By Petty Officer 2nd Class Chelsea Palmer When you combine mission focus, teamwork, technical expertise, and creativity, the results are remarkable if not predictable. Training Support Vessel Squadron (TSVRON) 4 is no exception. The 70-person team comprised of four training support vessels operating under the umbrella of Carrier Strike Group…
By Robbin Laird In this article, we are highlighting photos of the MV-22 recently operating in Australia in the Northern Territory. The aircraft comes along wtih the Marines in their regular rotation to work with the ADF each year. The first photos show the Osprey participating in Pitch Black 24.…
An interview with Major Sean Timothy Penczak, Operations Officer with VMM-162 By Robbin Laird The MV-22 Osprey has come a long way since its early days as a novel tiltrotor aircraft. What began as a specialized assault platform has evolved into an incredibly versatile multi-mission aircraft capable of transforming Marine…
By Robbin Laird During my latest visit to 2nd Marine Wing, I had a chance to talk with Major General Swan, Commanding General of the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing (2nd MAW), on 29 April 2025. He offered insights into how the wing is navigating modernization while maintaining readiness for global…
By Robbin Laird I have focused since my time working with the USCG and with Rear Admiral (Retired) Gilbert, on the challenges of the Arctic opening. I wrote a good deal on this subject from 2010-2015, including highlighting the need for new icebreakers. Well that did not happen. Ed Timperlake…
The King Stallion as the latest major aviation addition to the USMC has come to MCAS Yuma in two major ways. VMX-1, the key Marine Corps operational test squadron, based at MCAS Yuma and they received their first King Stallion last June. This brought together all the key aricraft which…
By Robbin Laird The Italian Air Force leadership saw early on that the F-35 was more than a next generation aircraft – it was a whole different way to look at airpower in the digital age and enabling multi-domain airpower. They committed to the aircraft and have built a fifth-generation…
I had the privilege of visiting Norfolk in the recent past and discussing the coming of the USS Gerald R. Ford with the first commander of Ford and then the commander of Naval Air Force Atlantic, Rear Admiral “Oscar” Meier. Last month, I had the chance to visit Norfolk once…
