The First Japan-Australia Defence Industry Forum

05/17/2018
On March 6th, the Japan-Australia Public-Private Defence Industry Forum was jointly held for the first time by the Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Agency (ATLA) and the Department of Defence of Australia. In the forum, both goverments shared information with participating companies on systems and structures surrounding defense industries of their…

The Visit of the Finnish Defense Minister to Washington

05/13/2018
We have been focusing on the strengthening of Nordic defense cooperation as well as the deepening role of both the United States and the UK in that effort as well. Visits to Finland, Denmark, the UK and Norway over the past few months have generated a number of interviews about…

Northern Tier Defense and UK-Norwegian Defense Cooperation

05/04/2018
By Robbin Laird I have spent last week in Norway and visited Bodø air base as well as Ørland airbase, home of the first F-35s in Norway. This week I visited RAF Marham, the Tornado and F-35 base, and RAF Conigsby, a QRA and Typhoon base and then yesterday Portsmouth to…

The Challenges Facing Australian Defense: The Perspective of Senator Jim Molan

05/04/2018
By Robbin Laird During past visits to Australia, I have had a chance to talk with Major General (Retired) Jim Molan. The last time we talked was during my August 2017 visit and we focused on the challenge for Australia preparing for future conflicts. In that interview, he focused on…

The Strategic Shift Facing the Western Democracies: A New Special Report

04/26/2018
Since 2014, the Williams Foundation has held a series of seminars, which have looked at the nature of military transformation enabled by new platforms, new technologies and new approaches. Now, the Foundation is focusing on the new strategic context within which this force will operate and the kinds of further…

Macron, De Gaulle and Working with the Americans and the Russians

04/23/2018
President Trump has already visited Paris; now President Macron is visiting Washington. It is a difference in styles, approaches and perhaps temperament, But President Macron has arrived in the midst of crisis within France and wider one within Europe. And both have one key political accomplishment – no one expected…