During our latest visit to Australia, the Second Line of Defense team had a chance to talk with the commander of the Air Mobility Group, Air Commodore Bill “K9” Kourelakos, during our visit to Richmond Airbase and with Group Captain Steve Pesce, Office Commanding 86 Wing, at Amberley Airbase. During…
By Robbin Laird At the Williams Foundation seminar on the shift from dealing with the land wars to higher tempo and higher intensity operations, one of Australia’s leading strategic thinkers, Dr. Ross Babbage, addressed the question of “the strategic face of conflict in the 21st Century.” A key focus of…
For Norway, the changing strategic environment includes not only an expansion of the Russian tool set to challenge Norwegian and European security, but the clear inclusion of the Arctic and its evolving role in North Atlantic defense and security, We have focused on this evolution over the past few years…
By Stephen Blank Most scholars writing about the Arctic’s place in world politics have contended that despite the mounting tensions with Russia on balance Russia and the West are primarily interested in preserving the Arctic as a zone of peace. After all, Arctic sea ice cover is declining, temperatures are…
By Robbin Laird What is the Nature of the Military Transition to Deal with Peer Competitors in a period of Significant Strategic Change? In effect, the Williams Foundation just held a seminar which addressed this question. The Williams Foundation has focused for the past few years on the modernization of…
The Australian Defense Minister followed the opening address at the RAAF Airpower Conference 2018 given by Air Marshal Davies with an overview of how she saw the evolving global situation and its impact on the ADF. Senator the Honorable Marise Payne, the Minister of Defence, noted at the outset that…
The RAAF Airpower Conference 2018 provided a good look at the perceived dynamics of change in the broader global environment and within the ongoing technological revolution reshaping the demand side of both the use and development of modern airpower and the ADF more generally. The conference was opened by Air…
Recently, Deputy Commandant of Aviation, Lt. General “Stick” Rudder testified before the Congress on the coming of the CH-53K and its importance to the USMC and its approach to combat operations. “This aircraft is mechanically and technologically amazing. It fits directly into the National Defense Strategy as far as heavy…
