By Robbin Laird In a visit to Quantico, I had a chance to talk with LtGen Karsten Heckl, who serves as the Commanding General, Marine Corps Combat Development Command, and the Deputy Commandant for Combat Development and Integration. I first met him when he was Assistant Deputy Commandant for Aviation,…
By Robbin Laird During my visit to MAWTS-1 in November 2023, I had a chance several times to talk with the CO of the command, Col Eric Purcell, about the evolution of the three WTIs he has been in charge of since he took command. Because I had visited in…
In an article by John Trevithick published on November 2, 2023, the author highlighted the weapons/platform combination represented by the Devil Ray USV with the Switchblade UAV: “The U.S. Navy drone speedboat armed with Switchblade 300 loitering munitions was able to successfully destroy multiple mock targets at sea during a recent test.…
By Robbin Laird In August 2023, Deputy Secretary of Defense Hicks announced a new "replicator" project or initiative. As she said in her speech: "At DoD, we’ve already been investing in attritable autonomous systems — across the military services, DIU, the Strategic Capabilities Office, and the combatant commands themselves —…
By Robbin Laird This report focuses on MAWTS-1 in 2023. In 2023, I interviewed the CO of MAWTS-1, Col Eric Purcell, in April and then visited the command in November after the second WTI of the year. This provided a chance to discuss how MAWTS-1 had progressed in working enhanced…
By Robbin Laird With the coming of maritime autonomous systems, we are reminded once again about the importance of understanding what a technology does and does not do for an organization. If you keep the structure of the organization the same, you simply wait for the technology to be useful…
By Robbin Laird I have attended the International Fighter Conference in the past but missed this year’s offering. This year’s conference was held in Madrid, and I was interested in what was discussed at the conference as I am focused on the way ahead for Western air combat forces in…
By Robbin Laird I have focused in a series of interviews with Pierre Garant on how to leverage a new digital aircraft, the CH-53K, to shape an innovative new approach to sustainment. Clearly, technology is not enough. Organizational change enabled by technology is required and to do so in terms…
