Afghanistan, Dust Storms and Demanding Operations: The Recapitalization Bill

04/27/2014
2014-04-27 With Afghan operations drawing down, it is important to remember how challenging the Afghan enivornment is and the impact of that operational environment has been on US and allied military equipment. A recent photo from Camp Bastion is a good reminder of the demanding Afghan environment. [caption id="attachment_64851" align="alignnone"…

F-16 Pilots Train Alongside F-35 Pilots

04/25/2014
04/25/2014: F-16 pilots with the 419th and 388th Fighter Wings from Hill Air Force Base, Utah conducted air-to-air combat training alongside the F-35 Lightning II at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. This is the first time Hill F-16 pilots have trained along side the fifth generation F-35.  Hill AFB was…

The Nordics, the Russians and Defense: The Baltic and Arctic Security Convergence

04/25/2014
2014-04-25 by Robbin Laird The Russians have been map-making in Crimea.  With the Ukraine in play, close observers of Russian behavior are taking their measure of what such behavior might mean elsewhere. Clearly, an area of note is the Baltics.  With Putin’s emphasis on Russian ethnic solidarity trumping international borders,…

Africa, Defense and Development: Why A Relevant Defense Capability is Important

04/24/2014
2014-04-24 By staff writer from defenceWeb A pertinent illustration of why South Africa needs a capable and well-equipped defense force comes from a discussion by the chairman and three members of the Defence Review committee. Taking the example of South African losses suffered in the Battle for Bangui last year, Roelf…