Norway’s First F-35: Shaping a Way Ahead for the Global Enterprise

10/12/2015
2015-10-08 Whether discussing the evolution of airpower in Japan, South Korea, Australia, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, or Italy, there is little question that the F-35 is seen as not only a priority but a key element for reshaping or renorming airpower. The Norwegians have made this abundantly clear as…

The New Japanese White Paper: Shaping a Way Ahead

10/12/2015
2015-10-08 The Japanese released their 2015 White Paper in July and have published an English version as well. They also released a look back at defense activities in 2014. With regard to the security environment facing Japan the judgement is direct: “The security environment surrounding Japan has become increasingly severe,…

Italian Airpower Modernization: A Discussion with the Editor of Rivista Italiana Difesa

10/09/2015
2015-10-07  By Robbin Laird During my recent trip to Italy, I had a chance to discuss with senior Italian Air Force officers the way ahead with regard to Italian airpower. The Italians, like the British, are undergoing a double transition, whereby the Eurofighter is being modernized in two ways: namely,…

Hijack for Profit: The Evolving South East Asian Piracy Model

10/08/2015
2015-10-07 By Karsten von Hoesslin,Manager of Special Projects, Risk Intelligence There are 18 networks accounted for within South East Asia and 65 upper-tier players have been identified in the author’s network analysis. Upper-tier players consist of fixers (middlemen), boarding team leaders, recruiters, forgers, so-called ‘big bosses’, and buyers. Boarding team…