Shaping a Way Ahead on Military Strategy: The Need for Strategic Coherence

04/19/2020
By Robbin Laird With a growing array of single service initiatives designed to compete for “deterrence badges” in the great power competition, there is a clear danger of splintering deterrence rather than reinforcing it. In my recent discussion with Dr. Paul Bracken, the nuclear weapons expert, underscored the key importance…

The Royal Australian Navy Works Their MH-60R ‘Romeos’ Across Their Fleet

04/19/2020
MH-60R ‘Romeo’ helicopter may not be a stealth platform, but it has become a globally used platform by the US Navy and U.S. allies and has done so in barely noticed fashion. Globally is a key aspect of a platform, even with different systems onboard common platforms, common logistics and…

NATO and the Coronavirus Crisis: An Input to Crisis Management Learning

04/18/2020
By Robbin Laird NATO and the European Union are the two European alliances which provide multi-lateral responses to crises within Europe. Clearly, a health care driven crisis such as the coronavirus crisis falls largely in the province of the individual European nations and the shared sovereignty which is delegated to…

The French Defense Minister on the Carrier Shut Down

04/17/2020
By Pierre Tran Paris - Armed forces minister Florence Parly denied April 17 media reports the captain of the Charles de Gaulle had asked for an early return to base to limit the spread of coronavirus on board the aircraft carrier. “It has been said the captain wanted to break…

Working Common Combat Systems Across the Fleet: The Case of the New Build Australian Submarine

04/17/2020
A key aspect of how the Royal Australian Navy is working integration across the fleet and shaping a way ahead for the ADF as an integrated distributed combat force is shaping commonality across its combat systems. As Vice Admiral (Retired) Tim Barrett has highlighted about the approach: “We see new…

The Coronavirus Crisis: Special Report

04/17/2020
  This special report brings together in one publication our recent pieces published on Second Line of Defense and Defense.info, since the coronavirus crisis became a significant crisis management challenge. We cover a number of topics, indicated in the Table of Contents for the Report: For the PDF version of…

Preparing for the US Navy’s Transition from the C2 to the CMV-22B: Meeting the Challenge

04/16/2020
By Robbin Laird On February 7, 2020, the US Navy officially received its first CMV-22B Osprey, the replacement for its venerable C-2 Greyhound aircraft. I attended the ceremony held at Amarillo, Texas and had a chance to talk with a number of the participants before and after the ceremony. Having…