2013-01-09 by Lt. General (Retired) David Deptula Whatever happens with sequestration, Pentagon planners are now struggling to fit the services’ myriad programs under a reduced budget topline. Advocates point to their particular project or personnel as vital to US warfighting capacity. Technologists point to new capabilities that will allow us…
2013-01-09 Recently, the Indian government announced that Airbus Military was its preferred supplier for a new tanker. We will look soon at the possible impacts of a deployed fleet of A330MRTTs on the Indian Air Force and Navy as well as the ability of the Indians to sustain power projection…
By Richard Weitz In its 2012 annual report to Congress, the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission noted rapid improvements in China’s nuclear forces. The Commission estimates that China is possibly within two years of attaining a genuine “nuclear triad,” consisting of land-based ballistic missiles, submarine-launched ballistic missiles, and air-dropped…
2013-01-04 We have just posted our latest special report of 85 pages on the USMC approach to innovation in shaping the Air Combat Element of the future. The Marines have stood up their first squadron of F-35 Bs at MCAS Yuma. But the Marine Corps approach to the aircraft is…
2013-01-04 by Robbin Laird The shift from the land wars in Iraq and Afghanistan will have a significant impact on the future of the US Army, its force structure, and approach. This will not happen over night, but the operation of large forces to control territory, to operate over significant distances…
2013-01-04 by Richard Weitz Let us review possible Army roles and approaches in the period ahead in the Pacific. The most obvious one is its role in South Korea. North Korea remains a key threat and the defense of South Korea remains a core challenge. But reform is necessary both in…
2013-01-03 The Canadians have an aging tanker fleet. They have refreshed the fleet with the addition of 2 Airbus MRTT tankers, which they bought at roughly the same time as did Germany. The Airbus A310 Multi Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) is based on the A310 airframe and the Germans along with…
2013-01-03 By Richard Weitz In discussions outside Paris, members of the Afghan Taliban insurgency met with representatives of the Afghan government and its peaceful opposition to discuss how their war might end. Although not formal negotiations, they seemed to indicate greater Taliban interest than previously in a peace treaty. Yet, they…
