Australian Amphibious Ships Face Propulsion Challenge

05/21/2017
05/21/2017: According to several sources, Australia’s largest warships have experienced a propulsion system problem at sea and the Navy and its contractors are working to fix the problem. Australian naval engineers are investigating the problems in the propulsion systems of two Spanish-built warships. The Royal Australian Navy’s US$1.5 billion worth HMAS…

Naval Shipbuilding Plan

05/21/2017
05/20/2017:   According to a video and text released by the Australian Department of Defence: The Naval Shipbuilding Plan released on 16 May 2017 outlines the Government’s vision for the Australian naval shipbuilding enterprise and the significant investment required in coming decades. The Australian Government is laying the foundations for an…

The Role of Unmanned Aerial Systems in the Remaking of the Amphibious Task Force: The Perspective of Lt. General (Retired) Trautman

05/21/2017
2017-05-17 By Robbin Laird President Trump has come to power at a time when a very flexible force able to insert from the sea and rapidly return to the sea has emerged. This USN-USMC capability has migrated beyond the classic Amphibious Ready Group-Marine Expeditionary Unit (ARG-MEU) into a very flexible…

Marines Participate in Helo Raid from Mistral

05/21/2017
05/21/2017: U.S. Marines and Sailors forward deployed to the 3rd Marine Division, as part of the forward Unit Deployment Program, participate in a vertical assault off a British MK3 Merlin helicopter on the Island of Tinian, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, British MK3 Merlin helicopter May 16, 2017. Marines and…

Sec Def Mattis Meets with Minister Ine Soreide at Pentagon

05/21/2017
05/21/2017: Defense Secretary Jim Mattis met with Norwegian Defense Minister Ine Soreide at the Pentagon to discuss their countries' alliance, May 17, 2017. 5/15/17 DoD News During a visit to Norway in February of this year, a discussion with the Norwegian defense minister focused on shaping a way ahead with regard to…

Sec Def Mattis Meets Swedish Defense Minister at the Pentagon

05/21/2017
05/21/2017: Defense Secretary Jim Mattis met with Swedish Defense Minister Peter Hultqvist at the Pentagon to discuss their countries' alliance, May 18, 2017. 5/18/17 DoD News With the deployment of F-35s to the UK and then to Estonia and Bulgaria, the Trump Administration is focused clearly on NATO security and defense.…

New Special Report: Designing and Building an Integrated Australian Defence Force

05/18/2017
2017-05-09  By Robbin Laird The Williams Foundation working closely with the Australian Defence Force has provided a public forum for rethinking how to reshape their defense force to deal with 21st century challenges. This is the sixth Special Report produced in cooperation with Second Line of Defense. The first report looked…

Cyber Hammering Requires Cyber Defense

05/18/2017
2017-05-15 The President has recently signed a new executive order on cyber security. According to an article by Brooke Singman published by Fox News on May 11, 2017: President Trump took aim at the federal government’s vulnerability to computer hacking Thursday, signing an executive order that mandates a top-down review…