2017-06-08 By Danny Lam The successful test of an interceptor by the Missile Defense Agency May 30 caused Vice Adm. James Syring to claim that CONUS is “safe” until 2020, or at least 3 years ahead of DPRK ICBMs. Let’s begin by taking this claim at face value. VAM Syring’s…
2017-05-26 By Robbin Laird The USMC is changing significantly as it shifts from the land wars to its evolving role as the nation’s key full spectrum insertion force. An entire generation of Marines has fought ashore and become a flexible land force; with the drawdown in the land wars in…
05/28/2017: The workup for deployment by a Marine Expeditionary Unit is a phased process of preparation. The 15th MEU will be the first operational MEU deployed on the USS America, so the ability to use its new capabilities is part of the combat preparation effort. [maxgallery id="97666"] These photos credited to…
2017-05-17 By Robbin Laird A key dynamic with the shift from the land wars to shaping a 21st century combat fore is the crucial opportunity the US and its closest allies have to learn from each other thanks to the number of core weapons systems being bought at the same…
2017-05-13 By Robbin Laird The RAF is positioning itself for a triple transition. The first transition is from the Tornado to Typhoon. The second is the transition is to a fifth generation enabled air combat force. The third transition is the deployment of F-35s aboard the new Queen Elizabeth class carriers…
2017-05-17 By Robbin Laird President Trump has come to power at a time when a very flexible force able to insert from the sea and rapidly return to the sea has emerged. This USN-USMC capability has migrated beyond the classic Amphibious Ready Group-Marine Expeditionary Unit (ARG-MEU) into a very flexible…
2017-05-09 By Robbin Laird The Williams Foundation working closely with the Australian Defence Force has provided a public forum for rethinking how to reshape their defense force to deal with 21st century challenges. This is the sixth Special Report produced in cooperation with Second Line of Defense. The first report looked…
2017-05-09 During an interview at the Amberley Air Base last month with Air Commodore Lennon and the 86th Wing Commander, Group Captain Adam Williams, we discussed the evolution of the KC-30A into Tanker 2.0. One aspect of that evolution was the coming of the robotic boom. According to Air Commodore…
