2014-10-17 By Robbin Laird It has been a year since I first sat down with Lt. General Preziosa at his office in Rome to discuss the evolution of Italian and coalition airpower. I had a chance to both discuss with the COS of the Italian Air Force at a meeting…
2014-10-28 By Robbin Laird and Ed Timperlake Training is crucial to combat success. As Admiral Nimitz confronted the last century’s challenges he concluded a core lesson for this century’s Pacific warriors: “Having confronted the Imperial Japanese Navy’s skill, energy, persistence, and courage, Nimitz identified the key to victory: ‘training, TRAINING…
10/24/2014: Part of the Second Line of Defense team visited Fallon Naval Air Station in Nevada in October 2014. We had a chance to talk with the commanding Admiral and several of his key staff to gain an understanding of what this important training facility provides for the fleet and…
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…