Memorial Day Remembrance: Fighting The Right COIN With XXIst Century Tools

05/29/2010
[caption id="attachment_9270" align="alignleft" width="108" caption=" "][/caption] By John Wheeler [email protected] John Wheeler, USMA 66, served in Vietnam 1969-70 and in four tours in the Pentagon for four Presidents. He prepared the first Joint Munitions Effectiveness tables for nuclear and biological weapons which undergirded National Security Decision Memorandum 35 to forego…

The F35B Pilot’s New Helmet And DAS: A huge Leap In Air-Ground Decision-Making Sharing

05/28/2010
Re-Shaping Tactical Capabilities [caption id="attachment_9200" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Lieutenant-Colonel Dehner"][/caption] The pilot on the F-35B is really a centerpiece of what we are calling the three-dimensional warrior.  The new helmet and the interactions between the pilot and the systems on the new aircraft provide the hub for new operational capabilities. In…

The F-35 Pilot: An Interview with Test Pilot Squirt Kelly at Pax River

05/28/2010
SLD went to Pax River in April 2010 to interview several members of the Pax River test team. In this interview, Ed Timperlake and Robbin Laird talked with test pilot “Squirt” Kelly about his thoughts on the F-35 experience. [slidepress gallery='the-f-35-pilot-an-interview-with-test-pilot-squirt-kelly-at-pax-river'] SLD: You’ve been testing the helmet and the plane.…

Planning an exit strategy (II): Lessons learned in Kosovo

05/22/2010
[caption id="attachment_8874" align="alignleft" width="250" caption="General Gaviard With President Jacques Chirac After the Air Operations in Kosovo in 1999"][/caption] This is the second of a series of four articles on the subject of conflict management written by General Jean-Patrick Gaviard. General Gaviard was Commander of Air Defense and of Air Operations…

Augmenting the Capability of the Amphib: A Key Element in the Evolution of the Seabase

05/12/2010
[slidepress gallery='augmenting-the-capability-of-the-amphib-a-key-element-in-the-evolution-of-the-seabase'] In mid-March, SLD talked with Jim Strock, Director, Seabasing Integration Division, Capabilities Development Directorate, Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps Combat Development and Integration based at Quantico.  Jim Strock is one of the nation’s leading experts on seabasing and an innovative thinker with regard to the evolution of U.S. Naval…