2012-08-10 On our companion site Second Line of Defense Forum, we have published an interesting piece by Al Poteet on the VA situation. As he puts it, “Warriors used to be applauded at sports stadiums. Now they are backlog.” Mr. Poteet is a former Army gunship pilot with two tours in…
2012-08-09 By Richard Weitz Now that all U.S. combat forces have left Iraq, Iranians believe that the Iraqi government will become even more cooperative on matters of importance to Tehran. Similarly, al-Maliki’s recent confrontational policies with Iraqi Sunnis and Kurds, much to the dismay of Turkey and the United States,…
2012-08-09 SLD interviewed Colonel Frédéric Gout, French Army, Commanding Officer of the French Army's 5th Combat Helicopter Regiment (5th RHC), based in Pau about the role of the 5th RHC in French operations. The interview was conducted at Pau in mid-2012. While the role of helicopters is essential in the evolution…
2012-08-09 This Fall, the first F-35B squadron will be set up and getting ready for operations in 2013. This squadron will be stood up at the Yuma Air Station in Arizona. According to a Lockheed press release: The F-35 Lightning II accomplished a significant test milestone Aug. 8 when the…
2012-08-07 by Richard Weitz Turkish analysts are well aware of Iran’s considerable influence in Iraq. Tehran disposes of several important assets in the country, including (like Turkey) geographic proximity, a newly self-conscious and empowered Shiite majority that appreciates Iran’s centrality to the Shiite faith, and influential pro-Iranian factions embedded within…
2012-08-06 by Ed Timperlake And so it begins, yet again: “President Barack Obama has signed a secret order authorizing U.S. support for rebels seeking to depose Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his government, U.S. sources familiar with the matter said. Obama's order, approved earlier this year and known as an…
2012-08-05 By Richard Weitz Turkey views Iraq as a key area of interest and influence. Turkey has several core interests in Iraq: Cultivating ties with the various Iraqi factions, Preventing terrorists from using northern Iraq as a base of operations; Balancing the influence of Iran; Securing access to Iraqi oil…
Aug. 3, 2012 by Sonu Munshi http://www.azcentral.com/community/glendale/articles/2012/08/02/20120802glendale-luke-air-force-base-f-35-jets-fall-2013.html (Excerpts) U.S. Air Force announced this week that Luke Air Force Base has landed the F-35 pilot-training mission, with jets likely arriving sometime next year….. Luke has long trained pilots and remains the world's largest F-16 training base. The jets are a common sight…
