Consulate Evacuation Training at WTI 2-23

04/21/2023
U.S. Marines with 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, set security in a simulated consulate evacuation training event during Weapons and Tactics Instructors (WTI) course 2-23 at Deuce Village, near Yuma, Arizona, April 5, 2023. WTI is a seven-week training event hosted by Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics…

Close Air Support Training at WTI 2-23

04/19/2023
U.S. Marine Corps Master Sgt. Thomas J. Dye, from Jacksonville, Florida, a Tactical Air Control Party program manager assigned to Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron One (MAWTS-1), uses a portable lightweight designator rangefinder during a close air support exercise, part of Weapons and Tactics Instructor (WTI) course 2-23, at…

Deterrence in Shaping Australia’s Path in the Global Transition

04/18/2023
By Robbin Laird As global conflict continues apace, and Australia navigates its way ahead, there is a clear desire to defend Australia’s interests and to deter actions by China which significantly undercut those interests. But what does Australia wish to deter? How does it do so? And how does it…

Force Distribution, Sustainment and Logistical Support: A Major Challenge Facing the ADF

04/17/2023
By Robbin Laird To ensure enhanced survivability, the ADF is looking to more effectively distribute over Australian territory. But this makes logistical support for distributed forces a major strategic challenge. And with the changing threat calculus, the force needs to have greater endurance which requires enhanced sustainability. So how best…

Battle Drills at WTI 2-23

04/17/2023
Training during a battle drill exercise, part of Weapons and Tactics Instructor (WTI) course 2-23, at K-9 Village, Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona, April 1, 2023. WTI is a seven-week training event hosted by MAWTS-1, providing standardized advanced tactical training and readiness, and assists in developing and employing aviation weapons and…

Exercising Day Tactics at WTI 2-23

04/14/2023
USMC air assets assigned to Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron One (MAWTS-1), operating from a forward arming and refueling point during Weapons and Tactics Instructor (WTI) course 2-23, near Yuma, Arizona, April 1, 2023. WTI is a seven-week training event hosted by MAWTS-1, providing standardization advanced tactical training and…

Shaping a Nuclear Submarine Enterprise in Australia: The Perspective of Vice-Admiral Jonathan Mead

04/13/2023
By Robbin Laird In March 2020, I was visiting Western Australia including HMAS Sterling. I was there to visit the HMAS Rankin, one of the Collins class submarines homeported at HMAS Sterling on Garden Island. When I informed a senior U.S. Navy Admiral that I was going to visit the…

The United Kingdom and Integrated Deterrence: The Perspective of Air Marshal Harvey Smyth

04/12/2023
By Robbin Laird At the recent Sir Richard Williams Foundation Seminar held on 30 March 2023, Air Marshal Harvey Smyth, the Deputy Commander Operations, presented a UK perspective of the challenges facing the UK and her allies in the contentious 2020’s. I first met Smyth when he was the head…