2013-09-21 With the changing strategic situation in Asia, the government of the Philippines is reworking its relationship with the U.S. military. According to sources in Manila, a key consideration is the mobility, which the evolving USMC brings to the stage. As this source noted: “The Marines can move rapidly with the…
by Robbin Laird In a recent Washington Post treatment of the cancellation of the visit to Washington of the Brazilian President, the event was treated as a non-event. Indeed, it was seen almost as the action of an hysterical, desperate woman unable to get her way. But hidden in the…
2013-09-19 By Chiragov Fuad Center for Strategic Studies, Azerbaijan The international community has been staring with one eye on recent developments in Syria, North Korea, Iran and elsewhere, and with other eye on Washington. What will Washington do to deal with the evolving crises? Since the policies and strategies of…
2013-09-18 By Robbin Laird and Ed Timperlake The current Chief of Staff of the USAF has prioritized an IOC for the F-35 and the acquisition of the F-35. In Japan, he noted that: “The F-35 is flying, it is a real thing, and progress is real,” he said. Several countries, including…
2013-09-17 by Oscar Nkala and Kim Helfrich DefenceWeb US Army Africa Command (Africom) wants private contractors to move military equipment and supplies from the US to Egypt and 55 other countries within its Area of Responsibility (AOR) starting this month. This comes hard on the heels of a transport contract…
2013-09-16 By Richard Weitz The Republic of Azerbaijan is a close U.S. ally since Azerbaijanis regained their independence following the Soviet Union’s collapse. It has become a prominent role model for Muslim-majority nations seeking to manage religious and ethnic differences in a harmonious and productive manner. Thanks to its secular…
2013-09-15 In a twist of the South Korean procurement dynamic, the MOD procurement officials are excluding two of the three competitors for the next cycle of acquisition of combat aircraft for the South Korean Air Force. The Eurofighter and the F-35 are being excluded from consideration because of procedural issues…
2013-09-15 By Robbin Laird and Ed Timperlake Next month, Georgetown University is to host event honoring the memory of the late Vaclav Havel. Georgetown was one of the first places that Havel visited after coming to the U.S. in 1990, following the revolution that brought freedom to the nation. “I…
