By Robbin Laird During my recent visit to MAWTS-1 in April 2022, I had a chance to talk with SSgt Kyle Coutts, a specialist on fuels and providing fuel to an expeditionary force. As the Marines focus on expanding and extending their capabilities to distribute their forces to operate from…
By Robbin Laird Three representatives of the defense industry provided their perspectives on the way ahead for the networked integrated force at the Williams Foundation seminar on March 24, 2022. Those three representatives were: Tom Rowden, Vice President International Strategy and Business Development for Rotary and Mission Systems (RMS) at…
By Robbin Laird At the March 24, 2022 Williams Foundation Seminar on the networked integrated force, six ADF officers provided insights with regard to the way ahead for the ADF in building out its networked integrated force. The RAAF perspective was provided by Air Marshal Mel Hupfeld, Chief of the…
By Robbin Laird General Kenneth Wilsbach, Commander, Pacific Air Forces, is no stranger to the Williams Foundation. When the seminars held by the foundation began in 2018 focusing directly on the strategic shift from the land wars to building the resilient and longer range force for deterrence in the 21st…
By Robbin Laird In my article on meeting the challenge of contested operations and C2, I laid out the nature of the challenge and why meeting the challenge is crucial to combat effectiveness in conflict with peer competitors. I concluded that article with this characterization of the challenge: "How might…
By Robbin Laird The USMC stood up its first operational unit for the CH-53K on January 15, 2022. That unit is Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron (HMH) 461 at Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) New River, North Carolina and has been designated as the first fleet CH-53K unit. It will be…
By Robbin Laird At the end of February 2022, the German chancellor announced a new way ahead with regard to German defense and the immediacy required for upgrading German defense capabilities. Relatively shortly after that the German government announced a decision to acquire F-35s to replace their gaining Tornados, which…
By Robbin Laird I am crafting a series on mobile basing as a strategic capability for the joint force. The strategic importance of mobile basing goes up with the importance of complicating your adversaries’ targeting solutions and force projection targets. Seabasing is clearly a key part of being able to…
