2014-04-20 Marines with the Infantry Officer's Course conducted a long-range raid on San Clemente Island, Calif., March 24. The Marines were lifted approximately 70 miles off the coast of southern California by Third Marine Aircraft Wing and East Coast aircraft. The Marines also used new technology to plan before boots…
2014-04-17 The F-35 training process started at Eglin but now the Marines are moving from Eglin to Marine Air Station Beaufort with the USN taking over the USMC facilities at Eglin. At Second Line of Defense we have regularly followed the standing up of the training processes for the F-35…
2014-04-15 In a story published yesterday in the Arizona Republic, staff writer Paulin Giblin looked at the coming of the F-35 to Luke AFB. The title of his piece is appropriately: "Luke's New F-35 Redefines Warfare." Some excerpts follow: The new F-35 pilot-training program at Luke Air Force Base in…
2014-04-15 During the visit to Australia, Second Line of Defense had a chance to interview the CEO of Quickstep. In that interview, Philippe Odouard, the CEO of Quickstep, underscored how he saw the program and the participation of his company in the program. We see the program as the military…
2014-04-11 By Robbin LairdIn the video above , Brigadier Gen. John Frewen, commanding officer, 1st Brigade, Australian Army, welcomse the Marine Rotational Force Darwin or MRF-D to the Northern Territories. The Marines with MRF-D will conduct unilateral training and bilateral training with the Australian Defence Force in the Northern Territory and…
2014-03-26 By Robbin Laird Soon the USMC Darwin Rotational Force will come to Australia to train with the Australians. What might not be as obvious as the images of the cross-training is the cross modernization of the two forces. The Aussies are re-shaping their forces under the influence of new…
04/09/2014: The classic fighter import program for a country the size of Australia is to build for the domestic customer, the program ends, you do a little bit of sustainment work and then move on. With the F-35 as a global program, a domestic supplier can position itself for global…
2014-04-08 The impact of the speed and range of the Osprey is driving an opportunity to add speed and effectiveness for situational decision makers in the ground combat element flying aboard the Osprey as well. As Col. Mike Orr, the CO of VMX-22, explained in an earlier interview: It is not…