An Update from the August 2021 Navy League Exposition: Shaping a Way Ahead for Maritime Autonomous Systems

08/25/2021
By Jack Rowley At the highest levels of U.S. intelligence and military policy documents, there is universal agreement that the United States remains at war, even after the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan have wound down. As the cost of capital platforms—especially ships and aircraft—continues to rise, the Department of…

The Taliban Shaping the Afghan Narrative: Afghanistan Goes Dark

08/24/2021
By Pierre Tran Paris - The prospect of the Taliban exercising a severe grip on Afghan society fuels fears for the rights of Afghan women, lives of journalists, and freedom of the press in a stricken nation. That grim outlook for independent reporting has led to calls for governments around…

The Next Phase of the Germany-Norwegian Submarine Program

08/24/2021
According to a July 7, 2021 story published by the Norwegian Ministry of Defence, the German-Norwegian submarine program has moved to its next phase of development. Today, the procurement agencies, Norwegian Defence Materiel Agency (NDMA) in Norway and Bundesamt für Ausrüstnung, Informationstechnik und Nutzung der Bundeswehr (BAAINBw) in Germany, signed…

France, Afghanistan, and Evacuation Dynamics

08/20/2021
By Pierre Tran Paris - A third French military flight was due to arrive in the evening of Aug. 19 at Paris Charles De Gaulle airport, bringing in more than 200 evacuees from Afghanistan, the armed forces ministry said. “The evacuation operations launched on Sunday evening are continuing,” the ministry…

The Launch of Australia’s Defence Data Strategy

08/19/2021
According to an article published by the Australian Department of Defence on August 4, 2021, the government has launched a new defence data strategy. The world is experiencing rapid digitisation and growth in the creation of data. The increasing connection of services to the internet is exposing vulnerabilities in global…

Indian Air Force Activates Second Rafale Squadron

08/17/2021
By India Strategic New Delhi. The Indian Air Force formally inducted the omni-role Rafale combat jet, widely described as a “game changer”, into No. 101 Squadron at Air Force Station Hasimara in Eastern Air Command (EAC) on July 28. This is the second squadron to induct the jets. Air Chief…

The French Air Evacuation Mission in Afghanistan

08/16/2021
By Pierre Tran Paris - France is flying out military transport aircraft for an evacuation of French and Afghan nationals out of Kabul, in response to security concerns in Afghanistan, Florence Parly, the French armed forces minister, said Aug. 16. “Several tens” of French nationals and “Afghans who have given…

Enabling Flexible Basing Across the Combat Chessboard: The Contribution of the CH-53K

08/16/2021
As the Marines rework how they are going to shape their way ahead with regard to the joint force and full spectrum crisis management, their ability to operate from seabasses to expeditionary bases to the wider littoral operations is a crucial contribution. With their Osprey and F-35B capabilities already providing…