2014-10-18 By Ed Timperlake and Robbin Laird In considering the future of airpower, the inevitable return of air to air combat faces US and allied pilots. The uncontested skies of Afghanistan are not the definer of the future, but dealing with the dangers and threats from enemy defenses whether launched…
2014-10-14 By Robbin Laird It is clear that Germany is under stress from the Euro crisis, the Ukrainian crisis and the crisis in the Middle East. It is also clear that Germany needs to rebuild its defense capabilities in the face of global developments and the return of both direct…
2014-10-13 For the United States, the land wars of the past decade led to a significant redirection of its military forces and highlighting key role for the US Army and the USMC playing its ground operations role and to the support of those forces by the US Air Force and…
10/12/2014: F-35 Lightning II with Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 121 performing at the 2014 Miramar Air Show aboard Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Calif., Oct. 4. The show was noteworthy for marking both the end of an era and a beginning. The CH-46 flew at the air show at…
10/13/2014: U.S. Marines attending Weapons and Tactics Instructor (WTI) Course 1-15 conduct a Defense of the Expeditionary Airfield Two (DEAF-2) exercise which involves defending a forward arming refueling point site against simulated attackers at Bull Attack, Chocolate Mountain Aerial Gunnery Range, Calif., Oct. 03, 2014. The DEAF-2 exercise supported WTI…
10/13/2014: Second Line of Defense has followed the USS America in detail since it christening event. Now the ship has been commissioned and will prepare for its active duty role. It will do so in a troubled world, where the Marines and sailors are likely to see difficult duty in…
2014-10-10 The Australian KC-30A tanker has been an integral part of the ability of Australian forces to self-deploy from Australia to engage in operations against the ISIL. We will have an interview soon discussing this evolution of Australian capabilities and what it means for the future of the Royal Australian…
2014-10-08 By Robbin Laird The USMC is the only tiltrotar-enabled assault force in the world. The USS America has been built to facilitate this capability and will be augmented as the F-35B is added to the Ospreys, and helicopters already operating from the ship and as unmanned vehicles become a…