS Bainbridge are among the known participating units.

“This valuable training opportunity will allow us, in conjunction with our NATO allies and partners, to enhance our ASW capabilities, improve interoperability and ultimately strengthen the alliances that bind our nations together in mutual commitment to regional security,” said Cmdr. Chad R, Donnelly, commanding officer of Patrol Squadron (VP) 10, a US Navy maritime patrol squadron participating in the exercise.

The aim of this exercise is to provide all participants with complex and challenging warfare training to enhance their interoperability and proficiency in anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare skills.

https://mc.nato.int/dmon18.aspx

https://navaltoday.com/2018/06/26/nato-asw-drill-dynamic-mongoose-gets-underway-off-norway/

https://news.usni.org/2018/07/03/nato-allies-partner-high-end-anti-submarine-warfare-exercise

Recently, Adm. James Foggo, commander of U.S. Naval Forces Europe and Africa, highlighted the growing challenge which the presence and growth of the Russian submarine force posed to the US and its allies.

According to comments cited by Stars and Stripes:

Foggo said he’s impressed with the missile-launching ability of Russian submarines, such as the Kilo-class boats deployed to the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. These diesel-electric submarines carry as many as 18 torpedoes and eight surface-to-air missiles.

Some Russian submarine missiles have the range to reach any European capital, Foggo said.

So I think it’s important for us to have the situational awareness of where those platforms are operating at all times,” Foggo said. “We have seen the caliber of missile launches from their platforms into targets in Syria. (It) is a very capable weapon system.”

The Nordics Rework Defense: The Role of Cross Border Air Combat Training

Posted on July 3, 2018 | by Robbin Laird | Leave a Comment

07/03/2018

By Robbin Laird

During the past couple of years, I have focused on the part of Europe which is very serious about defense, namely, Northern Europe.

The Danes, the Norwegians, the Swedes and the Finns, all have refocused efforts on defense of their nations, but in a broader regional context.

As my colleague Harald Malmgren put it in his analyses of the evolution of Europe in a paper written last year:

A new “cluster” of European nations with a common security objective has quietly emerged recently in the form of focused military cooperation and coordination among the Nordic nations, Poland, the Baltic States, and the UK. This cluster is operating in close cooperation with the US military.

The Danes, Norwegians, the Swedes and Finns are cooperating closely together on defense matters. Enhanced cooperation is a response to fears of Russian incursions, which are not new, but have roots in centuries of Russian interaction with Northern Europe.

During my most recent visit to Norway in April, I discussed the upsurge in cooperation of the NORDEFCO states. Nordic Defence Cooperation is collaboration among the Nordic countries in the area of defense.

Its five members are Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden.

As one Norwegian senior analyst put it during my visit: “How far can we take our NORDEFCO cooperation? We now have a mission paper which extends our framework of cooperation through 2020 and we are working a new one which extends the horizon to 2025.”

The members are working on an “easy access agreement” whereby the forces of the member states can cross borders easily to collaborate in exercises or in a crisis.

https://sldinfo.com/2018/05/norway-nordefco-and-shaping-a-way-ahead-with-the-nordics/

During my visit to Bodø Airbase on April 25, 2018, I had a chance to discuss the cross border air training which Norway is doing with Finland and Sweden. Norway is a member of NATO; Finland and Sweden are not.

And with Finland to make a decision about its future fighter, that decision will affect the capability, which the three nations can deliver for integrated regional defense as well.

The day I was there, I saw four F-16s take off from Bodø and fly south towards Ørland airbase to participate in an air defense exercise.

The day before this event, the Norwegians contacted the Swedes and invited them to send aircraft to the exercise, and they did so.

The day before is really the point.

Major Trond Ertsgaard, Senior Operational Planner and fighter pilot from the 132 Air Wing, provided an overview to the standup and the evolution of this significant working relationship.

The core point is that it is being done without a complicated day-to-day diplomatic effort.

This is a dramatic change from the 1990s, when the Swedes would not allow entering their airspace by the Norwegians or Finns without prior diplomatic approval.

As Major Ertsgaard put it: “In the 1970s, there was limited cooperation. We got to know each other, and our bases, to be able to divert in case of emergency or other contingencies. But there was no operational or tactical cooperation. The focus was on safety; not operational training.”

By the 1990s, there was enhanced cooperation, but limited to a small set of flying issues, rather than operational training. As Major Ertsgaard noted: “But when the Swedes got the Gripen, this opened the aperture, as the plane was designed to be more easily integrated with NATO standards.”

Then in the Fall of 2008, there was a meeting of the squadrons and wing commanders from the Finnish, Swedish and Norwegian airbases to discuss ways to develop cooperation among the squadrons operating from national bases. The discussion was rooted on the national air forces operating from their own bases and simply cooperating in shared combat air space.

This would mean that the normal costs of hosting an exercise would not be necessary, as each air force would return to its own operating base at the end of the engagement.

The CBT started between Sweden and Norway in 2009 and then the Finns joined in 2010. By 2011, Major Ertsgaard highlighted that “we were operating at a level of an event a week. And by 2012, we engaged in about 90 events at the CBT level.”

That shaped a template, which allowed for cost effective and regular training and laid the foundation for then hosting a periodic two-week exercise where they could invite nations to participate in air defense exercise in the region. From 2015 on, the three air forces have shaped a regular training approach, which is very flexible and driven at the wing and squadron level.

Major Ertsgaard added that “We meet each November, and set the schedule for the next year, but in execution it is very, very flexible. It is about a bottom-up approach and initiative to generate the training regime.”

The impact on Sweden and Finland has been significant in terms of learning NATO standards and having an enhanced capability to cooperate with the air forces of NATO nations.

And the air space being used is very significant as well. Europe as an operational military airspace training area is not loaded with good training ranges. The range being used for CBT is very large and is not a cluttered airspace, which allows for great training opportunities for the three nations, and those who fly to Arctic Challenge or other training events. And the range flies over land so there is an opportunity for multi-domain operational training as well.

What is most impressive can be put simply: CBT was invented by the units and the wing commanders and squadron pilots.

And the CBT has led to the launching of the Arctic Challenge Exercise.

And this exercise last held in 2017 has seen both the regional air forces and partner air forces engage in a major training exercise in the region as well.

According to the US Department of Defense, the Arctic Challenge exercise in 2017, “ aims at building relationships and increasing interoperability, and includes participants from the U.S., Finland, Sweden, Norway, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Belgium, Switzerland, Canada and the Netherlands, as well as representatives from NATO.”

As Major Ertsgaard put it: “The CBT laid the foundation for “how the Arctic Challenge Exercise (ACE) entered the picture and has evolved.”

During my visit to Finland in February of this year, the Finnish side of the story was highlighted in a discussion with the former Chief of Staff of the Finnish Air Force, Lt. General Kim Jäämeri, who is now Deputy Chief of Staff, Strategy for the Finnish Defence Forces.

“We have enhanced our focus on crisis management and the role of the military within overall crisis management. We have increased our investments in force readiness.

“With regard to our partners, their enhanced focus of attention on defense, whether it be the actions of Sweden, Norway or Denmark in the region, or by the United States within NATO with regard to the EDI-related investments, has been appreciated.

“And as we expand our exercise regime, we are cross-learning with regard to capabilities necessary for our defense.

“You have to leverage your partnerships more to enhance crisis stability.”

In short, the Russians have made a key impact on the revitalization of Nordic defense.

“Let us hope the allies of the Northern European states interact with and support this strategic opportunity for shaping an effective extended deterrence strategy and for the defense of the region and beyond.

As Keith Eikenes, Director for Security Policy and Operations in the Norwegian Minister of Defence, put it in my final interview during my recent stay in Norway, with regard to the strategic objective: “What type of assets, forces, structures, and cooperation with allies do we need in order to have effective deterrence in the future? We must never lose sight of the fact that what we are trying to do is actually avoid a conflict. Getting the deterrence piece will be extremely important to shaping a way ahead.”

Given the strategic location of the air space in which CBT training and the Arctic Challenge Exercise is occurring it is a key part of working deterrence in depth in the region and beyond.

This article was first published by Breaking Defense on July 2, 2018.

The featured photo shows F-18 Hornets of the Finnish Air Force fly alongside a U.S. Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker from RAF Mildenhall, England, during aerial refueling over Finland, May 25, 2017.

All three aircraft were participating in Arctic Challenge 2017, a multinational exercise encompassing 11 nations and more than 100 aircraft.

(U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. David Dobrydney)

Raising the Bar on Maintainability: MAWTS-1 Focuses on the Challenge

Posted on July 2, 2018 | by Robbin Laird | Leave a Comment

07/02/2018

By Robbin Laird

Maintainability is a key aspect to ensure aircraft availability to support combat operations. The readiness crisis of the past few years has also included the challenge of upgrading maintenance support efforts as well.

The strategic shift from counter-insurgency to preparing for force-on-force conflict and a more rapid battle rhythm affects the maintenance side of the force as well. The wars in the desert have been tough on the aircraft, and pushing out their operational life has been a challenge.

But with a more rapid pace of combat as a key focus of attention, how to ensure better aircraft readiness, and fleet availability?

It is difficult to get a fleet approach if there is not commonality among the aircraft and understanding of best practice standards.

This will not happen without shaping the most effective standard practices for maintainers in supporting aircraft, and ensuring that there is an effective rhythm between maintenance to support daily operations and ensuring that a maintenance cycle that provides for aircraft to have regular maintenance that ensures longer performance cycles as well.

One way to address this is to ensure that best practices can be established throughout the maintainer force and have an evolving understanding of the best standards to achieve maintenance of each type model and series of aircraft.

AAMOC at MAWTS-1: Getting Ready for the Strategic Shift from SldInfo.com on Vimeo.

For the Marines, a core focus is upon training maintainers who can work across a range of aircraft. The Marines are focused on expeditionary operations, and mobile basing. And this means, the Marines need maintainers who can support aircraft that operate from the mobile base, and not aircraft that need to go to Walmarts to be maintained by maintainers clearly divided into stove piped specialties.

And the introduction of new aircraft, ones that are software upgradeable, is clearly changing the system as well. The coming of the F-35 is driving change, and change which needs to be managed into shaping effective standardization as well.

And the F-35 highlights another change: the growing importance of the software management side of the equation.

In recognition of the central role, which enhanced maintainability, plays for the USMC in the context of the strategic shift a new course was brought to MAWTS last year. This new course and its role was well described in an article by Captain Harley Robinson published on March 15, 2017 by the 3^rdMarine Air Wing.

A new course has been added to this year’s Weapons and Tactics Instructor Course (WTI), held at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Arizona.

Advanced Aircraft Maintenance Officers Course (AAMOC) is a second-level graduate school for professional aircraft maintenance officers in the Marine Corps.

After the initial school for aircraft maintainers at Naval Air Station Whiting Field, Florida, there are limited follow-on training opportunities. AAMOC is the first of its kind and the expectation is to increase standardization, improve aircraft readiness and to minimize aircraft mishaps.

“Our primary school we go to is a Navy school, and that program is extremely successful for the Navy and its officers, but when Marines graduate, we train slightly different once we leave the school,” said 1st Lt. Jared Hasson, an assistant aircraft maintenance officer with Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron (MAWTS) One and AAMOC instructor from Winter Haven, Florida.

In an ever-evolving job field, the course’s main purpose is to create a higher understanding and standardized learning platform for professional maintenance officers.

“There are training gaps with what is taught in the school house and what is actually being done in the fleet,” said Capt. Scott Campbell, an a chief instructor and AAMOC developer from Amarillo, Texas. “This class is an attempt to formalize, consolidate and structure information that goes into the fleet that isn’t getting taught to the Marines.”

The curriculum consists of an initial and final exam, roughly 62 hours of academic course work and additional training outside the classroom. There will be daily evaluations of the students by the instructors on class work, practical application and projects. The students will receive grades on every subject and must maintain an 80% grade average to graduate. The course will run a total of seven weeks.

“If every person in the class room is able to walk away with something they didn’t know beforehand, then I would deem this a success,” said Campbell. “This isn’t going to immediately stem the flow or in no way is designed to be the sole thing that fixes aircraft readiness. But teaching our maintenance officers how to better utilize their aircraft, where the demand of the aircraft comes from and how to manage that, absolutely contributes to better readiness numbers.”

Graduation is scheduled for April 30, which is the end of WTI. Graduates from AAMOC will be granted signing authority for 2000 level codes in the newly minted T&R manual, and will have the title of Maintenance and Training Instructors (MTI).

During my visit to MAWTS-1, this April, I had a chance to meet with Captain Campbell and Lt. Hasson and to discuss this fleet focus. It was quite an experience.

I have never encountered more enthusiastic maintainers in my life, and listening to them it was clear that being a maintainer for today’s Marine Corps is a worthy calling in service of the nation.

It would be difficult for me to convey the sense of enthusiasm, passion and commitment these two Marine leaders provided in our discussion.

Suffice it to say, that the sense of urgency in getting the readiness upsurge and the re-set of maintenance standards is a core part of reshaping the force and getting ready for the next fight.

Their core effort is upon reshaping the culture of maintenance in the USMC.

They are focusing on what they can do at their level and have targeted their efforts on enhanced training and effectiveness of those Marine Corps officers who are training the maintainers.

By so doing, they are generating a ripple effect throughout the maintenance culture of the USMC itself.

According to Captain Campbell:

“What is our objective with The Advanced Aircraft Maintenance Officers Course?

“What we’re doing is standardizing the MOS.

“Because I can’t control, at my level as a company-grade officer, contracts. I’m not going to be able to control procurement.

“So what can I control?

“We are focused on how we do things; how we share knowledge about best practices and how we keep from having to keep reinventing the wheel.”

He highlighted the inventive quality of Marines, which is a plus, but the downside is that unshared individual innovations will not drive overall change unless knowledge is shared and best practices are determined.

And the course is taught in such a manner that whatever the baseline of the course going in, it is altered in the interactions with the students and articulation of best practices.

For the WTIs a large number of Marine Corps aircraft come to the course, to the exercise. This provides an opportunity to bring significant experience from throughout the Marine Corps with different aircraft concentrated in Yuma.

And this provides a significant learning opportunity.

As Captain Campbell put it: “The maintainers comes to Yuma as if on a deployment.

“They are in barracks together and they generally don’t know one another.

“They cross learn during their time at WTI and with regard to the course, those participating in the course will shape a cross learning network which informs the course and provides an interactive baseline as we push forward effective standardization.”

1st Lt. Jared Hasson underscored that they have in the class maintainers who are new to the game and those who have written the book with regard to particular aircraft.

“At the outset, the gray beards look around and ask why are the newbies here?

“We wrote the book.

“But then the newbies challenge the way things are done and look for new ways to do things and soon a cross learning process is underway.”

The course is part of an effort to generate broader understanding throughout the maintenance community of best practices and how to work from the evolved best practices to generating further progress.

An example cited by Captain Campbell was with regard to the F-35. He worked earlier on the F-35 and one of the concerns was how to get the F-35 maintenance system to plug into and work with the broader Marine Corps Maintenance IT system.

He noted that the Green Knights are currently deployed at sea and they are sorting this out. His task then is to find out how they have done it, and move that learning into the course and then share the knowledge so that the Marines do not have to have one-off learning efforts; rather they want to shape a learning curve.

Captain Campbell also underscored that the coming of the F-35 highlighted another change. “More of our maintenance is going to come from software and avionics than anything else.”

1st Lt. Jared Hasson highlight another aspect of their work at MAWTS-1, namely generating Capstone projects. These projects are generated by the students to develop point papers on a subject of their interest and work through ways to deal with a problem of their own choosing.

“They figure out how to address the problem; and they work on that throughout the course. And at the end of the course, they present their capstone project findings and some of these projects come to the attention then of the Naval Postgraduate School which then further pursue them.”

And shaping best practices is a key element for enhancing readiness and maintainability of the ACE. Bringing a new focus within MAWTS-1 to this challenge certainly will help the overall efforts to transform the force going forward.

U.S. Marine Capt. Scott L. Campbell, maintenance officer with Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron One (MAWTS-1) welcomes students attending the first ever Advanced Aircraft Maintenance Officer Course (AAMOC) at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Ariz., on Mar. 13, 2017. AAMOC will empower Aircraft Maintenance Officers with leadership tools, greater technical knowledge, and standardized practices through rigorous academics and hands on training in order to decrease ground related mishaps and increase sortie generation. (U.S. Marine Corps photo taken by Cpl. AaronJames B. Vinculado)

U.S. Marines attending the first ever Advanced Aircraft Maintenance Officer Course (AAMOC) attend a welcome aboard brief at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Ariz., on Mar. 13, 2017. AAMOC will empower Aircraft Maintenance Officers with leadership tools, greater technical knowledge, and standardized practices through rigorous academics and hands on training in order to decrease ground related mishaps and increase sortie generation. (U.S. Marine Corps photo taken by Cpl. AaronJames B. Vinculado)

U.S. Marine Corps Col. James B. Wellons, commanding officer of Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron One (MAWTS-1) welcomes students attending the first ever Advanced Aircraft Maintenance Officer Course (AAMOC) at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Ariz., on Mar. 13, 2017. AAMOC will empower Aircraft Maintenance Officers with leadership tools, greater technical knowledge, and standardized practices through rigorous academics and hands on training in order to decrease ground related mishaps and increase sortie generation. (U.S. Marine Corps photo taken by Cpl. AaronJames B. Vinculado)

UK Mobilizes Reserves for Cyber Conflict

Posted on July 2, 2018 | by Robbin Laird | Leave a Comment

The Ministry of Defence’s hunt for gamers and amateur coders to become cyber Reserves has led to a massive increase in applications, creating an elite force of specialists ready to support operations using their unique cyber skills.

According to the UK Ministry of Defence in an article published on June 27, 2108:

As the nation marks Reserves Day today, Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson praised these exceptionally talented people and called for more specialists such as engineers, chefs, media operations and electricians to step up and join the UK Armed Forces as Reservists.

Speaking at a reception for Reservists in the house of Commons last night, Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson said:

“Reservists play a vital role in our Armed Forces, bringing a huge range of experiences and skills to the defence of our country.

“As the threats we face intensify we need to attract the brightest and the best from all walks of life as part of a modern military.”

This morning the Defence Secretary thanked civil servant reservists at a specially hosted breakfast in 10 Downing St.

The men and women of our Reserve forces give up their free time training to work alongside regular troops around the world. From telecoms workers and police officers to students they serve our country when called upon in a huge variety of roles such as dog handlers, logistics movers, intelligence officers and medics.

Reservist Colonel Sion Walker is a teacher by trade. He is currently deployed as Commanding Officer of Op ORBITAL, which is a UK programme to train the Ukrainian military in non-lethal skills and tactics such as the identification of mines, medical care and logistics.

Colonel Sion Walker is leading the operation.

He said:

“For me, it’s important to give something back. I have been able to use my skill sets as an educator and in the Army to complement each other. In school it gave me a different outlook on life. Some people whine about how bad things are, but thanks to my military experiences I have a better balance in life, which means I don’t get vexed.

“It means you’re more robust as a person. And I’ve been able to give young people better advice in school. I get youngsters asking me for careers advice about joining any of the Armed forces, and that is very satisfying.”

The Building of the New Australian Frigate

Posted on June 30, 2018 | by Robbin Laird | Leave a Comment

06/30/2018

Australia’s just selected a new build BAE Systems frigate to provide a new capability for the Royal Australian Navy.

The projected cost is $35 billion to build nine high-tech, anti-submarine frigates.

According to ABC Australia:

The contract is a key building block in the Federal Government’s defence industry plan, which Malcolm Turnbull says will form a “truly sovereign national Australian shipbuilding industry” ensuring the country’s security and prosperity.

ASC Shipbuilding, which is owned by the Australian Government, will become a subsidiary of BAE during the build.

Its shipyard in the Adelaide suburb of Osborne will be the hub once production starts in 2020.

The Hunter class frigates are expected to enter service in the late 2020s and will eventually replace the current Anzac class frigates, which have been in service since 1996.

However, the UK Royal Navy is also buying the Type 26, the first two of which are currently under construction. That fleet is not expected to be operational until 2027, which has some questioning whether the Australian frigates will be delayed.

At the end of the building program Australia will resume complete ownership of ASC Shipbuilding, meaning intellectual property of the Australian type 26 will be retained by the Commonwealth.