2016-02-04 By Robbin Laird and Ed Timperlake Our visit to the Pax River Integrated Test Force (ITF) concluded with an interview with two members of the British contingent of the ITF, along with a senior U.S. test engineer — which, in itself, was a demonstration of how the ITF works as…
2016-02-04 By Ed Timperlake and Robbin Laird In a visit to Pax River on January 8, 2015, we had a chance to talk with members of the Integrated Test Team at Pax River, which includes Marines, Navy, Brits and civilians as well as contractors. This team is wringing out the…
By Robbin Laird, Ed Timperlake and Murielle Delaporte U.S. Navy’s Military Sealift Command (MSC) stands as the base of the Navy sea pyramid, providing the foundation and services that enable the warfighting ship to operate at and from the sea. Yet when it comes to the struggle for resources, the…
2016-02-04 Kenneth Maxwell In a period of profound historical change as we are undergoing, understanding is at a premium. And what might be called the “inside the beltway” phenomenon is a key barrier to shaping effective understanding and policy responses. The culture of the analysts drives the debate, not the…
01/31/2015: The Red Flag exercise is a realistic combat training exercise involving the air forces of the United States, its allies, and coalition partners. Red Flag is conducted on the vast bombing and gunnery ranges of the 2.9M acre Nevada Test and Training Range. It is one of a series of…
2016-01-22 The Russians and the French started to use cruise missiles against ISIS fixed targets starting in December. For the Russians, President Putin announced in December 2015, that Kalibr cruise missiles had been fired by the submered Rostov-on-Don submarine from the Mediterranean for the first time. He said TU-22 bombers also…
2016-01-19 It is has been difficult to shape a more integrated European force. But the European Air Transport Command is a clear success in that effort. According to a story on the Italian Ministry of Defense website publish on January 12, 2016, the earlier steps taken by Italy to work…
2016-01-17 It took awhile but finally these planes are showing up. If the Afghans as a nation are going to work together to shape a counter-insurgency and defense strategy, air power is a crucial lynchpin. This is true for multiple reasons. First, the geography of Afghanistan makes this an air-connected…