The North Carolina-Based Marines Participate in Cold Response 2022

02/18/2022
By Robbin Laird During a visit to 2nd Marine Air Wing last summer, I met with Marine Air Group 26. During that visit we discussed the transition from the land wars, which included the need for more focus on the Northern Flank of NATO. Certainly, the current European crisis has…

While the Ukrainian Crisis Simmers: The Launch of Brilliant Jump 2022 and Cold Response 2002

02/18/2022
Even though the focus is upon Ukraine, the Northern and Southern flanks of NATO are deeply affected by the crisis. The Belarus takeover by Moscow and the virtual permanent deployment of Russian force there with the Kaliningrad enclave not far way poses a direct threat to the Nordics, the Balts…

Ukraine Crisis 2022: A Polish Perspective

02/14/2022
By Robert Czulda Despite numerous alarmist tones, average Ukrainians do not panic – shops are open and people gather at restaurants and pubs. Ukrainian security expert Yevgeniya Gaber, whom I interviewed recently for the Polish media, said that there are no signs of any chaos and the Ukrainian intelligence community…

A Nordic Perspective on the 2022 Ukraine Crisis: A Discussion with Hans Tino Hansen

02/13/2022
By Robbin Laird I have had the opportunity over the years to visit what I refer as the defense arc from the UK through the Nordics to the Balts to Poland. The CEO of Risk Intelligence, Hans Tino Hansen, has been a key guide to thinking through the process of…

Indonesia Deepens French Defense Industrial Cooperation: Rafales Displace Su-35 Buy

02/10/2022
By Pierre Tran Paris - Indonesia ordered on Feb. 10, 2022, 42 Dassault Aviation Rafale fighter jets and missiles in a package worth $8.1 billion, with delivery of a first batch of six units in 2025, a French defense official said. “The chairman and CEO of Dassault Aviation, Eric Trappier,…

Franco-German Defense Industrial Cooperation: A Strategic Failure or Necessity?

02/07/2022
By Pierre Tran Paris - France would do well to discard Germany as a military and industrial partner and strike out on its own, Vauban, an anonymous group of defense specialists, said Jan. 24 in La Tribune, a French business news website. “Three years after the signature of the Aix le…