“Squirt” Kelly Aboard the USS Wasp

10/31/2011
10/31/2011 In a discussion with reporters aboard the USS Wasp during F-35B shipboard trials. we caught up again with test pilot of the year "Squirt" Kelly. As readers of SLD know, we have discussed the F-35 on previous visits to Pax River. https://sldinfo.com/the-f-35-pilot/ https://sldinfo.com/test-pilot-of-the-year/ https://sldinfo.com/fly-testing-the-f-35-a-building-block-approach/ [caption id="attachment_26022" align="alignleft" width="170"] Lt.…

The Italian Carrier, the F-35B and The Future

10/31/2011
10/31/2011 by Ed Timperlake "Can't anybody here play this game?" Casey Stengel More than three months have passed since Undersecretary Robert Work’s  July 7th 2011 Memo “Navy Tactical Air (TACAIR) Portfolio Analysis-Warfighter Capability and Affordability Trades” http://www.sldforum.com/2011/08/under-secretary-of-the-navy-robert-works-july-tac-air-memo/ The memo was written while U.S. forces were engaged in combat in Operation “Odyssey…

The Impact of the F-35B On the Agile Response Group: An Interview with Admiral Scott

10/30/2011
10/30/2011  Aboard the USS Wasp during F-35B sea trials, Second Line of Defense had a chance to talk with Admiral Scott, Commander of Expeditionary Strike Group Two.  The navy leadership aboard the WASP made it clear that V-22/F35B tandem was central to the future of the US Navy.  There was…

Pacific Strategy XII: The Role of the USAF

10/27/2011
10/26/2011: As this rollout of a Pacific strategy for the United States in the Pacific has made clear, air power is not synonymous with the USAF.  Airpower is crucial at every level of establishing presence and shaping the building blocks of scalability.  Without aviation assets, the USCG cutters have very…

The Libyan Air Operation: A French Perspective

10/21/2011
10/22/2011 - Second Line of Defense sat down with recently retired Lt. General Desclaux.  Desclaux’s last command was as French Commander of Air Defense and Air Operations for the French Air Force.  The General has a distinguished and comprehensive background in air operations, with significant NATO experience as well. An…