2012-09-30 By Richard Weitz During the Cold War, the core bargain was that the United States would defend Japan against external attack while the Japanese government would contribute to its immediate self-defense and offer generous financial and other support, including hosting U.S. military facilities on Japanese territory. American strategists consider…
2012-09-30 By Richard Weitz Although the Japanese-U.S. security relationship has evolved considerably since the end of the Cold War, the fundamental bargain enshrined in their mutual security treaty has remained. The United States will defend Japan from external aggression while the Japanese will facilitate this process by hosting U.S. military…
2012-09-29 In an interview with Second Line of Defense, the highest ranking Marine in the Pacific discussed the challenges facing the United States as it reset policies in the Pacific. In the interview,Lt. General Terry “Guts” Robling, Commander, USMC Forces Pacific, focused on the key contribution of the USN-USMC team…
2012-09-29 By Robbin Laird As the United States and its allies deal with the various challenges in the Pacific, including enhanced PRC capabilities and assertiveness, geography has a significant impact. As Robert Kaplan has recently underscored, geography remains significant as an explainer for the world’s conflicts as well as bounding…
Camp Bastion perimeter security was being provided by the UK the evening of the attack. And the Taliban attack itself is detailed in a BBC story which is well worth reading. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-19704620 According to this story: Bastion is one of the biggest camps in Afghanistan - its perimeter is 37km…
2012-09-25 Richard Weitz has brought the following interview to the attention of the Second Line of Defense team. In this interview, a Chinese expert underscores the potential impact of the first Chinese aircraft carrier on PRC operations in the Pacific. Naval expert Li Jie said that China's first aircraft carrier,…
2012-09-24 by Ed Timperlake It was a warm early Fall evening at Dover AFC as a C-17, Globemaster III, landed carrying four American sons. Two Army and two Marines, united in death having given everything they had to support and defend our Constitution. All four were lost in Operation Enduring…
2012-09-23 In a continuing dialogue with Lt. Col. Boniface, VMM 266 Commanding Officer, we talked about the future. Where was the Osprey going in terms of Marine Corps operations and what challenges needed to be met to get best value operationally from what this transformational aircraft brings to the fight.…