2013-02-03 We have just posted a new Special Report on Pacific strategy. We published several pieces on AOL Defense which appeared over the past six months. We have brought those articles together into a single report for our readers. The report can be downloaded here: https://sldinfo.com/re-shaping-pacific-strategy/
2013-02-03 By Lt. General (Retired) Gaviard In a recent interview with the French weekly, L’Express, Lt. General (Retired) Gaviard discussed the progress of the French intervention to date. At this stage in the Serval operation, what are the reasons for the French armed forces success in Mali? The first phase of…
2013-02-01 by Robbin Laird At Second Line of Defense, we have conducted a number of interviews with Commander’s with special roles in the Pacific. In this article, we want to bring together some of those insights into a more comprehensive look at the challenges as seen by the Commander’s who are…
2013-02-01 By Richard Weitz Russia’s new (fourth) generation Project Mk 955 Borey-class nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine (SSBN), equipped with the new RSM-56 Bulava (NATO code name SS-NX-30) Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile (SLBM), officially entered service with the Russian Navy’s Northern Fleet this month. Christened the Yuri Dolgoruky, the ship was under…
2013-02-01 In a recent interview with the weekly newsmagazine, L’Express, Lt. General (Retired) Gaviard discussed France, Europe and the Mali crisis. Why are the European states reticent to engage with the French forces in the Serval operation? Historically, France always had a hard time convincing European countries to commit at…
2013-02-01 by Richard Weitz Although China’s foreign policy decision-making process remains highly centralized, over time the number of actors who influence these decisions has grown. The majority of China’s foreign policy decisions still lie in the hands of the CCP Politburo Standing Committee -- the most powerful decision-making body in…
2013-01-31 By Col. Bradley Weisz, Deputy Commander, Expeditionary Strike Group TWO, United States Fleet Forces Command, Little Creek, Virginia “I believe that our nation needs fast, austere and lethal expeditionary naval forces that can execute missions across the spectrum of conflict. The Navy-Marine Corps team is that key.” In 2008, the…
2013-01-31 by Robbin Laird Prior to discussing ways in which the USN and USMC team might innovate in the decade ahead to achieve a successful strategic re-design, we need to start with where we are and current thinking about the way ahead. Both the extant forces and existing thinking form…
