2013-04-16 In the height of the Korean crisis, and the clear need for the United States to reinforce South Korea and Japan, our Chinese “allies” are attacking such efforts under the guise of the threat of the “Pivot to the Pacific.” Rather than focusing on the real and present danger from…
2013-04-15 Robbin Laird My family and I will be participating in an event honoring the B-17 crews this summer in France. In preparing for the event and my presentation on the B-17, I have had the chance to read through many books, and diaries of participants or analysts of the…
2013-04-14 by Robbin Laird With 2014 coming, NATO faces a transition in Afghanistan. With this transition, comes the need to attend as best as possible to Afghan security and to ensure that the conditions which led to the U.S. and then NATO intervention simply return. A decade of war, which…
2013-04-14 The North Korean crisis reminds us that the role of Chinese arms exports and technology transfer are already globally significant. The involvement of China in the proliferation of nuclear technology to Pakistan, North Korea, and Iran is a key element in supporting triangular trade among the emergent nuclear club. As…
2013-04-14 The Chinese military or the PLA is often looked at as the odd man out of Chinese decision-making. But a recent Japanese study of Chinese decision-making suggests that the PLA is a key player in shaping evolving Chinese thinking and approaches to global reach. In effect, the PLA is a…
2013-04-13 By Richard McCormack The federal government’s R&D accounts are taking a big hit, as both the House and Senate have passed a budget for the remainder of the current fiscal year that includes “sequestration.” Total federal spending on both defense and non-defense R&D will decline to $130.9 billion in…
2013-04-12 by Robbin Laird As NATO shapes the transition strategy in Afghanistan, the airpower dimension is a central one. The geography and threat environment requires an ability to move forces throughout the country to deal with disparate threats. And it is crucial as well to impede the concentration of force…
2013-04-11 In a discussion in late March 2013, Lieutenant General Robert E. Schmidle Jr., the Marine Corps Deputy Commandant for Aviation (DCA), discussed the F-35B and the evolving Marine Corps approach to the aircraft. The DCA highlighted a number of key changes associated with the introduction of the F-35B into…
