2016-08-31 By Vitaliy Katsenelson The Great Recession may be over, but seven years later we can still see the deep scars and unhealed wounds it left on the global economy. In an attempt to prevent an unpleasant revisit to the Stone Age, global governments have bailed out banks and the…
2016-08-22 By Robbin Laird Recently, I revisited Williamtown airbase, where I earlier visited the Wedgetail Squadron and the F-18 squadrons. And during the last visit did a site visit and looked at the infrastructure modernization approach being implemented on the base. This time, I had a chance to talk with…
2016-08-30 By Robbin Laird Prior to attending the Williams Foundation Seminar on air-sea integration, I had the opportunity to sit down with Rear Admiral Johnathan Mead in his office in Canberra to discuss his perspective, on the way ahead with regard to the Navy within the evolution of the ADF.…
2016-08-29 By Robbin Laird The lead off speaker at the Williams Foundation seminar on air-land integration was Rear Admiral Manazir. Rear Admiral Manazir currently serves as the deputy chief of naval operations for warfare systems (OPNAV N9) on the staff of the chief of naval operations. In this capacity, he…
2016-08-25 By Robbin Laird I first met Air Marshal (Retired) Geoff Brown, when he was the head of the Royal Australian Air Force. At that time, he was focused on ensuring that the F-35 became a key element of the modernizing RAAF. Since his retirement, he joined the Williams Foundation and…
2016-08-20 By Robbin Laird The Aussies are shaping a transformed military force. It is one which is built around new platforms but working together across services to achieve a joint effect and able to operate in a joint manner in an extended battlespace. It is about extending the defense perimeter…
2016-08-28 By Robbin Laird When I first became involved with the Williams Foundation, the initial focus was upon discussing, analyzing and explaining fifth generation aircraft and what they could bring to the force. This meant in part discussing two platforms which are described as fifth generation, namely the F-22 and…
2016-08-28 By Garth McLennan The United States Congress is contemplating changes to the standards it uses to define its defense architecture against ballistic missile threats. Any such changes are likely to be more symbolic than substantive in the short term, but over time will create more political space for the development…