The ARG/MEU in Transition

03/10/2013
2013-03-10 By Col Bradley Weisz, Deputy Commander ESG 2,  Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek, VA The ARG-MEU is a very flexible instrument. But as the demand side remains high, and the strategic environment evolves in the 21st century, some changes in operational art are both possible and necessary. The purpose…

The Seabase in Evolution: The Navy’s New Mobile Landing Platform

03/08/2013
2013-03-05 by Robbin Laird and Murielle Delaporte This past Saturday, we attended the christening of the latest US Navy ship at General Dynamics’s NASSCO shipyard in San Diego. Fully loaded, the new ship will displace more than 80,000 tons – yet it isn’t an aircraft carrier. Instead, the USNS Montford…

The French Operation in Mali: Intervene, Leverage and Withdraw

03/04/2013
2013-03-04 By Murielle Delaporte Editor, French magazine “Soutien Logistique Défense”( http://www.sldmag.com) and co-founder, Second Line of Defense. *** This article is based on an interview with the French forces in Mali and lessons learned from recent French operations and military training. The entire French approach is embedded in both history and…

Let’s Not Limit Our Asymmetric Advantage

02/27/2013
2013-02-27 By Dave Deptula Recently there have been multiple commentaries questioning the efficacy, legality, and appropriateness of using remotely piloted aircraft (RPA)—also referred to inaccurately as “drones.”  Many of those who embrace constraining America’s RPA operations have formed their positions as a result of two fundamental areas of misunderstanding. One…

A Good Week for the Airbus Military Tanker

02/27/2013
2013-02-27 It is a good week for the new A330MRTT tanker. At the Australian airshow this week, the Royal Australian Air Force will highlight the tanker at the Avalon air show. [caption id="attachment_51168" align="alignnone" width="300"] The RAAF has 5 new tankers. Credit Photo: Airbus Military[/caption] They have also declared the…