2013-06-18 Colonel “Turbo” Tomassetti is retiring after a distinguished 30-year career as a USMC aviator. To both honor and to learn from “Turbo,” Second Line of Defense travelled to the 33rd Fighter Wing, where “Turbo” retired as Vice Commander. We are going to publish three articles based on the interview…
2013-06-17 By Robbin Laird At the recent Trade Media Briefing 2013, journalists who attended were given the opportunity to fly the aircraft for more than an hour. Francis Tusa, the well-known British journalist and hardly a Euro hugger, underscored what we all felt: The lack of noise within the aircraft was…
In a follow up interview with Lt. General Robling, MARFORPAC, the challenges of executing the Pivot to the Pacific were discussed. In the earlier interview, Lt. General Robling underscored the centrality of persistent presence as a core element of shaping an effective strategy and capability for the US in the…
[slidepress gallery='usmc-special-purpose-magtf'] Recently, we had a chance to speak with Brigadier General James S. O'Meara currently serves as commander, U.S. Marine Forces Europe, and deputy commander, U.S. Marine Forces Africa about the newly formed Special Purpose or SP MAGTF. https://slsp.manpower.usmc.mil/gosa/biographies/rptBiography.asp?PERSON_ID=3335&PERSON_TYPE=General To give a sense of what the SP MAGTF is…
2013-06-11 By Murielle Delaporte The revolution in logistics seen in air and maritime support for ground forces can reshape how these forces operate. The French experience in Mali provides a case in point. The French forces were requested by the Mali government to intervene to defend the capital and the southern…
2013-06-11 In some ways, the Trade Media Brief event hosted by Airbus Military (AM), this year in Seville Spain, is a pre-Paris Air Show event. This year, the A400M is a key feature for AM given its first delivery to the French Air Force with a delivery later this year…
2013-05-30 By Ed Timperlake It is now time to focus on evolving U.S. military force structure and technology in response to what Professor Paul Braken has identified in a seminal work as: “the challenge of deterrence in the second nuclear age.” We had a chance to interview Professor Braken and we…
2013-06-09 The A330MRTT built by Airbus Military is an unusual product. It can combine tanking a diversity of air platforms with the fuel carried in its wings, with significant cargo or passenger capacity as well. This multi-mission character of the plane – many things at once rather than having to…
