By Robbin Laird The 2019 International Fighter Conference in Berlin brought together military leaders and industry representatives from nations living in the shadow of authoritarian powers. Their presentations, focused on airpower strategies for self-defense against existential threats from Russia and China, now read like a prophetic warning of conflicts to…
On July 28th, Textron Aviation Defense announced that it's proposing the Beechcraft M-346N jet trainer as a solution for the U.S. Navy's Undergraduate Jet Training System (UJTS) program. The company has partnered with Leonardo in a teaming agreement to meet the Navy's requirements for this new aircraft procurement. The M-346N…
By Robbin Laird The comfortable world of middle power diplomacy is disappearing. For decades, countries like Brazil and Australia have thrived by maintaining strategic flexibility. They are trading with multiple partners, participating in diverse institutional frameworks, and avoiding definitive alignment with any single major power. This hedging strategy worked well…
In July 2025, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth unveiled a new Pentagon drone policy, formally entitled "Unleashing U.S. Military Drone Dominance." The idea is to have a sweeping overhaul designed to accelerate the acquisition, deployment, and use of small drones across the entire U.S. military. The policy shift comes at a…
Three and a half years after Russia's full-scale invasion, Ukraine has undergone one of the most remarkable military transformations in modern history. What began as a desperate fight for survival has evolved into a sophisticated hybrid defense force that combines Western military technology with rapid domestic innovation, fundamentally reshaping how…
By Robbin Laird and Kenneth Maxwell The discourse surrounding contemporary international relations has become dominated by the phrase "great power competition," yet this framing may fundamentally mischaracterize the nature of today's global order. While policymakers and analysts frequently invoke this term to describe the strategic rivalry between the United States…
By Pierre Tran Paris - Britain and France were seen as reviving close ties between their services and arms industries, following President Emmanuel Macron meeting British Prime Minister Keir Starmer at Downing Street on July 9, the start of a three-day state visit to the U.K. Britain and France signed…
By George Galdorisi The Navy-After-Next will be a “Hybrid Fleet.” This concept was first articulated by then-CNO Admiral Michael Gilday and embraced by his successor, Admiral Lisa Franchetti. The basics of this initiative were described in the Chief of Naval Operations Force Design 2045 which called for 350 crewed ships…
