United States ISR Operations From New Base in Niger

11/07/2019
By defenceWeb Air Base 201 in Agadez, Niger. The United States Air Force (USAF) has begun intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operations from its newly constructed Air Base 201 in Agadez, Niger. US Africa Command on 1 November said ISR operations are “in support of our partner forces and international efforts…

The IDF Hosts Blue Flag 19: A Fifth Generation Enabled Air Combat Exercise

11/07/2019
The Israeli Air Force is hosting a five day exercise in the south of the country involving over one thousand personnel from four nations, the US, Germany, Italy, and Greece. The IDF's F-35s are a key part of the exercise. Currently the IAF has 14 F-35 Adir aircraft and is…

An Update on Danish Defense: September 2019

11/07/2019
The Danish Government presents a comprehensive security policy package  Military contributions in defence of Danish interests. 2019-09-06 - 14:00 Today, at a meeting in the Foreign Policy Committee, the Danish Government has consulted with the parliamentary parties about new military contributions to promote international peace and security. Minister for Foreign…

C2 and ISR Paradigm Shifts Enabling 5th Generation Maneouver: Force Integration and Augmenting Regional and Global Influence

11/05/2019
By Robbin Laird To achieve the kind of agility and decisive effect which 5th generation maneouver can achieve requires a significant re-focus on the nature of the C2 and ISR infrastructure. Such an evolved infrastructure enables the legacy and new platforms which are re-shaping capabilities for the combat force to…

The Manoeuvrist Approach: Past, Present and Future

11/03/2019
By Robbin Laird The Williams Foundation Seminar held on October 24, 2019 focused on the requirements of fifth generation manoeuvre. At this session, the focus was upon the changing nature of the regional context for Australia and how the fifth generation force needed to evolve to operate effectively in the…

An Update on Franco German Programs: UAVs, FCAS, Tanks and A400M

11/02/2019
By Pierre Tran Paris - Tough talks between industry and the French and German authorities on development cost are holding up a program launch of a medium-altitude, long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle, the French procurement chief said. Joel Barre, head of the Direction Générale de l’Armement procurement office, gave Oct. 2…

The Integrated Distributed Force and Maritime Operations

11/02/2019
By Robbin Laird During my most recent visit to Australia in October 2019, I have had the chance to visit the Chief of Navy’s Seapower Conference and to attend the latest Williams Foundation seminar. And along the way have held roundtables at the Australian National University, the RAAF’s Airpower Development…

The Next Phase of Development for Osprey Nation: From Reach to Working Effectively in an Integrated Distributed Force

10/31/2019
By Robbin Laird Recently, I had a chance to visit Naval Air Station Patuxent River and to meet with Col Matthew Kelly, who is in charge of the V-22 Joint Program Office (PMA-275). I first met “Squirt” when he was an F-35B test pilot and indeed was selected as test…