2014-04-11 By Robbin LairdIn the video above , Brigadier Gen. John Frewen, commanding officer, 1st Brigade, Australian Army, welcomse the Marine Rotational Force Darwin or MRF-D to the Northern Territories. The Marines with MRF-D will conduct unilateral training and bilateral training with the Australian Defence Force in the Northern Territory and…
2014-04-11 By Stephen Blank In 1999 two Chinese officers published a study called “Unrestricted Warfare,” arguing that war itself had changed and that it had “morphed” into a phenomenon where the principles of war were no longer Clausewitzian, i.e. the use of armed force to compel the enemy to submit to…
2014-03-26 By Robbin Laird Soon the USMC Darwin Rotational Force will come to Australia to train with the Australians. What might not be as obvious as the images of the cross-training is the cross modernization of the two forces. The Aussies are re-shaping their forces under the influence of new…
2014-04-08 The impact of the speed and range of the Osprey is driving an opportunity to add speed and effectiveness for situational decision makers in the ground combat element flying aboard the Osprey as well. As Col. Mike Orr, the CO of VMX-22, explained in an earlier interview: It is not…
The USMC and the Distributed Laydown from Second Line of Defense 2014-04-08 By Robbin Laird I had a chance to talk with the US Marine Corps, Pacific (MARFORPAC) in late February 2014 about their major project of reshaping and repositioning their forces in the Pacific over the next decade. It is…
2014-04-06 By Robbin Laird At the Williams Foundation seminar entitle Air Combat Operations: 2025 and Beyond, Air Marshall Geoff Brown, the Chief of Staff of the Royal Australian Air Force provided a sober and challenging perspective on the way ahead. He warned that preparing for future threats and challenges was…
2014-04-11 In our new special report, Second Line of Defense looks at Australian defense modernization, notably in the air systems areas. The report is informed by a number of interviews conducted in Australia in March 2014. It is informed as well by interviews with USN, USMC, and USAF staff and commanders.…
2014-04-04 Second Line of Defense recently visited Australia and talked with a number of Australian military and scientists about the evolving approach to shaping capabilities for the defense of Australia and the emergence of a new allied approach to Pacific defense. The new tanker and Wedgetail are certainly part of the…
