The return of the Russians to a position of directly threatening Europe is not a return to the Cold War. Not only is Russia, not the Soviet Union with the Warsaw Pact, but the threat being posed is considerably different. Analysts have focused on the hybrid threat whereby Russia uses…
In article published by Australian Defence and Business Review on their January-February 2019 issue, Andrew McLaughlin provided a look at how to think about the F-35 and its modernization process. The original title: “Building Data: Inside the RAAF’s F-35 Mission Data Programming Capability” So, the first F-35s are here, the…
During a visit to RAF Lossiemouth in June 2016, Second Line of Defense visits the Quick Reaction Alert team based there. We focused on the question of the nature of the pyramid necessary to launch QRA ready aircraft. https://sldinfo.com/royal-air-force-operations-and-evolving-concepts-of-operations-shaping-a-triple-transition/ When I visited RAF Lossiemouth in June 2016, I had a…
By Ed Timperlake Operation Chastise was the brilliant merging of weapon research and engineering with the undaunted courage of Royal Air Force Number 617 Squadron, forevermore known as the Dambusters. In order to attack the industrial might of Germany the RAF and a brilliant scientist worked together to develop a…
By Marcus Hellyer Yesterday (April 29, 2019) from the election campaign trail in Western Australia, Prime Minister Scott Morrison made some naval shipbuilding announcements relating to the Royal Australian Navy’s mine-clearing and hydrographic capabilities. Speaking from the Henderson shipyard south of Perth, he announced that more ships would be built…
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,…
By Brian Morra The time has come to create a separate armed service for space. The urgent nature of the threat to our commercial, civil, and military space enterprise means that it is time to create a service that organizes, trains, and equips a military service to integrate space power.…
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…
