An FCAS Update: August 2021

09/01/2021
By Pierre Tran Paris - The French, German and Spanish defense ministers signed yesterday their third intergovernmental agreement on work on the Future Combat Air System, covering 2021-2027, the three ministries said Aug. 31 in a joint statement. “On this occasion, they have signed the third implementing arrangement of the…

Shaping a Way Ahead for Training for the High-End Fight: The Perspective of the Former Commander of the 57th Wing, Nellis AFB

08/26/2021
I first met Brigadier General, retired, Robert Novotny at RAF Lakenheath in 2016. There we focused on the coming of the F-35 to the base after the Brits would deploy the aircraft onboard their new class of carriers. We discussed the broader implications of being able to integrated F-35s throughout…

An Update from the August 2021 Navy League Exposition: Shaping a Way Ahead for Maritime Autonomous Systems

08/25/2021
By Jack Rowley At the highest levels of U.S. intelligence and military policy documents, there is universal agreement that the United States remains at war, even after the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan have wound down. As the cost of capital platforms—especially ships and aircraft—continues to rise, the Department of…

The Taliban Shaping the Afghan Narrative: Afghanistan Goes Dark

08/24/2021
By Pierre Tran Paris - The prospect of the Taliban exercising a severe grip on Afghan society fuels fears for the rights of Afghan women, lives of journalists, and freedom of the press in a stricken nation. That grim outlook for independent reporting has led to calls for governments around…

The Next Phase of the Germany-Norwegian Submarine Program

08/24/2021
According to a July 7, 2021 story published by the Norwegian Ministry of Defence, the German-Norwegian submarine program has moved to its next phase of development. Today, the procurement agencies, Norwegian Defence Materiel Agency (NDMA) in Norway and Bundesamt für Ausrüstnung, Informationstechnik und Nutzung der Bundeswehr (BAAINBw) in Germany, signed…

France, Afghanistan, and Evacuation Dynamics

08/20/2021
By Pierre Tran Paris - A third French military flight was due to arrive in the evening of Aug. 19 at Paris Charles De Gaulle airport, bringing in more than 200 evacuees from Afghanistan, the armed forces ministry said. “The evacuation operations launched on Sunday evening are continuing,” the ministry…

The Launch of Australia’s Defence Data Strategy

08/19/2021
According to an article published by the Australian Department of Defence on August 4, 2021, the government has launched a new defence data strategy. The world is experiencing rapid digitisation and growth in the creation of data. The increasing connection of services to the internet is exposing vulnerabilities in global…