By Richard Weitz With the death of terrorist leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi at the hands of U.S. Special Forces, the so-called Islamic State has lost critical finances, territory, and now leadership. These blows have removed several sources of the Islamic State’s attractiveness, both regionally and globally. Al-Baghdadi had uniquely sinister…
By Pierre Tran LORIENT, France - The Greek navy chief of staff was foreign guest of honor at the Oct. 24 ceremony of first cutting of steel for the frigate for defense and intervention (FDI), signaling Naval Group’s aim to help close a sale of the new French warship. Admiral…
By Robbin Laird At the recently concluded Williams Foundation Seminar held in Canberra, Australia on October 24, 2019, the series launched in 2013 to discuss the nature and impact of fifth generation force capabilities in the defense of Australia and its capabilities to work with core allies continued. At this…
By Robbin Laird It is always a pleasure to sit down and talk with Vice Admiral (Retired) Tim Barrett. I learn a lot and have a chance to clarify and crystalize what I am learning about the evolution of the Navy and the ADF going forward. This time we met…
By Robbin Laird Canberra, Australia I am currently in Australia supporting the next Williams Foundation Seminar on “Fifth Generation Maneuver Warfare.” I will be leaving next to go to Bahrain for a military conference there and will do a presentation on the shift towards a new approach to warfare by…
By Robbin Laird In the shifting narrative of Vladimir Putin as the leader of Russia, over time he has downplayed Russia’s modernization engaged with the West to shaping a Euro-Asian perspective and promoting the concept of Russia as a unique Eur-Asian power. Although the Obama Administration referred to Russia as…
In an interview with VADM Miller earlier this month in San Diego, the F-35C Wing Commander joined by phone and participated in the interview. And he provided an update on the F-35C in the Carrier Air Wing and its impact. Captain Max McCoy highlighted what one might call the forcing…
By Robbin Laird Over the past thirty years, the United States and its core allies have gone through three phases of innovation with regard to conventional forces. The first was air-land battle designed for the European theater and executed in the 1991 Iraqi War. The second was the innovations associated…
