The Transformation of Norwegian Defense: Germany, Norway and Submarine Acquisition

02/12/2017
2017-02-12 By Robbin Laird Last week, I attended an airpower conference sponsored by the Norwegian Air Force and held in Trondheim, Norway. The title of the conference was about the shaping of a fifth generation air force, but in reality the conference focused on multi-domain integration and defense transformation in the…

President Trump Faces First Asian Challenges: The North Korean Missile Launch

02/12/2017
2017-02-12 By Richard Weitz The target of North Korea’s ballistic missile test this weekend, though aimed at the Sea of Japan, was President Donald Trump and visiting Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who called the launch “absolutely intolerable" and demanded that Pyongyang respect all UN Security Council Resolutions prohibiting such…

New Head of the Norwegian Air Force in a Period of Significant Airpower Transition

02/11/2017
2017-01-28 The Norwegian Air Force is to have a new Chief of Staff. According to a story published on the Norwegian Ministry of Defence website on January 27, 2017, Brigadier General Tonje Skinnarland was appointed Major General and Chief of the Royal Norwegian Air Force today (CRNORAF). “Skinnarland is an…

F-35B Refueling

02/07/2017
02/07/2017: United States Marine Corps Air Traffic Control Facilities Officer Captain Joseph Ellis discusses the F-35B Lightning II refueling exercise taking place on Marine Corps Air Station Camp Pendleton, Calif., Jan. 31, 2017. (U.S. Marine Corps Video by Lance Cpl Desiree D King) CAMP PENDLETON, CA, UNITED STATES Credit:Marine Corps…

Red Flag 2017-1: The USAF, RAAF and the RAF Shape Capabilities for the Contested Battlespace

02/03/2017
2017-01-28 The fifth generation evolution of the USAF is being highlighted as F-35s from Hill and F-22s from Langley are key integrated elements for Red Flag 2017-1. Both are key parts of shaping new capabilities in the contested battlespace and are working with the RAF and the RAAF in incorporating cyber and…

Japan and Deterrence in Depth: E-2D Hawkeyes Arrive at Iwakuni

02/03/2017
2017-02-03 With all the global discussion about Trump and allies, a key development seems to have been missed -- the reinforcement of the US-Japanese relationship and the arrival of new capabilities for the extended defense of Japan and of U.S. Pacific allies. First, the F-35Bs arrived at Iwakuni earlier this…