07/05/2011 by Robbin Laird Participating in a recent symposium, where I proposed that a core approach which would allow the US to build new capabilities, whilst saving money, would be to sell off old assets, I was characterized as proposing “missives” rather than solutions. I was then told that the…
07/03/2011 The Arctic is a key strategic area, and fundamental to the energy and resource foundation for 21st century growth. And the US is lacking core capabilities to operate in the region, but we will hold off investing in core capabilities. What seems to be missing is the Pentagon study,…
News Brief By Kirsten Ashbaugh 06/27/2011 - Russia has signed a long-expected agreement with France to buy two Mistral-class warships in a US$1.7 billion (€1.2 billion) contract. Anatoly Isaikin, director of the state-controlled arms exporter Rosoboronexport, and Patrick Boissier, president and CEO of the shipbuilder DCNS that will construct the…
A Conversation with Amir Oren Member, Editorial Board of Haaretz in Tel Aviv *** [caption id="attachment_19925" align="alignleft" width="123"] Amir Oren (Credit: click on picture)[/caption] 06/28/2011 - Amir Oren is a senior correspondent and columnist for Haaretz and a member of the newspaper's editorial board. He writes about defense and…
By Dr. Robbin Laird 06/19/2011 - The opportunity to discuss the potential impacts of Indian and Brazilian fighter competitions on the next phase of global development presented itself when I crossed paths with Reuben Johnson at the Airbus Military Trade Media event in mid-May SLD: I’m talking to Reuben Johnson,…
06/15/2011 by Robbin Laird Earlier we published a series on the Arctic built around the work of our German correspondent. As an energy analyst, our correspondent considers the Arctic a key region and has demonstrated the keen interest, which 4 of the powers with stakes in the Arctic have demonstrated. …
By Richard Weitz 06/12/2011 - The role of nuclear weapons in NATO’s defense and deterrence policies is clearly declining. The alliance’s Strategic Concept adopted last November clearly states that NATO will retain nuclear weapons as long as they exist, and that NATO wants its nuclear deterrent to be credible and…
An Interview with Gilles Kepel (Credit: http://gilleskepel.weebly.com/) 06/09/2011 - Second Line of Defense’ Robbin Laird sat down with Gilles Kepel in Paris and had a wide-ranging discussion on trends in the Middle East. At the heart of the discussion was a clear argument that any simplistic assumption that there is…
