Norway, the F-35 and the Arrival of USAF F-35s at Lakenheath

04/22/2017
2017-04-22 A Norwegian perspective on the importance of the F-35 for Norwegian defense and the significance of the arrival of USAF F-35s at RAF Lakenheath was provided by the head of the Norwegian F-35 program. In a piece published on April 20, 2017 by Maryam Iqbal Tahir and entitled “The F-35…

Recent Developments for MBDA: New UK Investments and Progress With Integration Efforts on Typhoon and F-35

04/22/2017
2017-04-22  Recently, the UK Ministry of Defence announced new investments in new missile systems for its defense force. In an article published on the UK MoD website, on April 21, 2017: Secretary of State, Sir Michael Fallon, has today announced three new missile contracts worth a combined £539 million for…

The Challenge of Designing an Integrated 21st Century Combat Force: Air Vice-Marshal John Blackburn (Retired) Looks at the Way Ahead

04/21/2017
2017-04-19 By Robbin Laird On April 11, 2017, the Williams Foundation held its latest seminar examining the emergence of a fifth generation force in Australia. This seminar was different in that the impact of the new platforms on air, sea and land transformation was already discussed in detail in earlier…

Preparing for the Operation of the Lightning Force: Infrastructure, Operations and the Way Ahead at RAF Marham

04/20/2017
2017-04-13 By Robbin Laird During my visit to the United Kingdom in March 2017, I had a chance to visit RAF Marham. My host for the visit was Captain Nick Walker of the Royal Navy and we had the opportunity to view the various buildings in progress on the base…

Asian Security at a Strategic Turning Point: Dr. Babbage’s Perspective on the Impact of the Current North Korean Crisis

04/20/2017
2017-04-13 By Robbin Laird During my current visit to Australia, I had a chance to discuss with one of Australia’s leading strategists, current strategic dynamics in the region. Given the priority upon North Korean developments, we focused largely upon this aspect of regional dynamics. After all, it is the most near…