2014-04-18 Perhaps not surprisingly, one of the best sources of good analysis of the impact of the Russian annexation of Crimea on European and global affairs is the Polish Centre for Eastern Studies (OSW). A number of recent analyses are recommended to further understanding of the dynamics of change unleashed…
2014-04-17 We have focused on the Russian intervention in Crimea as part of an overall resurgence strategy crafted by Putin. A key part of that strategy is shaping one's alliance to manage a way ahead and to deflect pressure from the West. Clearly, this is happening in shaping a proactive…
2014-04-06 By Robbin Laird After spending a week in Hawaii with the MARFORPAC staff, and the PACAF staff and the commander, and then two weeks in Australia for visits to airbases and to the Williams Foundation seminar on the evolution of air combat capabilities, I concluded my trip to the region…
2014-04-16 Clearly, the Arctic is a major area of interest for the major Arctic powers as well as global economic powers like Japan and China, who are not one of the five powers with direct claims. The gradual melting of Arctic ice is creating the beginnings of a very different strategic…
2014-04-16 by Ed Timperlake In the United States, the Korean War is sometimes referred to as “The Forgotten War,” sandwiched as it was between World War II and the Vietnam War. In South Korea, however, that conflict remains top-of-mind, as evidenced by the City of Osan’s announcement on Wednesday that…
2014-04-14 by Robbin Laird The Russians are sorting out their way forward into the 21st century. The collapse of the Soviet Union, the reunification of Germany, and the inclusion of much of the former Warsaw Pact into the European Union and NATO defined the end of the 20th century. Re-setting…
2014-03-26 By Robbin Laird Soon the USMC Darwin Rotational Force will come to Australia to train with the Australians. What might not be as obvious as the images of the cross-training is the cross modernization of the two forces. The Aussies are re-shaping their forces under the influence of new…
The USMC and the Distributed Laydown from Second Line of Defense 2014-04-08 By Robbin Laird I had a chance to talk with the US Marine Corps, Pacific (MARFORPAC) in late February 2014 about their major project of reshaping and repositioning their forces in the Pacific over the next decade. It is…
