2013-05-03 As Singapore gets closer to announcing its F-35B downselect decision, it is important to underscore the key role, which Italy has played in the program and in building a carrier on which the airplane will operate. As the F-35 “club” expands, significant effects will come from the ability to work…
2013-05-03 by Richard Weitz The Navy’s Aegis-SM3 ballistic missile defense (BMD) system has become the main U.S. shield against missile attacks. It encompasses the Aegis Weapon System, the Standard Missile, and the Navy and Joint Forces Command, Control and Communication systems. In terms of regional defense, Aegis BMD can defeat…
2013-05-03 Last year, Second Line of Defense covered Bold Alligator 2012 from many angles: the French, coalition partners, the USMC, the Expeditionary Strike Group, etc. The final report we produced has been downloaded by many of our readers. https://sldinfo.com/special-report-bold-alligator-2012-and-the-future-of-the-expeditionary-strike-group/ This year’s exercise is a synthetic exercise, meaning that real world…
2013-04-28 By Robbin Laird The great thing about history is we know the outcome. Or I could put that more correctly, we think we know the outcome and we can debate how we got there or we can debate what it means, or whether history is prologue. With regard to…
2013-04-27 by Robbin Laird and Ed Timperlake We have written frequently about the F-35 and its coming role as a fleet. The plane was designed from the ground up to operate in multiple plane formations and to share data across the formation as well as with the joint and coalition…
2013-04-25 By Robbin Laird and Ed Timperlake Recently, Second Line of Defense’s Murielle Delaporte spent time with the French forces in Mali. Embedded with the forces she was able to observe the transition of those forces within Mali. Soon, Delaporte will be reporting on her look at the transition and…
2013-04-16 In the height of the Korean crisis, and the clear need for the United States to reinforce South Korea and Japan, our Chinese “allies” are attacking such efforts under the guise of the threat of the “Pivot to the Pacific.” Rather than focusing on the real and present danger from…
2013-04-16 Second Line of Defense had a chance to continue our discussions with Rear Admiral Buzby, Military Sealift Command Commander, in early April 2013. Day in and day on the oceans of the world, operating in the support of the Navy fleet in all weather, climate and sea states it…