The Chinese Belt and Road Initiative in Historic Perspective

10/27/2018
By Captain Paul E. Mawn USN (Retired) Access to and the distribution of petroleum was an underlying foundation for the Allied victory in World War II, in particular due to: Ample US hydrocarbon resources and refining capacity Close knit cooperation between the USA and the oil industry Significant expansion of…

French Ministry of Defence Launches Next-Gen Aircraft Carrier Study

10/26/2018
By Pierre Tran France has launched 18-month studies for a next-generation aircraft carrier to replace its Charles de Gaulle capital ship, Armed Forces Minister Florence Parly said. “This step, which is being launched today, is the study step,” Parly said at the Oct. 23 opening of the Euronaval trade show.…

HMS Queen Elizabeth Concludes Initial F-35B Integration Tests

10/26/2018
Second Line of Defense has followed the UK thinking, construction, and initial trials and preparation for operations by the new UK carrier, the HMS Queen Elizabeth throughout its life to date. The carrier will have a major impact on UK defense and how the forces will evolve over the next…

5th Gen Enablement and the Evolution of Airpower: The Perspective of Major General Anders Rex

10/25/2018
By Robbin Laird During my most recent visit to Denmark, I had a chance to visit Royal Danish Air Force bases in the Jutland area. This provided an opportunity to discuss the transition from an F-16 to an F-35 force as well as other changes involving connectivity and decision-making systems…

Rapid Integration as the Core Challenge: The 53rd Test and Evaluation Group Works the Challenge

10/24/2018
Recently, the head of the USAF, General Goldfein, underscored the importance of force integration to delivering effective results. Speaking at this year's Air Force Association Air Warfare symposium, General Goldfein argued: “In today’s complex global security environment, it is not the best ideas but who can act on these ideas…

Direct Defense of Norway and the Role of NATO: The Norwegian MoD Explains to the Norwegian People

10/21/2018
Recently, the Norwegian Ministry of Defence created a web page and posted a video explaining to the Norwegian population about the coming Trident Juncture exercise and what the core focus of Norwegian defense unfolding in the current period. What follows is our translation (with apologies to our Norwegian friends) of…

Trident Juncture 2018: The Marines and the Initial Phase

10/21/2018
Around 90 US Marines from the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit landed at Keflavík on Wednesday (17 October 2018), marking the initial phase of NATO’s Exercise Trident Juncture 2018 in Iceland. The main phase of Trident Juncture will start in Norway on October 25. Arriving by MV-22 Osprey and CH-53 Sea…