Norway Moves Ahead with the F-35

06/15/2012
6/15/12: Norway today commenced the largest public procurement project in its history. The event was marked by Minister of Defence Espen Barth Eide authorizing the order for the first F-35A Lightning II for the Norwegian Armed Forces. The decision to move forward was reached following an extended dialogue with the…

The Why for the Norwegian F-35 Decision: The Arctic Dimension

06/15/2012
6/15/12: by Robbin Laird I personally have done quite a lot of work on Arctic security.  And in the course of working on the Arctic and dealing with Norwegians, Canadians and Danes, the F-35 and in the Norwegian case the Aegis systems came into play as well.  And in a…

Shaping a 21st Century U.S. Military

06/13/2012
6/13/12: By Robbin Laird [caption id="attachment_40496" align="alignnone" width="300"] Both the right and the left believe in realities that no longer exist. We could not do the 1991 air war today; we cannot man the oceans or provide for global presence with a maritime force operational NOW and planned for the…

Sustaining a Forward Presence: The Military Sealift Command

06/12/2012
by Robbin Laird In a series of articles for AOL Defense, I am going to look at several elements of re-shaping U.S. forces to enable an Asian pivot.  And intend to look at several neglected aspects of a sustainable power projection force for the 21st century. The U.S. can afford…

The Coming Chinese-Pakistani Threat to India

06/12/2012
6/12/12: By Robbin Laird In a recent issue of Force magazine, an Indian colleague provided an insightful analysis of a key axis point where the combined Chinese-Pakistani threat could combine to pose a significant strategic challenge to India. In their article: Can Siachen Spring the Next Surprise? Pravin Sawhney and…

Monitoring the Gulf Of Hormuz: A New Option

06/12/2012
6/12/12: We have written about the potential for the new dirigible (M1400) and its innovative sensor integration capabilities on board (Blue Devil 2). But several capabilities of this program leap off of the page. If the program was measured in a realistic manner, for example, ISR delivery equivalencies, this would…

MCAS Yuma Invests Almost $400M Prior to Arrival of F-35 Squadrons

06/12/2012
By Joyce Lobeck for the Yuma Sun Marine Corps Air Station Yuma is bustling with activity as it prepares for the November or December arrival of the first F-35B Joint Strike Fighter jets that will be based here. The first six projects are nearing completion, and work is starting on…

Israel’s Deployment of Nuclear Missiles on Subs from Germany

06/12/2012
6/12/12: The pride of the Israeli navy is rocking gently in the swells of the Mediterranean, with the silhouette of the Carmel mountain range reflected on the water's surface. To reach the Tekumah, you have to walk across a wooden jetty at the pier in the port of Haifa, and then…