2015-03-19 By Robbin Laird The RAF is undergoing two fighter aircraft transitions at the same time. On the one hand, the Tornado is being retired and the Typhoon is subsuming its missions. On the other hand, the F-35B is coming to the fleet and will be working with Typhoon for…
03/30/2015: U.S. and Kuwaiti forces rehearse an amphibious landing on Failaka Island, east of Kuwait City in the Arabian Gulf. Highlights include: Kuwaiti Rigid-Hulled Inflatable Boats, Kuwaiti AH-64D Apache “Longbow” and AS 332B “Super Puma” helicopters, U.S. Navy Landing Craft Air Cushion vehicles from the USS Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready…
03/29/2015: HMAS Canberra is the latest addition to the Royal Australian Navy and introduces amphibious capability to the force. According to the Royal Australian Navy, the Canberra is an important addition to the fleet. HMAS Canberra is the lead ship of the two ship Canberra class Amphibious Assault Ships otherwise known as…
2015-03-27 By Robbin Laird The supply side of the amphibious fleet has gone down over the past two decades. The amphibious ship fleet inventory has been reduced by 50% over the past twenty years and will operate in the range of 28-33 ships in the foreseeable future. The demand side…
2015-03-27 The Japanese are deploying their largest warship in the post-war period. The ship is focused on carrying helicopters but will be operate the Osprey as well. The ship is about 250 meters and displaces 19,500 tons. According to an article published in The Asahi Shimbun on March 25, 2015…
03/25/2015: By Robbin Laird In 2007, the HMS Illustrious was the first non-US ship on which an Osprey was to land. I had the opportunity to be aboard one of those Ospreys and land on the ship and observe Marines working with the Royal Navy and operating their Harriers off of the…
2015-03-26 By Murielle Delaporte "The effects of twenty-first century accelerative change can be seen throughout the international system and across a range of threats: nuclear, conventional, and hybrid. It is clear that the international community is at a crossroads where emerging crises test the resilience of security institutions and the…
2015-03-23 By Vitaliy N. Katsenelson My father, Naum Katsenelson, painted this watercolor, “Dolls Become Humans,” two years after we came to the United States in 1993. This is the only “thematic” picture my father ever painted. If you look at the picture carefully you’ll see the silhouette of Lenin in the…
