2012-11-27 by Robbin Laird Few would argue the proposition that energy security is a key element for national security and defense policy. Current over dependence on the Middle East – a region increasingly volatile -- and a very aggressive China shaping global energy policy along with a top priority which…
2012-11-26 by Richard Weitz Most European governments are firmly aligned with Washington on the Iran sanctions issue, but serious gaps in coverage exist elsewhere. China, India, and Russia are the main challenges, but even major U.S. allies such as Japan and South Korea present challenges as well. These countries are major…
2012-11-25 Second Line of Defense visited MAWTS a week prior to the official ceremony welcoming planes for the new F-35 squadron at the Marine Air Station at Yuma Arizona. We visited MAWTS last year to discuss the evolution of training and tactics associated with the V-22 as well as the…
2012-11-25 By Richard Weitz The fate of Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov’s controversial reforms, designed to transform a traditional mass mobilization military created to fight another global war with the West into a force optimized to win local conflicts and counterinsurgencies, remains in doubt. The reforms have succeeded in destroying the…
2012-11-24 by Richard Weitz The economic dimension of the U.S. Asia Pivot took another step forward when the United States and some of its economic partners recently decided to try to reach a comprehensive regional trade agreement by next October’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit. U.S. President Barack Obama hosted talks…
2012-11-22 By Richard Weitz The sanctions on Iran are reflective of the overall challenge of using these tools to affect a pariah regime’s behavior. They are always indirect, and can lead to enhanced regime resistance rather than compliance with the hopes and wishes of the regimes inflicting the sanctions. Sanctions…
2012-11-21 In a four-part follow up set of interviews, Second Line of Defense is looking at the role and impact of the USS America. Interviews have been conducted with the prospective commander of the ship, the head of amphibious ship building in the USN, a senior USMC general on its role,…
2012-11-21 by Richard Weitz Despite the reformers’ goal of redirecting Russian strategic thought away from fighting the West to winning localized conflicts, Russia’s military doctrine and recent military exercises still identify resisting NATO aggression as a major task of the Russian armed forces. The 2010 Military Doctrine describes NATO’s growing military…
