This past March, the Dutch government released a new defence white paper. According to the MoD statement published on March 26, 2018: The Netherlands Ministry of Defence can once again have confidence in the future. After years of budget cuts, the Defence organisation is investing in its people, capabilities and…
By Robbin Laird During my visit to Norway in April 2018, I had a chance to meet with and discuss the Norwegian way ahead on airpower with Brigadier General Aage Longva, Vice Chief of the Norwegian Air Force. We met at his office at Rygge Air Station south of Oslo.…
By Robbin Laird The strategic shift is a crucial one for the liberal democracies. That strategic shift is from a primary focus on counter insurgency and stability operations to operating in a contested environment with high tempo and high intensity combat systems as a primary tool set. It is about…
With the dynamics of change underway in the Pacific, Japan has been changing its defense and security policies to provide for more focus and capability to deal with threats and challenges in the region. The latest element of the change is the new Japanese ocean policy. According to an article…
By Stephen Blank Recent Pentagon deployments display a growing realism about the Russian military threat. And the announced recreation of the II Fleet to be based at Norfolk to patrol the North Atlantic and counter the upsurge of Russian submarine and surface vessels probes there demonstrates this heightened awareness of…
By Robbin Laird Last year, I visited Norway and had a chance to discuss with senior officials their thinking about the way ahead for Norway and North Atlantic defense. The Norwegians are investing significantly in new systems, but just as importantly are re-focused on their total defense concept to ensure…
By Philip Butterworth-Hayes Time, they say, slows down the few seconds before a car crash. For close observers of the UK’s disentanglement from the European Union’s (EU) defence and security institutions, time has started to decelerate over the last few weeks. First came the reports of the Commission’s decision that…
By Murielle Delaporte Recent interviews conducted in Norfolk, Virginia, and in particular with Supreme Allied Transformation Commander (SACT) General Denis Mercier, focused on how NATO is addressing its transformation. In the wake of February’s NATO Defense ministers’ two-day meeting in Brussels and the reform of the command structure, the ACT…
