By Flying Officer Bronwyn Marchant Four Air Force pilots on the first F-35A Lightning II operational conversion course to be run in Australia completed their first flights at RAAF Base Williamtown on February 2. The pilots began their training in January after graduating from the Introductory Fighter Course at No.…
By Robbin Laird and Ed Timperlake Last Fall, 2nd Fleet hosted the 2020 version of Black Widow, an Atlantic-focused USW exercise. But to be completely accurate, although the term ASW is most commonly used, what we are discussing is undersea warfare. USW is an integrated fight against all undersea threats,…
The Green Knights pioneered the standup of an operational F-35 squadron. They have been operating from Japan for the past four years. Capt. Anneliese Satz, a pilot assigned to the “Green Knights” of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 121, is seen working with Japanese Air Self-Defence Force (JASDF) service members…
By Robbin Laird and Ed Timperlake The standup of C2F and Allied JFC Norfolk has occurred as allies are significantly reworking their approaches to deterrence and warfighting in the North Atlantic at the same time. It is the blend of the U.S. efforts with those of the allies which is…
By Robbin Laird Recently, the latest large deck carrier was at sea with the ITS Cavour. One could describe this as a large deck carrier at sea with a smaller carrier but that would really miss the point. From the standpoint of what we are seeing with the launch of…
By Robbin Laird and Ed Timperlake When you visit 2nd Fleet and JFC Norfolk, you are acutely aware of the key role they play in working together to build out 21st century North Atlantic defense. Vice Admiral Lewis is the head of both commands, and the two commands work closely…
By Flight Lieutenant Lain Thorn 4 March 2021 COVID-19 didn’t stop personnel from the mobile air loading team from successfully completing Operation Southern Discovery in Antarctica. The team, from the combat support group, flies cargo missions from Hobart to Antarctica on a C-17A Globemaster during the Austral summer period from…
The role of an empowered sea base in support of U.S. Middle East operations was recently demonstrated by the USN-USMC team operating off the USS Makin Island. According to a recent USMC story, “15th MEU supports Operation Inherent Resolve from Makin Island ARG.” The Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group and…
