By Robbin Laird Last year during my visit to Norway, I had a chance to visit several airbases and talk with a wide variety of Norwegian officers and defense officials. With the return of direct defense challenges to the Nordics, there has been a major shift to recapitalizing the force,…
We have written a number of pieces looking at the impact of Brexit on European defense and will continue to do so. We believe the impact is significant in many way from a negative perspective, but provides significant openings as well if military and political leaders in Europe focus on…
By Robbin Laird During my visit to Germany in February 2019, I had a chance to talk with a number of retired senior Bundeswehr officers and procurement officials. My focus is upon the challenge facing the US and its NATO allies to rebuild their forces to be able to have…
By Robbin Laird For the last three years, I have traveled extensively in Northern Europe to discuss the Russian challenge and the return of direct defense. During a visit to Germany in February 2019, I am visiting Germany to discuss with German experts and retired senior German military, their assessments…
According to a story on the Finnish Ministry of Defence website, the Finns are procuring new counter-battery radars. The Defence Forces’ Logistic Command has received a mandate, on 11.1.2019, from Minister of Defence Jussi Niinistö to procure counter-battery radars for the Defence Forces. The radar systems, training for the systems…
In the latest Strategic Insights Report, we address the question of the way ahead with regard to a European Future Combat Air System. As part of the revival of the Franco-German working relationship, the two governments have proposed to shape a future combat air system to replace both the Rafale…
The first 2 Dutch MQ-9 crews, hailing from the Royal Netherlands Air Force, made their first flights with the unmanned aircraft in the Unites States. The 306 Squadron at Leeuwarden Air Base is expected to begin operations with its own Reaper capability in 2020.
By Robbin Laird A decade ago I was present at the creation of the Osprey nation and did many interviews and visits as the aircraft was stood up and supported in operations. It was such a different aircraft from the CH-46 that the maintainers with whom I met a decade…
