By Dr. Richard Weitz 02/20/12 - A central agenda item of Vladimir Putin’s reelection campaign is his call for a “Eurasia Union” among the former Soviet republics. Although denying any effort to simply restore the Soviet Union, Putin emphasizes the value of consolidating the former republics into something like the…
SLD Coverage of Jamestown’s PLA Conference (Part 2) by Richard Weitz The conference’s second panel reviewed trends in China’s conventional force modernization. Moderator RADM Michael McDevitt, USN (Ret.), a Senior Fellow at the CNA Corporation and former head of their China program, said that how the PLA had gone about…
by Robbin Laird A time of budget constriction is a time for thinking; not shrinking from innovation. And as the U.S. shifts its strategy, post-Iraq and post-Afghanistan, highlighting agile forces, which can accelerate innovation in con-ops, training and equipment is crucial. http://www.defensenews.com/article/20110724/DEFFEAT05/107240311/Reshape-U-S-Force-Structure-Agility As Secretary Wynne has highlighted in his recent…
Second Line of Defense is offering to business and analytical community comprehensive industry reports on the global defense and security markets published by ICD Research. Topics covered include defense, security, homeland security, military markets, defense communications, soldier modernization, avionics, UAVs, precision guided munitions and defense budgets. Reports typically include market…
by Robbin Laird Inside the Beltway is sometimes like an ancient tribal festival. The high priests come out chanting a phrase of wisdom and knowledge, which connects the Volk with the ancestors in a rite of bonding. Such a phrase is “concurrency.” To show that you are an insider, you…
SLD Coverage of Jamestown’s PLA Conference (Part 1) By Richard Weitz The Jamestown Foundation held its Second Annual China Defense and Security Conference on February 16. In his opening remarks, Glen E. Howard, President of The Jamestown Foundation, rightly noted the importance of China defense developments for the United States…
02/16/2012: Earlier, we interviewed Frank Dougherty, Vice President, F-35 Production Operations provided an update on F-35 manufacturability. Dougherty has extensive experience with both the F-22 and the F-16, and has significant domain competence in what it takes to build a combat aircraft. This slideshow highlights production going on in the…
An important development in the Libyan operation was the use of the MV-22 as the Fed Ex supply link between Naval Air Station Sigonella in Italy and the USS Kersarge. In our interview with Lt. Col. Boniface, the new role for the MV-22 was underscored. [caption id="attachment_33768" align="alignleft" width="300"] (Feb.…
