2013-06-20 We wrote earlier about the apparent lack of U.S. urgency in re-norming airpower with regard to the introduction and con-ops innovations associated with fifth generation aircraft. Now, however. the USMC, the USAF and the USN have laid down IOCs for the aircraft, which clearly reflect a sense of urgency.…
2013-06-20 by Richard Weitz The end of the Cold War confrontation between Moscow and the West simultaneously created an environment favorable for improved Russian-Western relations and established conditions that made conflict likely. On the one hand, the July 1991 dissolution of the integrated Warsaw Pact, held together by the Soviet…
2013-06-19 By Brett Davis Although they are far from being the focus, unmanned aircraft continue to be a running feature of the Paris Air Show, ranging in size from the AR.Drone Parrot to the General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Predator. France’s AR.Drone has upgraded its “dancing drones” exhibit to an outdoor…
2013-06-19 By Sgt. James Mecure AT SEA - The U.S. Marines made their first landing with an MV-22B Osprey tiltrotor helicopter aboard a Japanese Ship, June 14, 2013. The landing is significant because it provides another avenue of approach during any future humanitarian and disaster relief operations in the region.…
2013-06-18 Colonel “Turbo” Tomassetti is retiring after a distinguished 30-year career as a USMC aviator. To both honor and to learn from “Turbo,” Second Line of Defense travelled to the 33rd Fighter Wing, where “Turbo” retired as Vice Commander. We are going to publish three articles based on the interview…
2013-06-17 By Robbin Laird At the recent Trade Media Briefing 2013, journalists who attended were given the opportunity to fly the aircraft for more than an hour. Francis Tusa, the well-known British journalist and hardly a Euro hugger, underscored what we all felt: The lack of noise within the aircraft was…
2013-06-15 by Richard Weitz Why is the People’s Republic of China not a member of the Group of Eight (G-8) industrial countries, who are holding their 39th annual heads-of-state summit in Northern Ireland on June 17? China has the world’s largest population and second-largest national economy. The PRC belongs to…
In a follow up interview with Lt. General Robling, MARFORPAC, the challenges of executing the Pivot to the Pacific were discussed. In the earlier interview, Lt. General Robling underscored the centrality of persistent presence as a core element of shaping an effective strategy and capability for the US in the…
