[caption id="attachment_1187" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="C-5M in Flight"][/caption] As the Obama Administration shapes the acquisition approach of the Department of Defense for the years to come, hard choices will be taken. And these choices will have significant impact both in implementing strategy and in shaping strategy for years to come. Among…
[caption id="attachment_1185" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="LCS"][/caption] Littoral operations for US and allied navies have largely focused on warfighting as the defining element. For a "blue water" fleet like the US Navy, the littorals are the areas passed through in shaping the battle on the air and land in confronting adversaries. The…
The U.S. Navy can position itself as a key element for the Obama Administration as it seeks new opportunities for global cooperation. The Administration has underscored their desire "to build partnership capacity" and to "enhance enduring relationships" among core allies. The USN has a unique global presence and works every…
[caption id="attachment_487" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Mobile Provider 08"][/caption] The USMC has been wargaming its approach to logistics as it seeks to improve its expeditionary capability. For the USMC, shaping an effective approach to expeditionary logistics is seen as central to core capabilities. During one such exercise, Mobile Provider 08, which was…
[caption id="attachment_554" align="alignleft" width="136" caption="Wargaming"][/caption] The USMC’s Log MOD-2007-2 War Game was held in Quantico in September 2007. The game was held over five days. Whereas the first game (October 2006) focused on participating in shaping the reform approach, this war game was dedicated to kicking the tires and test…
The United States Coast Guard and Navy are pursuing the creation of a national fleet to craft a common approach and develop interoperable capabilities to provide for maritime security. If this were to become a reality, what would be required and what would be entailed to make it work? The…
The military budget under President Obama and Secretary Gates is dominated by the twin themes of Afghanistan and austerity. The focus on Afghanistan is shaping the strategic perspective for the Administration’s military strategy and austerity is re-shaping the defense portfolios. The power projection forces so dependent upon proprietary military space…
The world may be flat because of globalization, but we may want not to be flattened. The trouble with analyses like Freedman's is there is a God called "Globalization" hidden away in the bowels of the earth, which creates automatic effects and benefits for something called the "global economy." Nations…
