Knowing You Better and Liking You Less: South Korea and China

04/13/2012
A key element of the evolving Asian situation is the relationships among the Asians themselves which has little to do with the United States.  Unfortunately, Inside the Beltway usually debates the US approach to China as if it is the only or even key definer of reality in the Pacific. …

How to build a Nike perspective for rebuilding the post-Afghanistan US military?

04/13/2012
The Nike perspective – Just Do It – is the appropriate perspective to re-building the US military after Afghanistan.  Make no bones about it, a major cultural shift and re-orientation is required. One can take the approach of debating at 50,000 feet whilst doing nothing practical to rebuild the force,…

China: Hard Landing and Turbulent Political Transition?

04/13/2012
By. Dr. Harald Malmgren China’s exports of high labor content, low value added manufactures are no longer internationally competitive. A shift in export orientation to lower labor content, higher value added manufactured exports will take time measured in years.  A shift in export priority to infrastructure projects in the Third…

Super Tucano, the US and the Global Fighter Market

04/13/2012
by Francis Tusa One has to assume that Boeing is shaking its corporate head in dismay, as its chances of a deal to sell the F/A-18E/F to Brazil took a nose dive. The key thing that has affected the aircraft’s chances has been the abrupt cancellation of the deal for…

The Tail Waging the Dog: Or How Logistics Support to Afghanistan Gets Harder

04/11/2012
4/11/12 by Richard Weitz The Strategic Warning from Astana, Kazakhstan. The logistics trail to Afghanistan is long and costly.  The role of Pakistan and Kazakhstan is crucial in providing the “highway” to support Afghan operations.  But both nodes are in trouble. The problems dividing the United States from Afghanistan and…

Another North Korean Missile Launch: How to Prepare for Realistic Strategic Deterrence?

04/11/2012
by Ed Timperlake Current realities show the pressure of global dynamics, not wishful thinking, upon defense policies.  As the North Koreans prepare to launch yet another missile, the U.S. and the Japanese are deploying forces to monitor and to defend if necessary. For what is the difference between a test…

The F-35 as a “Flying Sensor Fusion Engine”: Positioning the Fleet for “Tron” Warfare

04/09/2012
By Ed Timperlake The F-35 is often simply referred to as a tactical aircraft, and a replacement for 4th generation or legacy aircraft.  It is really something quite different. It represents a dramatic shift from the past.  For the first time in history, individual F-35 pilots –A, B or C…