2013-11-10 by Robbin Laird Frequently peppering American presentations about the evolution of military strategies, approaches and capabilities are references to the central importance of coalitions and of partners. But what is not often realized is HOW fundamentally the situation has changed over the past thirty years. When coalitions and partners…
2013-11-08 By Robbin Laird Upon returning to the United States from Europe, I had a chance to reflect back on my visit to Italy and the discussions, which I had with senior officials about their approach to the F-35. I was able to do so with Rear Admiral Covella, the…
2013-11-04 By Robbin Laird The Italians were significant innovators at the beginning of the era of airpower. They continued throughout the history of airpower to innovate and with the launch of the F-35, they are proving to be innovators once again. Their facilities at Cameri provide support not only for…
2013-11-02 The Search and rescue exercise viewed in the video increases the collective interoperability between U.S. and Canada, ensuring better success in carrying out the challenging Arctic S and R mission. Units from Alaska Air National Guard, Alaska Army National Guard, U.S. Army Alaska to include multiple helicopters, multiple versions…
10/30/2013: The Zumwalt-class guided-missile destroyer DDG 1000 is floated out of dry dock at the General Dynamics Bath Iron Works shipyard. The ship, the first of three Zumwalt-class destroyers, will provide independent forward presence and deterrence, support special operations forces and operate as part of joint and combined expeditionary forces.…
2013-10-30 by Michael Skaff, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company When Col John Boyd documented the concept of the Observe-Orient-Decide-Act (OODA) loop as it pertains to tactical aviation and the energy maneuverability egg it was in an era when fighter physical performance was the dominant factor. Although there were simple fire control radars…
2013-10-26 Kazakhstan is the first member of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) to buy the Airbus Military C-295s. CIS fleets are stocked with Ukrainian and Russian airlifters, so this is unusual. Recently, Kazakhstan announced that they would buy additional C-295s, which was already envisioned in the original agreement signed…
2013-10-25 The Italian aircraft carrier ITS Cavour is the newest Italian carrier. It has been born in the age of significant evolution of carrier aviation, weaponization and the evolution of ISR systems. Its role is being shaped in part, by the dynamics of change in all of these core areas.…
