By Robbin Laird and Pierre Tran The European Union’s pursuit of military and security capabilities can be seen in the Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) project, a cooperative framework for the 25 EU member states which have signed up to work together. One of the largest PESCO projects is the European…
By Robbin Laird and Pierre Tran On September 22, 2021, we had a chance to meet Army General (retired) Didier Castres and discuss the evolution of military operations and strategy under president Macron. Castres is a highly experienced staff officer who has been engaged in activities associated with crisis management…
By Robbin Laird During my visit to France in the Fall of 2021, I had a chance to talk with my old friend and colleague, Jean-Louis Gergorin. Jean-Louis is a noted European strategist with many years of experience both in government and in the private sector. We first met in…
By Robbin Laird The opportunity to attend the Defence 24 conference on Polish defense provided a significant opportunity to learn about Polish assessments of the current strategic situation and ways Poland should shape a way ahead. In addition to attending the conference, I had a chance to talk to Polish…
By Robbin Laird During my recent visit to Warsaw to attend the Defence 24 conference on Polish defense, I had a chance to talk with Dr. Robert Czulda (whose bio can be read at the end of the article). I had a chance to talk with him after the two-day…
By Pierre Tran Paris – France and Greece signed Sept. 28 a memorandum of understanding for the sale of three French frigates for defense and intervention (FDI), with an option for a fourth unit, in a deal worth some €3 billion ($3.5 billion), the armed forces ministry said. “This Tuesday…
On September 12, 2021, Japanese Defense Minister Kishi Nobuo delivered an address at the Vietnamese defense ministry during his visit to the country. He referred to China’s new law, which authorizes its coast guard to use weapons. Kishi said Japan will never be able to accept the law, which he…
By Pierre Tran Paris – Australia has paid most of the €900 million (US$1 billion) due for work on the initial design studies for the Shortfin Barracuda attack submarine, with some payment still to be made, a French defense ministry official said Sept. 21. “There remains some to be paid,”…
