Local Arizona TV Weighs in on the Yuma F-35 Squadron

11/21/2012
2012-11-21 Not surprisingly, the local media in Arizona covered the event while the national media was largely absent. Sen. John McCain, Gov. Jan Brewer and other officials were on hand for the special ceremony at the base. After three speeches, two of the jets landed at the base. They were…

The Focus of Russian Military Means

11/21/2012
2012-11-21 by Richard Weitz Despite the reformers’ goal of redirecting Russian strategic thought away from fighting the West to winning localized conflicts, Russia’s military doctrine and recent military exercises still identify resisting NATO aggression as a major task of the Russian armed forces. The 2010 Military Doctrine describes NATO’s growing military…

Who is the Russian Military? Muslims, Conscripts and Professionals

11/20/2012
2012-11-20 By Richard Weitz A core goal of the Serdyukov reforms was transitioning the Soviet-era mass mobilization military designed to win another global war with the West into a force optimized to fight local conflicts such as counterinsurgencies as well as participate in peacekeeping operations and counterpiracy and counterterrorist missions. This…

US Policy Toward Iran in Obama’s Second Term: In the Jet Wash?

11/20/2012
2012-11-20 by Richard Weitz In his first post-election press conference on November 14, President Obama reaffirmed interest in achieving  a diplomatic solution to the Iranian nuclear dispute since he believed the “window of opportunity” for a negotiated settlement, though closing, was still open. Obama explained that, “there should be a way…

The F-35 and High Angle of Attack Flight Testing

11/19/2012
2012-11-19 According to a Lockheed Martin Press Release: An F-35A Lightning II conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) aircraft rapidly expanded its high angle of attack (AOA) test envelope to its 50 degree limit in only four flights during recent flight testing here. F-35A test aircraft are limited to AOAs of…