2013-04-21 In a recent piece in The Australian, the foreign editor, Greg Sheridan, weighed in on the F-35 discussion in the Pacific. The essential argument can be simply put: You can be part of 21st century airpower or choose to drop out. The controversies about the F-35 remind me of…
2013-04-21 by Robbin Laird In researching for my participation in this summer’s B-17 event in France, I have learned many things. An interesting aspect of thinking about the B-17 as a fleet is the question of how it was supported or the logistics element. I found this story on the…
2013-04-20 Sometimes great innovations come in small packages. Such is the case with the development of a new technology to move cargo and make it available selectively to mission needs. The new SSARS technology is such a case. [caption id="attachment_52489" align="alignnone" width="300"] A USMC Combat Development Command look at the…
2013-04-19 Airbus broke ground April 8, 2013 on a final assembly facility at Mobile’s Brookley Aeroplex. The facility – dedicated solely to the production of A320 family aircraft – will employ 1,000 people at full production, deliver its first Mobile-made planes in 2016 and is expected to become the nucleus…
2013-04-18 The F-35 as a fleet is a key foundational element for the future of US power projection. The F-35 has been designed from the ground up to provide for interconnected ISR and strike capabilities which can be leveraged as a fleet to enable more effective use of U.S. and…
2013-04-18 by Robbin Laird In my second piece on reflections on the development of the B-17 and its stumbling entrance into history, I would like to focus on one of those set of historical oddities one finds while studying a subject. In this case, it is the intersection of intelligence…
2013-04-16 In the height of the Korean crisis, and the clear need for the United States to reinforce South Korea and Japan, our Chinese “allies” are attacking such efforts under the guise of the threat of the “Pivot to the Pacific.” Rather than focusing on the real and present danger from…
2013-04-16 Second Line of Defense had a chance to continue our discussions with Rear Admiral Buzby, Military Sealift Command Commander, in early April 2013. Day in and day on the oceans of the world, operating in the support of the Navy fleet in all weather, climate and sea states it…
