2017-10-15 By Robbin Laird During my past visits to Denmark, I have had the opportunity to talk with the current head of the Danish Royal Military Academy, Rear Admiral Nils Wang. During past discussions, we focused on the evolving Nordic Defense Zone from the Arctic to the Baltics. With the…
2017-10-15 By Robbin Laird I first met Col. Anders Rex at the Danish Airpower Conference in 2015. There he provided a significant presentation on the key focus within the Danish Air Force on how to work effectively within coalitions. Being a good coalition partner takes practice. We have a core…
2017-10-18 By Robbin Laird and Murielle Delaporte When the UK cancelled the Nimrod MRA4 program, the RAF faced a significant challenge: how to keep UK ASW and MPA skill sets alive? The UK established the seedcorn program to provide a bridge to what would become an acquisition of the P-8…
10/17/2017: A U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning II fighter aircraft lands on the flight line Oct. 12, 2017, at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska. The F-35 is here to conduct cold weather testing to ensure the fifth generation multi-role fighter aircraft performs optimally in Alaska's harsh weather conditions. And this is…
2017-10-15 By Robbin Laird With the Nordic states facing significant strategic change in their region, and a Nordic Security Zone from the Arctic to the Baltics requiring enhanced cooperation to deal with the changes, how might the Nordics best shape a way ahead? During my latest trip to Denmark, I…
2017-10-13 By Robbin Laird Earlier this year, I visited Norway and conducted a series of interviews with various Norwegian military leaders and specialists. These interviews led to the publication of a Special Report entitled: Shaping a Way Ahead for Norwegian Defense. http://sldinfo.wpstage.net/shaping-a-way-ahead-for-norwegian-defense/ During that visit I had a chance to…
2017-10-09 By Todd Miller “It’s go time!” The crew announcement snaps me from my sleep. It’s near zero hundred and we fly in dark skies over western Missouri. The anticipation amps up on FORCE 26, a 305th Air Mobility Wing (AMW) KC-10 from Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, NJ (JBMDL). I hurriedly…
2017-10-13 In October 2017, the Danish government released its proposed new five-year defense guidance and defense spending guidelines. The government was very clear about what the threats facing Denmark are, the importance of allies modernizing and working effective interdependence in the defense of the North Atlantic and beyond, and need…
