Pacific Strategy XVI: Weaponizing the Honeycomb

11/01/2011
11/01/2011 One of the greatest strength’s America has is to dream great dreams. Nowhere is this more evident in our pushing the envelope in aeronautical and space research. A robust debate is always going on in professional and scientific journals about the next generation of aircraft and technology. It would…

The Italian Carrier, the F-35B and The Future

10/31/2011
10/31/2011 by Ed Timperlake "Can't anybody here play this game?" Casey Stengel More than three months have passed since Undersecretary Robert Work’s  July 7th 2011 Memo “Navy Tactical Air (TACAIR) Portfolio Analysis-Warfighter Capability and Affordability Trades” http://www.sldforum.com/2011/08/under-secretary-of-the-navy-robert-works-july-tac-air-memo/ The memo was written while U.S. forces were engaged in combat in Operation “Odyssey…

The Impact of the F-35B On the Agile Response Group: An Interview with Admiral Scott

10/30/2011
10/30/2011  Aboard the USS Wasp during F-35B sea trials, Second Line of Defense had a chance to talk with Admiral Scott, Commander of Expeditionary Strike Group Two.  The navy leadership aboard the WASP made it clear that V-22/F35B tandem was central to the future of the US Navy.  There was…

Secretary Panetta on the Pacific and The Threat of the Hollow Force

10/29/2011
10/29/2011 In his recent speech in South Korea, the Sec Def made a powerful case for centrality of the Pacific and of coalitions and the danger of a hollow force.  I n a recent open letter to the Secretary, we provided some ideas of how to avoid the hollow force and…

Pacific Strategy XV: Basing the Honeycomb

10/28/2011
10/27/2011 - A key element of understanding a scalable presence strategy is basing.  Basing of the force in the Pacific is a function of several key capabilities: Sebasing; Partners and Allies Connected Capabilities; The F-35 and Re-crafting Land Basing Presence is rooted in basing; scalability is inherently doable because of…