2014-03-18 By Ed Timperlake A recent news event triggered some thinking about the challenges of working within constrained waters. The news event was that the USS Tuxtun was crossing the Dardanelles en route to the Black Sea. According to a Russian news source (with a video contained within of the…
2014-03-18 During a visit to PACAF at the end of February, Second Line of Defense had a chance to talk with General Hawk Carlisle and members of the PACAF staff about the evolving approach to the Pacific Area of Operations. Lift and tanking assets are key elements of the flying…
2014-03-18 While attending the Williams Foundation Seminar on Air Combat Operations: 2025 and Beyond, Dr. John Lee of the Kokoda Foundation provided a base line brief on how to understand the Chinese challenge, military and non-military to the region. The contribution of Aussie airpower and associated military capabilities was to…
2014-03-07 By Robbin Laird I have spent the past week in discussions with the staff of the US Pacific Air Forces or PACAF. I was able to sit down with Hawk Carlisle, the Commander PACAF towards the end of the week to pull a broader picture together from those conversations and…
2014-03-14 By Robbin Laird During my visit to Australia, I have had a chance to visit No. 33 Squadron, at Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Base Amberley in the state of Queensland. The Squadron operates the KC-30A Multi-Role Tanker Transport (MRTT). My mentor and guide for my day at the…
03/12/2014: A C-17 was loaded up with equipment, by airmen on JBER, to set up a mobile F-22 launch site as part of a Rapid Raptor Exercise. This exercise was used to determine weight restrictions and time limits. Video by Staff Sgt. Aaron Johnson | Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson Public Affairs …
[slidepress gallery='visiting-the-wedgetail-squadron-at-williamtown-raaf-base-australia'] 2014-03-07 The Aussies entered the 21st century with an aging Air Force. The silver lining in that difficult position is that as the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) began to modernize, they could do so within the context of new 21st century capabilities. The process really began by…
2014-03-09 By Robbin Laird It is clear that the F-35 global enterprise is a unique enabler of the entire re-set of US and allied airpower. Yet this crucial and even central reality is hardly recognized in the mounds or should one say piles of commentary on the F-35 program. And indeed,…
