Training for the 21st Century Battlespace: A Discussion with Commander of the Nevada Test and Training Range

02/04/2015
2015-02-04 By Robbin Laird and Ed Timperlake During our visit to Nellis AFB we had the chance to sit down with Col. Ted “Vader” Dempsey, the Commander of the Nevada Test and Training Range. According to a local Georgia paper (in a piece published in March 2014) which highlighted Dempsey’s…

MARCOM’s Support at Sea: An Interview with Deputy Chief of Staff Ops

01/27/2015
2015-01-27 By Murielle Delaporte Editor's Note: Murielle Delaporte is embedded at sea with the NATO counter mine force discussed in this article.   This interview was conducted prior to departure. NATO Allied Maritime Command’s Deputy Chief of Staff Operations, Commodore Arian Minderhoud, an overview on the evolving role of MARCOM, notably…

Obama’s State-of-The-Union Speech Misses Opportunity to Address Defense Challenges

01/26/2015
2015-01-26 By Richard Weitz and Robbin Laird In his January 20 State-of-the-Union address, which focused overwhelmingly on domestic politics, President Barack Obama made a number of claims about the success of his foreign and defense policies. Among those policies cited were the following: Halting the advances of the Islamic State…