2014-04-15 During the visit to Australia, Second Line of Defense had a chance to interview the CEO of Quickstep. In that interview, Philippe Odouard, the CEO of Quickstep, underscored how he saw the program and the participation of his company in the program. We see the program as the military…
2014-04-14 by Robbin Laird The Russians are sorting out their way forward into the 21st century. The collapse of the Soviet Union, the reunification of Germany, and the inclusion of much of the former Warsaw Pact into the European Union and NATO defined the end of the 20th century. Re-setting…
2014-04-13 Bluefin 21, Artemis autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) is shown on the deck aboard the Royal Australian Navy Australian Defense Vessel (ADV) Ocean Shield. Joint Task Force 658 is supporting Operation Southern Indian Ocean, searching for the missing Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777. Navy Media Content Services, 4/11/14 According to the manufacturer:The…
2014-04-12 More than 20 US Navy and Republic of Korea vessels, tens of air assets and more than 14,000 participating troops kicked of Exercise Ssang Yong on 27 March 2014. It is one of the largest amphibian operational exercises in Asia, with the US Navy 7th Fleet and the 3rd…
2014-04-11 By Robbin LairdIn the video above , Brigadier Gen. John Frewen, commanding officer, 1st Brigade, Australian Army, welcomse the Marine Rotational Force Darwin or MRF-D to the Northern Territories. The Marines with MRF-D will conduct unilateral training and bilateral training with the Australian Defence Force in the Northern Territory and…
2014-04-11 By Stephen Blank In 1999 two Chinese officers published a study called “Unrestricted Warfare,” arguing that war itself had changed and that it had “morphed” into a phenomenon where the principles of war were no longer Clausewitzian, i.e. the use of armed force to compel the enemy to submit to…
2014-03-26 By Robbin Laird Soon the USMC Darwin Rotational Force will come to Australia to train with the Australians. What might not be as obvious as the images of the cross-training is the cross modernization of the two forces. The Aussies are re-shaping their forces under the influence of new…
04/09/2014: The classic fighter import program for a country the size of Australia is to build for the domestic customer, the program ends, you do a little bit of sustainment work and then move on. With the F-35 as a global program, a domestic supplier can position itself for global…