The War in Afghanistan: A View from Berlin

02/28/2010
[caption id="attachment_5378" align="aligncenter" width="250" caption="The Reichtag"][/caption] In the often-parochial policy debates inside the Beltway, it is often forgotten that US actions more than words have significance for its allies.  Decisions by the Administration and Congress about key weapons programs –F-35, tanker, C-17 PBLs, etc – have decisive significance for allies…

Lieutenant-Colonel Bianca: A Situation Report on the Osprey in Afghanistan

02/21/2010
On February 9th, 2010, "Second Line of Defense"' followed up its earlier interview with the Osprey squadron just before its deployment to Afghanistan last November with a new one, this time directly from Afghanistan, with Lieutenant-Colonel Bianca, the Osprey Squadron Commander. Accompanying this interview is a slideshow of Osprey operations…

Lessons Learned: The USMC Approach to Close Air Support in Fallujah (Part Two)

02/07/2010
CAS: A CORE CONTRIBUTOR TO SUCCESSFUL INTEGRATED OPERATIONS IN FALLUJAH (Reprinted courtesy of the Marine Corps Gazette. Copyright retained by the Marine Corps Gazette) By Maj Fred H. Allison, USMCR (Ret) Maj Allison is a former Marine F–4 radar intercept officer. He earned his doctorate in history from Texas Tech…

Lessons Learned: The USMC Approach to Close Air Support in Fallujah (Part One)

01/31/2010
CAS: A CORE CONTRIBUTOR TO SUCCESSFUL INTEGRATED OPERATIONS IN FALLUJAH (Reprinted courtesy of the Marine Corps Gazette. Copyright retained by the Marine Corps Gazette) By Maj Fred H. Allison, USMCR (Ret) Maj Allison is a former Marine F–4 radar intercept officer. He earned his doctorate in history from Texas Tech…

Outgoing USCG Commandant Reviews the Challenges Facing the Coast Guard

01/18/2010
  [caption id="attachment_3737" align="alignleft" width="500"] A Coast Guard 270-foot medium-endurance cutter sits offshore of Haiti as a Coast Guard MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew patrols Haiti's coastline Jan. 13. Coast Guard personnel from across the eastern United States have deployed on Coast Guard vessels and aircraft for the earthquake relief mission…