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…

Are We In a New Nuclear Arms Race?

04/10/2018
Interview with Paul Bracken In February, the U.S. Department of Defense released the 2018 Nuclear Posture Review, a report that outlines the state of the nation’s arsenal of nuclear weapons and the threats it faces from other nuclear powers, as well as recommending policies and strategies for the future of the…

Seeking Prudent Progress Through Arms Control, Not Disarmament

04/06/2018
Richard Weitz The Trump administration is skeptical of nuclear disarmament, but supports arms control and strategic stability measures, under appropriate conditions, designed to keep state competition constrained. Specifically, the administration recognizes that arms control, along with other measures, can bolster the security of the United States, its allies, and U.S.…