5/31/12: by Robbin Laird I was saddened to learn of the passing of Joe Fitchett. It is not just a loss of a friend and dialogue partner on the evolution of Europe, but the true passing of an era. Joe was in many ways the representative of a passing era.…
By Robbin Laird During the Airbus Trade Media 2012 event in Toulouse, I had a chance to sit down with Pravin Sawhney, Editor of the Indian defense magazine, Force, and to get caught up on the state of play in the Indian fighter selection process. http://www.forceindia.net/ Last year, Sawhney provided…
5/29/12: By Robbin Laird During the Airbus Military Trade Media event, I had a chance to talk with Vikramjit S. Chopra, Managing Editor of Vayu Aerospace and Defense Review about the Indian fighter competition. http://www.vayuaerospace.in/ http://www.vayuaerospace.in/images1/IAF_Strike_Mirage_2000s.pdf I asked my colleague: why did India pick the Rafale over the other Europeans…
In many ways, for critics of LCS this evolution was as inevitable as it was self-evident. As more hulls were pier-side speaking truth than PPT illuminating briefing rooms, expectations would have to change to stay inside the lines of credibility. Dreams of stopping the run and pivot to building a better…
5/25/12 Second Line of Defense has provided in depth interviews and analyses of the evolution of the sea base. With new aviation assets, these bases can be significant players in defense and security and help re-shape the concepts of operations for air, sea and land missions. [caption id="attachment_39372" align="alignleft" width="300"…
by Richard Weitz Russia and China conducted their first official bilateral naval exercise (variously referred to as “Maritime Cooperation 2012” and “Sea Interaction 2012”) from April 22-27 in the Yellow Sea near Qingdao, China. The exercise was a genuinely mixed operation, in which both countries made major contributions to the…
5/23/12 By Robbin Laird As the Euro zone is re-shaped, it will have a major effect on Europeans and defense. Defense and national forces are a key part of sovereignty and expression of what a nation believes and seeks to defend. The Euro zone countries face a major question because…
5/23/12 The Black Swan of the Arab Spring in 2011 whose effects are still unfolding coupled with the Gray Swan of an abrupt entry of Iran as a nuclear power will create a very fluid situation for the Middle East in 2012. Preparing to constrain, contain and attack anticipated Iranian…
