2016-07-16 By Garth McLennan Great Britain’s vote to leave the European Union on June 23 unleashed a wave of uncertainty across the continent and the world. But if anything in the still-forming post-Brexit order can be taken to the bank, it is that the Obama Administration will look to Germany to…
2016-07-07 By Robbin Laird When I visited Williamtown Air Base in Australia last March, I was given a tour to the bed down of the F-35 at the airbase and the shaping really of a fifth generation infrastructure for the evolution of the Royal Australian Air Force. The challenge put…
2016-07-14 By Robbin Laird The P-8, which is a Maritime Domain Awareness Strike capability, is coming to RAF Lossiemouth. This is part of the transition for the base becoming a 21st century air base positioned in the North of the United Kingdom and positioned in a key area for the…
2016-07-13 The F-35B will be a staple for the USMC and the RAF and will fly with the Italian Navy as well. There are a number of other Air Forces which are clearly interested in the aircraft as well, including Israel, Singapore, Japan, and Spain. The plane can operate in…
2016-07-11 Earlier this year, during a visit to RAF Lossiemouth in Scotland where the new P-8s will be based, we focused on the evolution of Lossie as a 21st century airbase. RAF Lossiemouth currently is a Typhoon and Tornado base, but with the Tornados to be phased out within the next…
2016-07-05 By Todd Miller The United States and Allies have few concerns higher than the proliferation of Anti-Access/Area Denial (A2/AD) capabilities among potential adversaries. A2/AD systems deployed in the South China Sea, Middle-East, or along Europe’s eastern borders threaten US and allied freedom of movement and power projection. A2/AD is not…
2016-07-05 By Robbin Laird During my visit to RAF Lossiemouth in late April 2016, I had a chance to meet with the Officer Commanding and members of the Tornado Operational Conversion Unit, XV(R) Squadron. When one looks at the end of an era, in this case the sun setting on the…
2016-07-06 By Richard Weitz Recent weeks have seen clear evidence of Russian perseverance in sustaining its Arctic presence despite the country’s national economic slowdown and other challenges. This is particularly visible in Russia’s new icebreakers, which in the Arctic are the military equivalent of aircraft carriers in other oceans—the main…