2015-08-27 By Robbin Laird During my visit to Australia in August 2015, I had a chance to visit Royal Australian Air Force squadrons as well as interview senior RAAF officers, including the Air Commander Australia, Air Vice Marshal Turnbull. The role of the Air Vice Marshal is to command and…
2015-08-29 F-22s are flying in the Middle East. They are being joined by European based F-22s as well in Europe to work with the NATO allies. The F-22s have flown for many years in Red Flag with allies. Typhoon pilots have addressed their experience in flying with F-22 in Red…
2015-08-23 By Robbin Laird My last assignment when working at the Institute for Defense Analyses was supporting the staff for the 1995 Roles and Missions Commission. This Commission was headed by John White, who later was Deputy Secretary of Defense, and was formed to address a number of issues mandated…
2015-08-19 By Robbin Laird In my last piece based on my time with MARFORPAC and PACFLEET, I want to highlight some perspectives gained from talking with four members of the PACFLEET staff. I had a chance to talk with an learn for four senior members of the PACFLEET staff in…
2015-08-22 Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, South Carolina Two F-35B joint strike fighter jets conduct aerial maneuvers during aerial refueling training over the Atlantic Ocean, Aug. 13, 2015. The mission of Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron 501 is to conduct effective training and operations in the F-35B in coordination with…
2015-08-09 By Robbin Laird Pac Fleet operates in the largest area of operations for US forces. The immensity of the theater of operations, as well as the dynamics of change in the region, pose ongoing challenges of matching resources against tasks in protecting US interests and working closely with allies…
08/16/2015: 62nd Fighter Squadron at Luke Air Force Base accepting its first two F-35 aircraft. There will be 18 total F-35s joining the squadron over the next year. The jets will be flown by instructor pilots preparing for the first class of students in March 2016. The 62nd FS will…
2015-08-11 By Robbin Laird During my visit to PACFLEET at the end of July 2015, I had a chance to discuss the perspective of Colonel Jeffrey “Face” Hagan who is on the staff of Admiral Swift, the PACFLEET Commander. His role is to operate as link between PACFLEET and the…
