According to an article released by the US Navy and written by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Morgan K. Nall, the USS Preble and INS Tarkash operated together and exchanged crew this month during an exercise. Units of the Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group sailed in formation with the Indian…
By Robbin Laird The European Air Group has been an incubator for change within the European air forces. The EAG flies below the radar but is a key asset for the Air Chiefs of 7 major European Air Forces in shaping ways to work more effectively together and to get…
By Dr Alan Stephens It was the 19th century British prime minister Lord Palmerston who famously remarked that in international relations there are “no eternal allies … only interests”. Palmerston’s hard-headed world view has particular relevance for small- and medium-nations that find themselves drawn into high-intensity warfare. The October 1973…
By Robbin Laird During my visit to Helsinki in February 2018, I had a chance to discuss the approach and modernization of Finnish Defense with Jukka Juusti, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Defence. The Permanent Secretary manages and supervises the activities of the Ministry of Defence together with the…
With changes in the region, and with new dynamics of change in the North Atlantic, how might Australia rethink its defense policy? It is clear that the current government has put in place a fundamental transformation of Australian defense policy with the RAAF being significantly modernized, the navy recapitalized but…
By Robbin Laird When I attended the 2016 RAAF Airpower Conference, the main focus was upon the newly released White Paper and related documents announcing the government’s ways ahead on defense modernization. The Conference highlighted key elements for the modernization of the Australian Defence Force and the importance of shaping…
By Robbin Laird The US has introduced a new generation of combat aircraft. These aircraft are different from legacy aircraft notably, in that they are designed, crafted and built differently – they are software upgradeable, data rich military aircraft for 21st century forces. The challenge is to build out the…
Project LAND 400 Phase 2 will acquire 225 Combat Reconnaissance Vehicles (CRV) to replace the Australian Light Armoured Vehicle (ASLAV). The Phase 2 fleet will include seven variants. On 28 July 2016, Defence announced that BAE Systems Australia and Rheinmetall had been shortlisted to participate in the Risk Mitigation Activity,…
