The Turkish Re-Set: A Cause for Concern in the West?

10/23/2011
10/22/2011 - By Franck Znaty The current US administration sees Turkey as a model to be replicated for Arab and Muslim countries.  It is viewed as a Muslim majority country within secular institutions, western ally and NATO member, with a strong economy and pro-market policies, a newly-found tight control of…

Turkey Positions for US Military Withdrawal from Iraq

10/23/2011
10/23/2011 by Richard Weitz Now that all U.S. combat troops are scheduled to withdraw from Iraq by the end of this year, Iraq’s neighbors are positioning themselves.  These neighbors are maneuvering to manage the resulting transformation in their regional security environment. [caption id="attachment_25373" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="The latest Weitz Report on…

The Libyan Air Operation: A French Perspective

10/21/2011
10/22/2011 - Second Line of Defense sat down with recently retired Lt. General Desclaux.  Desclaux’s last command was as French Commander of Air Defense and Air Operations for the French Air Force.  The General has a distinguished and comprehensive background in air operations, with significant NATO experience as well. An…

An Update on the F-35B Transition

10/18/2011
10/18/2011 Admiral Scott During the Briefing Aboard the USS Wasp on the F-35B Test Program Credit: SLD      Second Line of Defense visited Marine Corps Air Station Yuma during the first week of October and talked with the leadership and workers building the new infrastructure for the F-35 at…

The USCG San Francisco Sector: Navigating the Challenges

10/17/2011
10/17/2011: During the Second Line of Defense visit to the West Coast in late July 2011 to discuss USCG operations and challenges, a wide-ranging discussion was conducted with the San Francisco Sector.  Captain Cyndy Stowe, Sector Commander led the discussion.  Captain Bliven, Commanders Stuhlreyer, and Tama participated in the round…

Putin’s Return: Tactical Nuclear Weapons Remain Bedrock of Defense Policy?

10/17/2011
By Dr. Richard Weitz 10/17/2011 - One problem created by Vladimir Putin’s return to the Russian presidency is that it might make it harder to negotiate an agreement to reduce Russia’s large stockpile of tactical nuclear weapons (TNWs). No bilateral treaty limits the number of non-strategic nuclear weapons in the…

The Libyan Operation: Rethinking the Space Contribution in Rapid Response Operations

10/15/2011
10/15/2011 - By Dr. Robbin Laird and Dr. Alain Dupas The Libyan military operation in Libya is not yet over. It is too early for scholarly and learned lessons. But it is not too early to look at the tactical experiences and how those experiences presage changes to come. We…