Seeking Prudent Progress Through Arms Control, Not Disarmament

04/06/2018
Richard Weitz The Trump administration is skeptical of nuclear disarmament, but supports arms control and strategic stability measures, under appropriate conditions, designed to keep state competition constrained. Specifically, the administration recognizes that arms control, along with other measures, can bolster the security of the United States, its allies, and U.S.…

African Arms Exports Down Over the Past Decade

04/05/2018
Over the last decade, African arms imports dropped by 22 per cent, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), but Algeria, Morocco and Nigeria continued to order large quantities of weapons and equipment. According to an article published by our partner defenceWeb, the trends were discussed leveraging a…

The Centrality of Missile Defense as Part of a 21st Century Deterrent Force

04/05/2018
By Richard Weitz The newly enacted FY2018 Omnibus Appropriations Bill provides urgently needed funding for U.S. defense priorities. The spending package signed by President Trump supports fighting terrorism, rebuilding the U.S. Navy, developing next-generation capabilities to manage emerging challenges, and protecting Americans from immediate threats. North Korea’s emerging nuclear missile…

Geopolitics and Shaping a Way Ahead for the Liberal Democracies in the Pacific

04/04/2018
During the RAAF Airpower Conference, 2018, one key subject was the nature of the change geopolitical dynamics in the region and its implication for Australian and for its liberal democratic allies. The keynote address by Bilahari Kausikan Ambassador at Large at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Singapore provided a challenging…

Working the Integrated Fires Mission at Fort Sill

04/04/2018
Fort Sill, Oklahoma The Second Line of Defense team is currently visiting Fort Sill to learn about the evolving approach to the Army's Air Defense mission. In February, an article published by Fort Sill highlighted the evolving mission set encompassed by the focus on integrated fires, reflecting the drive to…

Trump’s Nuclear Posture Review: More Continuity Than Change

04/04/2018
By Richard Weitz In think tank meetings and congressional hearings, the Trump administration have explained that its Nuclear Posture Review (NPR) aligns with the general post-Cold War consensus that the United States will possess nuclear weapons that are safe, secure, and usable but never actually used. It follows all recent…

Debut of Republic of Korea’s First F-35A

04/01/2018
South Korea is the ninth country to get the F-35. An article by Nick Zazulia published on March 28, 2018, underscored the South Korean perception of the importance of receiving the aircraft to their defense efforts. Korean ministers, generals and pilots and American legislators all (sang) the F-35's praises and…