Whither the Eurozone?

01/03/2012
01/03/2012 - by Dr. Harald Malmgren News headlines about the European Union summit on 8-9 December declared that “Eurozone leaders agree treaty changes.”  UK Prime Minister Cameron vetoed change of the EU Treaties.  So what was really agreed? Leaders of the 17 Euro members and several other EU members agreed…

Coast Guard Stakes Its Future on National Security Cutters

01/03/2012
01/03/2012 - by Dr. Scott Truver The focal point of U.S. Coast Guard acquisition reform and recapitalization remains the National Security Cutter. The NSC is one of the Coast Guard’s major contributions to the nation’s fleet. As such, the Navy may want to look at the Legend-class cutters as a…

Last Man Standing

12/24/2011
12/24/2011 by Ed Timperlake Aerospace Daily has just reported breaking news that the GAO dismissed a bid protest by Hawker Beechcraft on their submission of the AT-6 for the light air support aircraft program--known as the LAS acquisition.  This GAO finding  is a  tribute to the USAF LAS Acquisition Team ---a Navy…

Iraq 2012: Looking Forward

12/23/2011
12/23/2011 by Richard Weitz Recently, Vice President Joe Biden made his seventh visit to Iraq as vice president and 16th visit overall. Biden spent two days in Baghdad meeting with Iraqi political leaders, then he travelled to Erbil, capital of the Kurdistan Regional Government, to meet with President Massoud Barzani.…

Beyond Putinism

12/23/2011
[caption id="attachment_12920" align="alignleft" width="150" caption=" "][/caption] By Dr. Richard Weitz 12/14/2011 - Recent Russian elections have identified several weaknesses in Russia’s political system, but not the means solve them. Russia is experiencing its own unexpected Arab Spring, though the system should survive and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin is likely to…

Pakistan-US Tensions: In Strategic Decline?

12/22/2011
[caption id="attachment_12920" align="alignleft" width="150" caption=" "][/caption] By Dr. Richard Weitz 12/22/2011 - In addition to the immediate causes of the November 26 incident, there are deeper reasons for the elevated levels of tension that have degraded Pakistani-U.S. relations during the past few years. The two countries have regularly been allies…

An Update on the US and the Arctic

12/19/2011
12/19/2011 Shortly before he was to testify before Congress with regard to the Arctic, Rear Admiral Jeffrey M. Garrett, U.S. Coast Guard (Retired) sat down with Second Line of Defense to provide our readers with an update. SLD: The icebreaker is an extremely important asset for presence in the Arctic…