10/31/2011 - by Richard Weitz October 24, UN Day, was not marked with joyous celebrations in Turkey. The Turks we met on our trip earlier this month universally share the general critique common in many of the emerging powers -- that the United Nations is unrepresentative and, in reflecting the…
10/31/2011 During the visit to the USS Wasp on October 18th, the NAVSEA 05 Engineering Director provided an update on both the preparation for tests aboard the USS Wasp as well as a sense of test results and the relationship between the tests and the way ahead. Ansis Kalnajs, the…
10/30/2011 Aboard the USS Wasp during F-35B sea trials, Second Line of Defense had a chance to talk with Admiral Scott, Commander of Expeditionary Strike Group Two. The navy leadership aboard the WASP made it clear that V-22/F35B tandem was central to the future of the US Navy. There was…
10/28/2011 by Richard Weitz When considering South Korea and the F-35 issue, it is important to keep in mind the transformed nature of the ROK-US alliance. Its most important function is still to help protect South Korea from external attack, but it has also evolved, and should continue to do…
10/26/2011: As this rollout of a Pacific strategy for the United States in the Pacific has made clear, air power is not synonymous with the USAF. Airpower is crucial at every level of establishing presence and shaping the building blocks of scalability. Without aviation assets, the USCG cutters have very…
10/27/2011 Dear Mr. Secretary: Your tour of Asia comes at a crucial time. It is important to re-enforce the perception of American support for the defense of South Korea and Japan and other allies in the region. This is particularly important in a period where some are suggesting reckless defense…
10/26/2011 By Richard Weitz One of the few points of division we encountered among Turkish government officials and analysts was their competing views regarding future political developments in Central Asia. One group believes that Central Asia was ripe for deep political change through its own version of the Arab Spring.…
10/26/2011 Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF) crews started flight training on their first A330 MRTT with Airbus Military instructors at the Airbus Military Getafe facilities in Spain yesterday 25th October. This will allow the crews to qualify for Air Logistic Transport and Air-to-Air Refueling with pods and boom. Col Pilote…
