2012-11-13 by Richard Weitz Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision last week to remove Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov, Chief of Staff Army-General Nikolai Makarov, and other senior Russian defense officials and officers is an important development. And it could have a major impact on Russia’s military reform program as well as…
2012-11-12 In a four-part follow up set of interviews, Second Line of Defense is looking at the role and impact of the USS America. Interviews have been conducted with the prospective commander of the ship, the head of amphibious ship building in the USN, a senior USMC general on its…
2012-11-12 In late October 2012, Second Line of Defense sat down with Mr. Jim Strock, Director Seabasing Integration Division and members of his Connectors and Doctrine (C&D) Branch at the Marine Corps Combat Development Command MCCDC), Quantico, VA to discuss the expected role of the Joint High Speed Vessel (JHSV)…
2012-11-11 by Richard Weitz The close alignment between Seoul and Washington in recent years has reinforced Beijing’s caution about breaking with the DPRK. The PRC and South Korea established formal diplomatic relations in 1992. Since then, their economic exchanges have soared, with China overtaking the United States as the ROK’s main…
2012-11-10 by Richard Weitz In spite of a common threat, South Korea and Japan have struggled to present a united front against that threat. South Korea and Japan both face a common military threat from North Korea, made evident most recently by the DPRK artillery strike against Yeonpyeong Island in…
2012-11-09 by Richard Weitz The PRC has pursed both condemnations of North Korean policies with concerted support for North Korea that effectively undercuts the ability of outside powers to make that condemnation real. And the PRC as a major developer and exporter of missiles for the global market, de facto,…
2012-11-08 By Robbin Laird Many analysts and politicians have discussed the F-35 as if it was a simple replacement aircraft. And in such conversations, the notion of stealth is seen as a high-end capability needed only sparingly and in specialized circumstances. If this were true, the Marines would not be…
2012-11-07 By Richard Weitz The U.S-ROK military alliance has been the foundation of both countries’ strategic policies for over fifty years. The United States and South Korea signed a Mutual Defense Treaty in October 1953 following the 1950-53 Korean War, in which 33,600 American troops were killed and more than 100,000…
