EU Aid to Ukraine: The End of the Hungarian Veto?

01/31/2024
By Pierre Tran Paris - There is confidence the European Union will find a way to beat Hungary’s blocking of a budget to provide €50 billion ($54 billion) of financial aid to Ukraine when the E.U. summit meets this week, a senior Ukrainian official said Jan. 30. “I am confident…

A Conversation With the 14th Commander of MAWTS-1: LtGen “Dog” Davis

01/28/2024
By Robbin Laird and Ed Timperlake In January 2024, we had a chance to do our final interview for our forthcoming MAWTS-1 book, namely with LtGen Davis. He was the CO of MAWTS-1 from 19 November 2004-7 July 2006 and had served as the XO for Col later MajGen Raymond…

The NATO-Russian Campaign in Ukraine: Next Steps in the European Conflict

01/27/2024
By Robbin Laird Sarah White published a thoughtful piece on Real Clear Defense on 10 January 2024. Currently, I am in Europe where the NATO-Russian campaign in Ukraine is ongoing. She made a core strategic point that the overall effects from the war have a direct impact on the European…

Lift Mobility and the Distributed Force: Distributed Laydown with Fewer Flights

01/17/2024
By Robbin Laird I ended the last article in this series with this question: What then might be the interaction between the CH-53K and lift mobility in the evolution of the distributed force? I am going to breakdown my answer to that question in several parts. In this article, I…

Germany, Eurofighter and Saudi Arabia: January 2024 Update

01/10/2024
By Pierre Tran Paris - Germany has switched policy tracks with the approval of shipping a batch of Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets to Saudi Arabia, in the wake of bitter conflict on the Gaza strip and Riyadh’s interest in the French Rafale fighter. “We do not see the German government…

Shaping a Way Ahead in Australian Defence: The Crucial Significance of Leveraging the Fifth Generation Air Force

01/09/2024
By Robbin Laird As the Australian government sorts through its way ahead for the defence of Australia, the creation of a fifth-generation air force is a key element providing a foundation for innovations in the decade ahead. But it can be forgotten too quickly the central role of airpower for…