By Pierre Tran Paris - France took a financial hit of €409 million ($440 million) as a result of its 2015 cancellation of the sale of two helicopter carriers to Russia, the national audit office said in its report on French arms exports. “In total, taking into account the result…
by Robbin Laird I was fascinated to read an interview with the USCG Pacific Commander which was published by The Wall Street Journal. In an article by Mike Cherney, we learn that the Biden Administration wants the USCG to expand its footprint amid competition with China. The only problem with…
By Robbin Laird The impact of the war on the European front-line states is very significant. It also one of the most underreported aspects of the dynamics of change within Europe. Much of the U.S. coverage is upon European solidarity, NATO, and the arming of the Ukrainians. Yet the challenges…
By Robbin Laird During the first week of January 2023, I had the chance to travel to San Diego to visit Camp Pendleton and various U.S. Naval commands. The visit to Pendleton was to MAG-39. The history of MAG-39 can be found at the end of the article. I had…
"Retired army general, Petr Pavel, has been elected the next president of Czechia. Mr. Pavel won the runoff against former prime minister Andrej Babiš, by the biggest margin ever in the history of Czech presidential elections. With all votes counted, Petr Pavel got over 58.3 percent of the vote, his…
By Pierre Tran Paris - A project for a future combat air system (FCAS) backed by France, Germany, and Spain has sparked close interest elsewhere in Europe, the French armed forces minister, Sébastien Lecornu, said Jan. 23. “There are other European nations knocking at the door,” he told the Association…
By Robbin Laird Of the four Nordic countries, Sweden faces the longest journey towards a new regional defense approach — but also has an opportunity to undergo significant, smart transformation for a modern era that sees it finally join the NATO alliance. It has the longest journey due to its…
By Robbin Laird The CMV-22B has been bought by the U.S. Navy as a replacement for the C-2A Greyhound aircraft to provide for the carrier on-board delivery mission for the large deck carrier fleet. The numbers of the aircraft ordered for this mission are 48 and are sized to provide…
