2014-01-19 By Stephen Blank Ten years after the American invasion Iraq is in danger of disintegration. Its stability cannot be taken for granted or even assumed. Evidently Iraq is not far from being a failed state and Syria is already deep in the throes of protracted civil war. Both states may…
2014-01-16 During a visit to Denmark in 2011, SLD had a chance to discuss the nature of the Arctic completion or perhaps better co-opetition with Admiral Nils Wang, Commandant of the Royal Danish Defence College and former head of the Danish Navy. http://sldinfo.wpstage.net/a-danish-perspective-on-the-challenge-of-arctic-security/ Recently, Admiral Wang has coauthored a report with…
2014-01-11 By Harald Malmgren During 2013 the Eurozone financial crisis seems to have dissipated. Optimistic words spoken by high level Eurocrats asserted that the EZ economy had turned the corner and was gradually recovering, with 1.0% GDP growth likely in 2014. ECB President Draghi said repeatedly that the ECB “would do…
2014-01-09 By Robbin Laird Japanese national security strategy is in evolution. In the most recent national security strategy, the Japanese government highlighted its latest iteration of what they called earlier “dynamic defense.” In an earlier piece, I wrote about the Japanese defense white paper of 2012 and highlighted the following:…
2014-01-02 Normally, a decision by a relatively small air force to purchase combat aircraft is of significance to the competitors and not to the global market. But the decision by Brazil to purchase the new variant of Gripen comes at the juncture of several other market decisions which bring legacy…
2014-01-02 The emergence of the second nuclear age is one of the core challenges facing the US and allied forces in this decade of the 21st century. Successfully navigating these challenges is not a given, and shaping an effective response is a work in progress. During 2014, our Second Line…
2013-12-19 Shortly after the French leadership left Brazil after working hard for a Rafael deal in Brazil, the Brazilian government announced their decision: Gripen. The F-18 became a casualty of the NSA scandal – the President of Brazil did not find it amusing having had her emails read by a…
2013-12-19 By Kenneth Maxwell Brazil announced on Wednesday December 18, 20013, that it had chosen the Swedish Saab Gripen NG for its new fleet of combat jet fighters for the Brazilian Air Force. Boeing's F-18 and France's Rafale were the competitors. The announcement came less than a week after President…
