Balancing China Through Vietnam

01/13/2011
By Richard Weitz 01/13/2011 - The public display of China’s new J-20 stealth fighter, the expected appearance soon of China’s first aircraft carrier, and Secretary Gates’ troubled visit to the PRC reaffirm the importance for the United States of having good security relations with China’s neighbors. Defense ties with the…

Pakistan and the Afghan End Game

01/04/2011
[caption id="attachment_12920" align="alignleft" width="150" caption=" "][/caption] By Dr. Richard Weitz 12/22/2011 - Following the November 26 incident, the Pakistani government convened an emergency session of the Defence Committee of the Cabinet (DCC), Pakistan’s highest forum for defense policy consultation and coordination. The DCC decided to retaliate for the attack by…

RFID Technology: From Cattle Herds to Military Use

01/03/2011
By Kirsten Ashbaugh [email protected] 01/02/2011 - In September 2010, Second Line of Defense attended IDGA’s Military Logistics Summit 2010 in Vienna, VA.  At the conference, Dr. Robb Clarke of Michigan State University discussed RFID and other Auto-ID technologies and their role with supply chain optimization. RFID, or Radio Frequency Identification,…

Combat-Proven Tiger

12/21/2010
A Conversation with Dominique Maudet 12/21/2010 - The Tiger helicopter has been used by the French military in their Afghan engagement.  The operational role has been to work with two other helo types in providing crucial air capabilities for the French Army.  The impact of operations has highlighted the significance…

Building a High Speed Helicopter

12/20/2010
An Interview with Jean-Michel Billig   12/21/2010 - In early October 2010, Second Line of Defense had a chance to talk with Eurocopter about its new high-speed test helicopter, X Cubed. Jean-Michel Billig is Executive Vice President of Eurocopter for Research and Development. The slide show  and the accompanying video…