With the coming of the F-35 to European Air Forces, a key priority is to work the training side of F-35s and fifth generation aircraft with other types of European Aircraft. This has been a key focus of attention by the European Air Group for some time, but this Fall,…
The UK and the US Marines are the major users for now for the F-35B, although the demand for enhanced operational mobility by air faces direct threats to their land bases will almost certainly lead to others joining the ranks of F-35B users. This week the UK MoD announced the…
The Saudis have been key customers for the UK with regard to Typhoon and have invested in upgrades common to their two fleets as well as benefited from British experience with maintaining the aircraft. With the agreement concluded earlier this year to buy an additional 48 Typhoons, the Saudis have…
“The high-end biennial Valiant Shield exercise kicked off in Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands on Sunday, with some of the Navy’s and Marine Corps’ most advanced platforms participating in the weeklong event. “The exercise – a high-end, U.S.-only follow-up to the large-scale multi-national Rim of the Pacific exercise every…
By Robbin Laird Australia is building an integrated force and working to extend the reach and range of that force. This is a core effort for the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force and clearly focused on dealing with challenges in the Indo-Pacific region. But what is…
By Robbin Laird The Williams Foundation seminar on joint strike and deterrence was led off by a presentation by Wing Commander Jo Brick. The WGCDR focused on looking back at the experience of the RAAF in the strike domain historically and then posing questions about the way ahead for the…
By Robbin Laird When visiting Australia, a key point of entry into the security and defense modernization process is the way the Aussies are reshaping their defense industrial base. They are a country the size of the United States with a population of just under 30 million people, with an…
By Robbin Laird The Williams Foundation seminar held on August 23, 2018 on independent strike was operating within the background of the overhanging issue, or the elephant in the room, of the second nuclear age. The question of what deterrence looks like with the rise of new nuclear powers and…
