10/22/2011 - By Franck Znaty The current US administration sees Turkey as a model to be replicated for Arab and Muslim countries. It is viewed as a Muslim majority country within secular institutions, western ally and NATO member, with a strong economy and pro-market policies, a newly-found tight control of…
10/23/2011 by Richard Weitz Now that all U.S. combat troops are scheduled to withdraw from Iraq by the end of this year, Iraq’s neighbors are positioning themselves. These neighbors are maneuvering to manage the resulting transformation in their regional security environment. [caption id="attachment_25373" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="The latest Weitz Report on…
10/22/2011 - Second Line of Defense sat down with recently retired Lt. General Desclaux. Desclaux’s last command was as French Commander of Air Defense and Air Operations for the French Air Force. The General has a distinguished and comprehensive background in air operations, with significant NATO experience as well. An…
10/21/2011 - The presence and scalable force structure for the Pacific, which we are laying out here, is intended to be suggestive and not completely comprehensive. Every weapon system and platform will not be discussed, but the key categories of platforms and weapon systems are discussed as a means of…
10/20/2011 - In a phrase, this is how the remaining core naval assets are integrated into a scalable Pacific capability. The F-35s, whether land or sea-based as a Z axis C4ISR D force can bring the entire surface and subsurface fleet into a scalable operation. An economy of force capability…
10/20/2011 By Richard Weitz China and Russia have the world’s two most powerful militaries after that of the United States. China is undertaking perhaps the most comprehensive military modernization program in the world today, while Russia still has approximately as much nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons potential as the United…
10/20/2011 Second Line of Defense recently visited Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron 1 (MAWTS) to hear first hand the effort to shape the F-35 transition. We also visited the construction team re-building Marine Corps Air Station Yuma and will report on the changes being made to operate the F-35Bs…
The Aegis Enabler 10/19/2011 - Historically, the Aegis missile defense system was inextricably intertwined with the Carrier Battle Group. It remains a key element of the CBG, but now deploys separate from the CBG in its missile defense mission. Its permanent deployment at sea in the Pacific to deal with…
