The Future Combat Air System (FCAS) is a core initiative of the Macron Administration for both defense modernization and building out defense cooperation with its core Airbus allies, Germany and Spain. The Administration is committed to the modernization of their core combat fighter aircraft, the Rafale, for the next thirty…
In this report, the key themes and presentations at the April 8, 2021, Williams Foundation seminar on Next Generation Autonomous Systems are highlighted. A number of interviews with participants are included as well as insights from earlier interviews from pre-COVID visits to Australia. In addition, selected articles are included in…
As the Commander of 2nd Fleet and of JFC Norfolk put it in a recent article in The Proceedings: “In response to Russia’s military resurgence, the U.S. Navy reestablished Second Fleet (C2F) in 2018, and NATO’s North Atlantic Council announced the formal activation of Joint Force Command Norfolk (JFCNF) in…
With the launch of our defense information website (defense.info) , we introduced a micro-site on defense decisions. We wrote: “In this new section of the defense.info website, we will address U.S. and allied upcoming procurement choices and decisions. “We are focused on how platform and system choices affect the evolution…
In this special report, the findings from a recent visit to Jax Navy and to Mayport, with regard to the maritime patrol enterprise are highlighted. Interviews were conducted with the P-8, Triton, and Romeo communities. The US Navy is in the throes of a significant transition, one which is very…
Australia and the UK are located in very different parts of the world. But both face significant challenges from a regional power with global reach. And both are reshaping their militaries to face the strategic shift from the land wars to full spectrum crisis management. Each has a different trajectory…
The liberal democracies are facing a key strategic shift from a primary focus on the land wars in the Middle East to facing the challenges posed by peer competitors. The Pentagon has referred to this as the return of Great Power competition which requires a significant shift from the forces…
We have been looking at the strategic shift for the liberal democracies from a primary focus on the land wars in the Middle East to the challenge of dealing with crisis management involving peer competitors who can engage in force-on-force conflict. We have done so both with regard to the…