By Robbin Laird In our interview with the esteemed journalist Ed Rabel, we discussed with him his dealings with Martin Luther King. This is what he told Ed Timperlake and myself: "Rabel described his coverage of the black movement in the 1960s as follows: “I was hired by CBS News…
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…
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…
By Robbin Laird Ed Timperlake and I are working on book to be published next year on MAWTS-1, the unique USMC training center. As LtGen (Retired) Rudder has noted: "We need to avoid smoke and mirrors. The talking points from a wargame or ideas from force design planners may sound…
On January 5, 2024 the paperback version of Defense XXIII: America Faces a Very Different World was published. And on January 8, 2024 the e-book version of the book was released. This book looks at the challenge for the liberal democracies competing in a world of multi-polar authoritarian nations and…
It is clear that autonomous systems can provide significant enhancements for current operating forces. As Commodore Darron Kavanagh, Director General Warfare Innovation, Royal Australian Navy Headquarters, has noted: “we have shown through various autonomous warrior exercises, that we can already make important contributions to mission threads which combat commanders need…
By Richard Weitz Threats to the U.S. homeland will remain elevated into 2024. The Gaza War will likely inspire transnational terrorism, the Strategic Posture Commission highlights the expanding long-range missile arsenal of America’s adversaries, and further severe weather emergencies and cyber attacks against critical U.S. networks seem likely. U.S. policy makers must take measures now…
By Robbin Laird When I first dealt with fifth generation aircraft, I focused on how the F-22 and a relatively expansive global enterprise of F-35s would re-norm airpower, or re-set the baseline for what would be expected from the fighter element of the air combat enterprise. This was above all…
