The Marines are building new capabilities for force insertion which complement more traditional ways of operating. How do you insert force in various locations to hit the enemy where he isn’t? The basic concept of "hit where the enemy isn't" was well articulated in an interview, I did with the…
By Robbin Laird In my last article, I highlighted a third way one can discuss autonomous systems working with manned air systems. This third way would focus upon crafting combat clusters which work in a combined arms operation involving a manned air system with autonomous maritime systems especially working as…
By Robbin Laird In my recent interview with LtGen Heckl, Commanding General, Marine Corps Combat Development Command, and the Deputy Commandant for Combat Development and Integration, we went back to his time as the second squadron commander to have taken the Osprey into combat. He was an experienced CH-46 pilot…
By Robbin Laird I ended the last article in this series with this question: What then might be the interaction between the CH-53K and lift mobility in the evolution of the distributed force? I am going to breakdown my answer to that question in several parts. In this article, I…
By Robbin Laird As the Australian government sorts through its way ahead for the defence of Australia, the creation of a fifth-generation air force is a key element providing a foundation for innovations in the decade ahead. But it can be forgotten too quickly the central role of airpower for…
By Robbin Laird Ed Timperlake and I are working on book to be published next year on MAWTS-1, the unique USMC training center. As LtGen (Retired) Rudder has noted: "We need to avoid smoke and mirrors. The talking points from a wargame or ideas from force design planners may sound…
By Robbin Laird When I first dealt with fifth generation aircraft, I focused on how the F-22 and a relatively expansive global enterprise of F-35s would re-norm airpower, or re-set the baseline for what would be expected from the fighter element of the air combat enterprise. This was above all…
By Robbin Laird and Ed Timperlake We all know what tunnel vision is. But what is necessary for successful adaptation of a military in a dynamic situation is to be able to do trajectory vision. In other words, the ability to adapt but to do so with an eye on…
