Avengers and the F-35B

04/09/2018
F-35B Lighting IIs assigned to the "Avengers" of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 211 participate in a Surface Warfare Advanced Tactical Training (SWATT) exercise and Maj. Chris Brandt, F-35B pilot assigned to VMFA 211, conducts an interview on the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Essex (LHD 2) in the Pacific…

Marines, the F-35B and CENTCOM

04/08/2018
Lance Cpl. Taryn Escott, Marine Corps Forces Central Command AFB MACDILL, Fla. -- The F-35B Lightning II aircraft arrived at U.S. Central Command on MacDill Air Force Base, Fla., April 4, 2018. The purpose of the two-day visit was to inform CENTCOM senior leadership on the capabilities and limitations of…

The Surveillance and Response Group Working to Enhance the Situational Awareness and Decision Making Capabilities of the RAAF

04/08/2018
By Robbin Laird During my visit with Murielle Delaporte to RAAF Williamtown in mid-March 2018, we had a chance to meet with Air Commodore (AIRCDRE) Craig Heap the Commander of the RAAF’s Surveillance and Response Group (SRG). I have had a chance twice before to talk with AIRCDRE Heap as…

Seeking Prudent Progress Through Arms Control, Not Disarmament

04/06/2018
Richard Weitz The Trump administration is skeptical of nuclear disarmament, but supports arms control and strategic stability measures, under appropriate conditions, designed to keep state competition constrained. Specifically, the administration recognizes that arms control, along with other measures, can bolster the security of the United States, its allies, and U.S.…

African Arms Exports Down Over the Past Decade

04/05/2018
Over the last decade, African arms imports dropped by 22 per cent, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), but Algeria, Morocco and Nigeria continued to order large quantities of weapons and equipment. According to an article published by our partner defenceWeb, the trends were discussed leveraging a…

Geopolitics and Shaping a Way Ahead for the Liberal Democracies in the Pacific

04/04/2018
During the RAAF Airpower Conference, 2018, one key subject was the nature of the change geopolitical dynamics in the region and its implication for Australian and for its liberal democratic allies. The keynote address by Bilahari Kausikan Ambassador at Large at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Singapore provided a challenging…