At the Christening of the USS Arlington

03/26/2011
[caption id="attachment_17045" align="alignleft" width="157" caption="Ed Timperlake"][/caption] 03/26/2011 - Second Line of Defense is visiting the Ingalls Shipyards for the christening of LPD-24, the latest in the new LPD 17 series. As “Ozzie” Osborn, the former 15th MEU commander explained in a recent SLD interview, to be posted soon: We haven't…

New U.S. National Security Space Strategy

03/22/2011
New U.S. National Security Space Strategy Proposes New Partnerships By Dr. Richard Weitz 03/22/2011 - The new approach expounded in the National Security Space Strategy released by the Obama administration in early February could, if implemented, affect a number of SLD readers, including the military logistics community, industrial players, and…

Death of a Soviet Aviation Legend

03/22/2011
By Dr. Richard Weitz 03/22/2011 - The famed Russian aircraft designer Mikhail Simonov died earlier this month, at the age of 81, after a long illness. His Sukhoi fighter jets represented the best of the Soviet defense industry and continue to dominate Russia’s arms sales to foreign countries. [caption id="attachment_16879"…

The Bahrain Red Line

03/16/2011
By Dr. Harald Malmgren 03/16/2011 - Underlying political instability in Bahrain is a fundamental conflict between the Sunni Arabs and the Shi'a Arabs. Bahrain is a Red Line for all Sunni royals and Sunni business and banking leaders in the Persian Gulf. Keep in mind that Bahrain is the banking…

Getting Ever Closer

03/10/2011
Iran’s Nuclear Program Keeps on Coming By Dr. Richard Weitz Photo Credit: Natanz Uranium Enrichment Site,  http://publicintelligence.net 03/10/2011 - According to the latest information of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and other studies, Iran’s nuclear program continues to make progress despite international sanctions, cyber attacks, and other impediments. Iran…

An Update on Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense

03/10/2011
Photo Credit: SM3 Missile Launch,  http://news.cnet.com 03/10/2011 - The Obama Administration has placed significant emphasis on continuing the upgrade path for the Aegis BMD program.  By cancelling the Bush missile defense program in Europe, de facto, the Administration highlighted its commitment to Aegis as a key element for global missile…