F-35 Fleet Passes 100,000 Flight Hour Mark

07/31/2017
2017-07-31 The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II fighter aircraft fleet recently exceeded 100,000 flight hours while the F-35 Integrated Test Force teams are completing the remaining requirements in the program's System Development and Demonstration (SDD) phase.   "This 100K milestone marks a significant level of maturity for the program and the…

The Challenge of Setting in Motion US Foreign and Defense Policy Regime Change: The Perspective of Ron Maxwell

07/31/2017
2017-07-31 In a piece published on July 31, 2017 by Ron Maxwell, the writer and director of the Civil War trilogy of movies: Gettysburg, Gods and Generals, Copperhead looks at why the legacy dominates, and why new approaches remain in the wings. How Romney Loyalists Hijacked Trump’s Foreign Policy Those who…

Software Upgradeability and Combat Dominance: General Ellen Pawlikowski Looks at the Challenge

07/30/2017
2017-07-18 By Robbin Laird I have focused in several interviews on the basic shift towards building software upgradeable platforms as the base line for shaping a 21st century air enabled combat force. The strategic shift has been to develop and buy core multi-mission platforms and to modernize them through software…

USAFE Prepares for US Deployment of F-35s in Europe: Working With Allies Who are Leading the Way

07/29/2017
2017-07-22 Earlier we highlighted the key way in which allies are leading the way for the United States in standing up F-35 squadrons abroad. A key dynamic in the shift from COIN-centric land wars to a twenty-first century combat force is what the US and its closest allies will learn from each other thanks…