European Defence Cooperation Projects: Diverse Flight Paths?

01/07/2022
By Pierre Tran Paris - France and other European nations should work together in military programs to allow Europe to reach “critical mass,” Guillaume Faury, chairman of GIFAS, the aerospace trade association, said Jan. 6, 2022. It was important there was a “European dimension,” he said at the new year’s…

Australian Army Establishes Army Aviation Command

01/07/2022
As part of the re-set of the Australian Army to support the evolving Australian defence strategy focused on the Indo-Pacific region, the Army has established a new army aviation command. In an article published on the Australian Department of Defence website on December 2, 2021, this development was highlighted. Chief…

Mobile Basing as a Strategic Capability: The USMC and Re-shaping the Joint and Coalition Force

01/04/2022
By Robbin Laird With the current focus on finding ways for the USMC to better support the joint force, a key opportunity might be overlooked. How might the joint and coalition force reshape themselves to be capable of either doing or leveraging mobile basing? The Marines with their triad of…

How Defence Leverages the Evolving Australian Space Industrial Eco-System

01/03/2022
By Robbin Laird A key element of the presentations and discussions at the 1 December 2021 Williams Foundation seminar on building out sovereign capabilities was how Defence could best position itself to nurture, leverage and work with the evolving Australia space industrial eco-systsem. AIRCDRE Terry van Haren (Retd.), former air…

Shaping an Australian Space Industrial Eco-System for Defence and Security

01/02/2022
By Robbin Laird Sovereign Australian space requires an Australian industrial space eco-system to be shaped and enhanced. How might this be done? Crafting, shaping, and building out an Australian space industry able to provide for sovereign capabilities for the Australian government decision makers is based on the enhanced opportunities in…

Digital Twining and the Loyal Wingman Program

01/02/2022
By the Australian Defence Business Review Boeing Australia has revealed that, in conjunction with the Royal Australian Air Force, it has advanced the operational readiness of its Airpower Teaming System (ATS) being developed for the RAAF’s Loyal Wingman program in a digital environment. Using a ‘digital twin’ of the actual…

UK 16 Regiment Royal Artillery Now Deploying Advanced Air Defence System

01/02/2022
  According to a UK Ministry of Defence news story published on December 6, 2021, sky sabre, a state-of-the art air defence system is replacing the legacy Rapier system. 16 Regiment Royal Artillery is now accepting into service the first tranche of Sky Sabre and further procurements will be configured…

Sovereignty and the Australian Space Effort

12/31/2021
By Robbin Laird Sovereignty is a tricky term, notably when it comes to global economies and to allied based national defense. The COVD-19 crisis and the conflict with the 21st century authoritarian powers, notably China, have reminded the liberal democracies of how vulnerable they are. And when American allies talk…