An Update from Eglin on the Arrival of the F-35

07/17/2011
07/17/2011 Col. Arthur Tomassetti provided an update on July 15, 2011 regarding the F-35 at Eglin, the day after the F-35A arrived as an operational aircraft at Eglin. Col. Tomassetti is the vice commander of the 33rd Fighter Wing which serves as the home to the Joint Strike Fighter Integrated…

South Sudan’s Independence

07/14/2011
07/13/2011 By Richard Weitz On July 9, the Republic of South Sudan became the world’s 193rd independent country. A moving independence ceremony, attended by many of the world’s leaders, occurred at the new country’s new national capital of Juba. In a welcome development, the Republic of Sudan, the new country’s…

Russian Bulava SLBM Will Enter Service Next Year

07/11/2011
By Dr. Richard Weitz 07/11/2011 - The recent successful launch of Russia’s RSM-56 Bulava (NATO code name SS-NX-30) Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile (SLBM) may finally mark a turning point for this troubled weapons system. On June 28, a Bulava left a submerged next-generation Borey-class submarine, the Yuri Dolgoruky, and flew…

Lessons from Broken Japanese Supply Chains

07/11/2011
07/11/2011 By Dr Harald Malmgren Some analysts are forecasting a capital spending rebound in Japan as businesses “rebuild” after the Great Earthquake of March, 2011.  I believe a new wave of Japanese corporate investment is likely – but it is not evident where such investment will take place, whether at…

How to Make USCG Modernization Unaffordable

07/08/2011
07/08/2011 Recently on AOL Defense, Michael W. Jones argued that maintenance costs are eating the modernization budgets in DOD.  Jones argues that a key need to is to buy for affordability by “smart budgeting.” Fortunately, there is a proven path forward for reducing ownership costs - while maintaining, if not…