2015-04-29 The Royal Dutch Air Force (RNLAF) has selected the F-35 as its next generation aircraft. Indeed, the Norwegians and the Dutch are both planning to be an all-fifth generation fleet. Others might join them in Europe as well in this process. The Italian and the UK Air Forces will…
2015-04-26 In his introduction to the Copenhagen Airpower Symposium on April 17, 2015 as well in his briefing on his newly released report on the lessons learned from the F-16 experience, Gary Schaub, Jr., the co-host of the Symposium, provided a number of insights with regard to the Danish experience…
2015-04-22 By Murielle Delaporte *** This article is based in part on interviews conducted last November with French and U.S. military forces based in Djibouti. Djibouti is uniquely located "near a tectonic triple junction, where three tectonic plates meet: African, Arabian and Somali," reads its geological description referring to the Red…
2015-04-22 By Robbin Laird The Littoral Combat Ship is being built and deployed. But it is neither a Frigate nor a Fast Patrol Boat, but really a hybrid that falls between the two. A concern raised by the Military Sealift Command has been the support concept as well, whereby distance…
2015-04-21 By Robbin Laird There is nothing that focuses one’s thinking about defense more than having an immediate and direct threat that is not going away anytime soon. With the Russian Ambassador threatening to use nuclear weapons against Denmark if they join the NATO missile defense network, or Russians paratrooping…
2015-04-20 By Robbin Laird During my visit to 2d MEB (Marine Expeditionary Brigade), I had the opportunity to interview Major General Richard L. Simcock II, Commanding General, 2d MEB, and Major Marcus Mainz, lead 2d MEB planner for Exercise Bold Alligator 2014, where we had a lengthy discussion regarding the…
04/21/2015: Mr. Stoltenberg visited Iceland to discuss issues at the top of NATO’s security agenda. He discussed Russia’s continued aggressive actions in Ukraine and the rise of violent extremism in the Middle East and North Africa with Icelandic Prime Minister Sigmundur, David Gunnlaugsson and Foreign Minister Gunnar Bragi Sveinsson. …
04/22/2015: The Baltic Battalion -- not to be confused with the Battalion of the same name formed in the 1990’s – is a new initiative combining Estonian, Latvia and Lithuanian forces. In 2014, the battalion began preparations for the 2016 rotation of the NATO Response Force (NRF) and is due…
