By Robbin Laird When I attended the 2016 RAAF Airpower Conference, the main focus was upon the newly released White Paper and related documents announcing the government’s ways ahead on defense modernization. The Conference highlighted key elements for the modernization of the Australian Defence Force and the importance of shaping…
By Robbin Laird During a visit last week to the European Air Group based at High Wycombe in the UK, I had the chance to meet with the Deputy Director of the EAG, Air Commodore Robert Adang of the Royal Netherlands Air Force and got an update on their work…
2018-02-17 By Robbin Laird Helsinki, Finland My last official interview in Finland was with the former head of the Finnish Air Force and now Deputy Chief of Staff, Strategy for the Finnish Defence Forces, Lt. General Kim Jäämeri. In my discussions in Helsinki, I was increasingly persuaded that a number…
2018-02-18 By Robbin Laird This week’s Wall Street Journal Saturday essay is on the crippling consensus which has descended on American campuses with the withering of relevant debate to shaping a way ahead for the liberal democracies. In a world where universities think it is somehow acceptable to have safe…
2018-02-16 By Robbin Laird Helsinki, Finland The Finnish government is set to acquire 64 new fighter jets for its air force. This is occurring as Nordic defense is being reworked, and the Northern European states are sorting out how to deal with what the Finnish Defense Minister Jussi Niinistö has referred…
2018-02-15 By Robbin Laird Helsinki, Finland During my current visit to Helsinki, I had a chance to meet and to discuss the way ahead for Finnish defense with Janne Kuusela, Director General, Defense Policy Department of the Finnish Ministry of Defence. According to the Finnish Ministry of Defence website: The…
2018-02-14 By Robbin Laird Helsinki, Finland During my visit to Helsinki during the week of February 11, 2018, I had the chance to sit down with Matti Pesu, a research fellow at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs. https://www.fiia.fi/en/expert/matti-pesu In a paper published late last year entitled “What non-alignment? Finland’s…
2018-02-11 By Stephen Blank Although the U.S. announced late in 2017 that it would transfer Javelin anti-tank missiles to Ukraine; nobody should think that this transaction suffices or will terminate USA defense ties to Ukraine. Quite the opposite, in fact, is true. This relationship is only beginning and in the…
