Building the Wings of Man: Another Aspect of the Coming of the CH-53K

03/02/2018
2018-02-22 By Robbin Laird Without the composites revolution, it would be difficult to image an Osprey tiltrotor aircraft. Equally, without the composites revolution it would be difficult to envisage the successor to the CH-53E being able to lift three times more than its predecessor. The lift is a function of…

Distributed Operations, Exercises and Building Out Finnish Defense Capabilities: The Perspective of Lt. General Kim Jäämeri

03/02/2018
2018-02-17 By Robbin Laird Helsinki, Finland My last official interview in Finland was with the former head of the Finnish Air Force and now Deputy Chief of Staff, Strategy for the Finnish Defence Forces, Lt. General Kim Jäämeri. In my discussions in Helsinki, I was increasingly persuaded that a number…

COPE NORTH 18

02/27/2018
2/27/18: U.S. Air Force Colonel Ryan Sweeney, 36 Wing Operations Group Commander, U.S. Air Force Colonel Britt Hurst, U.S. COPE NORTH Exercise Director, Koku Jieitai (Japan Air Self-Defense Force) Colonel Kensuke Onishi, the Japanese COPE NORTH Exercise Director, and Royal Australian Air Force Group Captain Ben Sleeman, the Australian COPE NORTH…

Remembering Danny Lam: Combating Conventional Wisdom

02/24/2018
2018-02-18 By Robbin Laird This week’s Wall Street Journal Saturday essay is on the crippling consensus which has descended on American campuses with the withering of relevant debate to shaping a way ahead for the liberal democracies. In a world where universities think it is somehow acceptable to have safe…

Finland and New Combat Aircraft: Looking Back at the Hornet Acquisition

02/19/2018
2018-02-16 By Robbin Laird Helsinki, Finland The Finnish government is set to acquire 64 new fighter jets for its air force. This is occurring as Nordic defense is being reworked, and the Northern European states are sorting out how to deal with what the Finnish Defense Minister Jussi Niinistö has referred…