C2 and Fleet Innovation in the North Atlantic

05/06/2021
By Robbin Laird and Ed Timperlake With the standing up of Second Fleet in 2018, the stand up of Allied Joint Forces Command and the incorporation of the NATO Centre -- Combined Joint Operations from the Sea – it is clear that Vice Admiral Lewis, who oversees all of this,…

II MEF Marines Prepare for the High-End Fight: MEFEX 21.1 and Dynamic Cape 21

05/03/2021
By Robbin Laird During a visit to Camp Lejeune during the last week of April 2021, I had a chance to talk and interview the IIMEF leadership team. They had just concluded a major exercise, Dynamic Cape 21, which I will highlight in some of those in the forthcoming published…

The Mid-Atlantic Tech Bridge and Second Fleet

05/02/2021
By Robbin Laird and Ed Timperlake During our visit to Norfolk in March 2021, we had a chance to meet with CDR Bobby Hanvey, Executive Director of the Mid-Atlantic Tech Bridge. The US Navy has set up a number of Tech Bridges to foster greater collaboration with the private sector…

The Navy Re-Focuses on the High-End Fight: What Implications for the Navy Reserves?

04/26/2021
By Robbin Laird and Ed Timperlake In working on our book for USNI press, we have focused on how the U.S. Navy is reworking its approaches to shape new capabilities for the high-end fight. Obviously, a refocus from a two-decade primary role in supporting land wars to a return to…

An Update on the USS Gerald R. Ford, April 2021

04/25/2021
ATLANTIC OCEAN – Sailors aboard the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) successfully completed Combat Systems Ship’s Qualification Trials (CSSQT) April 17, representing a major milestone in validating the ship’s capability to defend itself and the crew. The trials, which commenced in February, consisted of five phases. The completion…

Arctic Gold 21-2: Working Fifth Gen Agile Combat Operations

04/22/2021
The Arctic Gold 21-2 exercise is working the USAF's approach to what the Navy call distributed operations. During the exercise this month, airmen are practicing Agile Combat Employment capabilities. These capabilities allow them to work dislocated operations and to still generated integrated combat power. In other words, they are working…

Working Air-Sea Integration: The UK and Netherlands Shape a Way Ahead

04/21/2021
The Dutch and UK Marines operate as a fully integrated force. With the coming of the new UK Queen Elizabeth carriers, there are expanded opportunities for air-sea integration as well. According to a March 31, 2021 UK Ministry of Defence story, the UK Carrier strike group will integrate a Dutch…

Next Generation Autonomous Systems: An Australian Perspective

04/13/2021
On April 8, 2021, the Williams Foundation held its latest seminar, one that was originally scheduled for March 2020. It was an in person conference for Australians, but we will be highlight the seminar in a report on the conference as well as providing presentations as well as interviews with…