Exclusive Feature – Going to Afghanistan:The Osprey Squadron Prepares

11/15/2009
[slidepress gallery='Osprey_Afghanistan'] These photos are of the VMM-263 arriving in Afghanistan. All of the squadron’s Ospreys landed at Camp Bastion, Afghanistan. It is situated northwest of Lashkar Gah, the capital of Helmand Province. "A Whole Different Animal" In an interview just prior to the deployment of the Osprey squadron from…

Shaping a Collaborative Maritime Strategy for the Pacific: The USCG Role

10/07/2009
A new approach to maritime security which provides for layered defense of the American homeland built around maritime domain awareness is viewed as a crucial effort in the United States.  To build capabilities for the new approach requires redirecting U.S. maritime capabilities away from an emphasis on overseas presence and…

The AEGIS Global Enterprise: Crafting a Global Defensive Capability

09/18/2009
[caption id="attachment_481" align="alignleft" width="214" caption="Aegis Missile Launch"][/caption] Missile defense is a global effort. It requires the global deployment of U.S. forces and the capability to connect those forces with those of its allies. Joint and coalition concepts of operations are being shaped to ensure decision makers with the options of…

The USMC and Crafting the Seabase Enterprise

09/18/2009
The USMC has become more of a land army as a consequence of the Iraq War. General Conway, the USMC Commandant, is worried the Corps is losing its expeditionary focus. Marine officers who have joined the USMC during the Iraq period are very likely NEVER to have been aboard ship.…

Shaping the Con-ops of Ground Robotics: Robotics Rodeo at Fort Hood

09/18/2009
One of the more interesting dynamics of change in concepts of operations in the years ahead will be the relationship between robotic systems and ground, air and sea operations. An excellent illustration of the thinking about operational scenarios within which ground robotic vehicles might be used in the years ahead…

The Case for New Programs in a Period of Defense Transition: The Naval UCAS Case

09/17/2009
9/17/09: The United States and its allies are in the midst of a significant financial downturn with serious consequences for defense acquisition. The “contingency operation” in Afghanistan and the “withdrawal” from Iraq both generate severe budgetary pressures and emphasize force acquisition priorities most appropriate to those operations. And the “withdrawal”…

Rethinking Maritime Littoral Operations: The Emergence of the “Enduring Littoral Presence Mission”

09/07/2009
[caption id="attachment_1185" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="LCS"][/caption] Littoral operations for US and allied navies have largely focused on warfighting as the defining element. For a "blue water" fleet like the US Navy, the littorals are the areas passed through in shaping the battle on the air and land in confronting adversaries. The…