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…

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…

Aussie P-8 Does First Search and Rescue at Sea

05/18/2017
2017-05-18 Not yet operational, an Aussie P-8 on a training mission, performed a search and rescue mission at sea. According to an article published May 17, 2017 on the Australian Department of Defence website: The Royal Australian Air Force’s (RAAF) latest maritime surveillance and response capability—the P-8A Poseidon,has assisted with…

Another Italian First: The First F-35B Built Abroad

05/13/2017
2017-05-07 By Robbin Laird In a 2015 piece, I highlighted three historic firsts for Italy in the F-35 program delivered in 2015. LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. -- At the beginning of the 20th Century, Italy was a pioneer in combat aviation. Although different at the beginning of the 21st century,…