Looking Back at Operation Tomadachi: The Key Role for the Japanese Self Defense Force

02/19/2013
2013-02-19 When the brutal Tsunami hit Japan in 2011, the devastation was significant.  The threat from leakage of the nuclear plants was ever-present.  The challenge of restoring Japan in the face of significant damage was a daunting one. Earlier we have looked at the challenge of shaping resilient organizations and the…

First F-35C Production Model Takes Flight

02/16/2013
According to a Lockheed Martin Press release: FORT WORTH, Texas, Feb. 15, 2013 [caption id="attachment_50938" align="alignnone" width="300"] CF-6 First Flight Photo by Angel DelCueto Carroll Credit: Lockheed Martin[/caption] The first Lockheed Martin production model F-35C carrier variant, known as CF-6, flew its first sortie Thursday. Upon delivery later this year,…

The Long Reach of Aegis: One Step at a Time

02/14/2013
With the North Korean nuclear weapons test a keen reminder of the challenges of the 2nd nuclear age, the need to get missile defense right is increasingly pressing. https://sldinfo.com/the-challenge-of-deterrence-in-the-second-nuclear-age-a-discussion-with-paul-bracken/ [caption id="attachment_50869" align="alignnone" width="200"] PACIFIC OCEAN (Feb. 13, 2013) A Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) Block 1A interceptor is launched from the guided-missile…

The Contribution of Maritime Patrol Aircraft to Trans-National Cooperation: The Case of the CN-235

02/13/2013
2013-02-13 Major challenges are provided to the modern state by trans-national forces, among the most powerful of which is trans-national crime. http://sldinfo.wpstage.net/emerging-alliances-for-the-21st-century-part-vii/ The bad guys can innovate more rapidly with the use of modern technology, can the states which acquire technology more slowly, and tend to be more hierarchical than a…

Adding Capability to the Evolving Seabase: The Coming of the USNS Montford Point

02/11/2013
2013-02-11 Unfortunately, the debate about the littoral combat ship, and the confusion of building a fairly limited ship with disruptive change, has obscured the real transformation at sea. The dynamics of change affecting the seabase are truly significant.  The ARG-MEU is being transformed into an expeditionary strike group. With the addition…