2013-11-22 by Robbin Laird The devastation from the Typhoon which directly struck the Philippines left in its wake a patch quilt of infrastructure from which to start a relief effort. The Marines on Okinawa, Japan because of their integrated force structure and forward location were able to go early and to…
2013-11-22 by Scott C. Truver Rear Admiral Wayne E. Meyer, the “father” of the Aegis Weapon System, often exclaimed, “There is nothing more complex than the design, engineering and construction of a warship!” That complexity is at its most extreme in the case of America’s nuclear-powered aircraft carriers (CVNs). And…
2013-11-22 With the Ospreys as a key player in the Philippine's relief, another story highlights the flexibility of the aircraft. According to a USMC story by Captain Sharon Hyland: [caption id="attachment_59966" align="alignnone" width="300"] The Senegalese Minister of the Armed Forces, Augustin Tine, and Col. Scott Benedict, commanding officer of Special-Purpose…
2013-11-22 by Robbin Laird and Ed Timperlake Dateline Los Angeles: The AFA Pacific Forum A key challenge in any major relief effort is putting together an effective infrastructure from which to support a relief effort. A massive disaster like Katrina or Typhoon Haiyan by definition destroys everything in its path…
2013-11-20 By Robbin Laird and Ed Timperlake Joseph K. Taussig, a distinguished US naval officer, on arriving in Ireland with the first American naval vessels to get to Europe after the US declaration of war in WWI stated: "We are ready now sir." The Marines based in Okinawa have demonstrated that…
11/19/2013: When doing disaster relief, professionals will tell you that time is your most precious commodity. The Osprey-KC-130J pairing bought time for the current HA/DR mission. By having the pairing, the USMC team was able to move in rapidly and prepare for the insertion of additional forces and aide teams.…
2013-11-18 by Murielle Delaporte It has been noted by some observers that the Foreign Legion and the USMC have more in common than many allied forces. This was demonstrated recently in an exercise in France where the Ospreys of the SP-MAGTF (from Spain) landed in France and exercised with the Foreign…
2013-11-18 Clearly, a key element of the evolution of 21st century maritime surveillance systems is an ability to combine space with manned and unmanned capabilities. The key is not just to know but to go to where the enforcement needs to take place. As the senior USCG Admiral in charge…
