10/14/2011 By Richard Weitz Many of my questions in Turkey concerned that country’s ties with Russia. The Turkish officials we met considered their country’s relations with Russia to be their best ever. They pointed to their extensive bilateral trade, the millions of Russian tourists who visit Turkey each year, and the…
10/13/2011 - In August 2011, Second Line of Defense sat down with Vice Admiral Parker in his office Portsmouth, VA to discuss the challenges facing the USCG in the Atlantic Area. [caption id="attachment_24526" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Vice Admiral Parker During the SLD Interview (Credit: SLD)"][/caption] Vice Admiral Robert C. Parker assumed…
10/13/2011 By Richard Weitz The political turmoil in Syria is depriving Turkey’s ruling Adalet ve Kalkinma Partisi (AKP, or Justice and Development Party) of one of its most significant foreign policy achievements. Since the AKP came to power in 2002, Turkey and Syria have seen a major improvement in their…
10/12/11 by Richard Weitz Second Line of Defense was invited to send a representative on a study trip to Turkey for U.S. foreign policy specialists. The trip, which is occuring from October 7-14, included visits to Ankara, Hatay, and Istanbul and meetings with a range of government officials, academic and…
10/11/2011 - by Dr. Robbin Laird During my current visit to Europe, I have had the chance to talk with French military decision makers about the Libyan operation. I have also talked with USMC officers involved in the operation. I will first look at the French experience, then at the…
10/10/11 by Robbin Laird This week we are posting some new and highlighting some earlier postings on the Libyan operation. The operation and its impacts are hardly over. Lessons learned would be premature. But insights gleaned from the operations so far as well threats spinning out of the Libyan events…
10/4/2011 by Carlo Munoz A number of sophisticated shoulder-fired missiles looted from Libyan armories have already been smuggled out of the North African country and we don't know where they've gone, a top U.S. general said today. Africa Command chief Gen. Carter Ham said his organization picked up…
10/11/2011 U.S. and allied forces have relied significantly on various air mobility assets in Iraq and Afghanistan and protecting these assets has been crucial to mission success. Awareness of threats is a precondition for dealing with them. Coping with various manpads threats to air assets is a significant and constant…
