French-Australian Cultural Challenges and the Submarine Program

05/02/2019
In an article by Andrew Greene, defense correspondent for Australia's ABC news, the author leveraged Pierre Tran's article published on Second Line of Defense to discuss the French-Australian working relationship around which a new submarine is to be designed, built and launched. The story was published on April 26, 2019,…

Opening the F-35 Flight Envelope: The Perspective of a VMFAT-501 Pilot

04/30/2019
U.S. Marine Capt. Frank Zastoupil, F-35B Lighting II pilot with Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron 501, speaks about the capabilities of the F-35B Lighting II and its participation in the 2019 Air Show aboard Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort. March 01, 2019. MCAS Beaufort holds airshows to promote the Marine…

French Navy Traverses Taiwan Straits

04/30/2019
"China’s defence ministry said on Thursday that France ‘illegally enter[ed] Chinese waters’ after the Chinese navy warned a French warship to leave the Taiwan Strait earlier this month. "China has lodged an official protest at the ‘rare move’ by the French Navy, which has reaffirmed its commitment to ‘freedom of navigation under maritime law’.…

Visiting the Warlords: An April 2019 Update from the CO of VMFAT-501

04/29/2019
By Robbin Laird During my most recent visit to 2ndMarine Air Wing, I had a chance to visit MCAS Beaufort and meet with Lt. Col. Adam Levine, the CO of VMFAT-501, otherwise known as the Warlords. As the base was busy for the airshow being held the weekend of the…

Warlords Fly at MCAS Beaufort Air Show

04/29/2019
We had a chance to attend the 2019 Beaufort MCAS Airshow on Friday, April 26, 2019. A visit the day before with the CO of the Warlords provided the framework for viewing the airshow and its star, the F-35 with its 3F software capabilities. The upgrade from the earlier version…

The 2019 Beaufort MCAS Airshow: The Warlords and the Latest F-35 on Display

04/28/2019
We had a chance to attend the 2019 Beaufort MCAS Airshow on Friday, April 26, 2019. The airshow goes through today, April 28, 2019. A visit the day before with the CO of the Warlords provided the framework for viewing the airshow and its star, the F-35 with its 3F…

Hi-Intensity Operations and Sustaining Self-Reliance

04/26/2019
The latest Williams Seminar held in Canberra on April 11, 2019 focused on the strategic shift for Australia within the context of the evolving global situation. Facing the rising challenges posed by the 21stcentury authoritarian states, and by the changing nature of alliances in the Pacific and in Europe, Australia…