Prior to the Bold Alligator 2012 exercise, we had a chance to talk with Brigadier General Owens, 2nd MEF, about the goals, purpose and orientation of the exercise. https://sldinfo.com/bold-alligator-2012-charting-the-future/ Later, we were able to sit down with the General in his office at Camp Lejeune to get his perspective on…
By Richard Weitz In a year of significant elections worldwide (the US, Germany, France to name a few), the Russian election started the ball rolling. Not unexpectedly, Vladimir Putin won the election and we are waiting to learn what Putinism 2.0 in the new global context will look like. A…
By Richard Weitz One of newly reelected President Vladimir Putin’s major challenges will be defense acquisition reform. In his February 20 Rossiiskaya Gazeta pre-election article on Russia’s military-industrial complex, Putin writes that "the goal for the decade is to equip our Armed Forces with next-generation armaments, which boast better visibility,…
Second Line of Defense sat down with the Deputy Commander for ESG 2 immediately after the BOLD ALLIGATOR Exercise. We had a discussion with Col Weisz prior to the exercise so this interview allowed the opportunity to get a sense of his evaluation of the exercise and get his recommendations…
Prior to the Bold Alligator 2012, we had a chance to talk with Lieutenant Commander George Pastoor provided a unique coalition perspective. Pastoor is a Dutch Naval Officer with Expeditionary Strike Force 2 and the lead planner for Bold Alligator. As Pastoor noted in the earlier interview: I’m basically on…
by Richard Weitz What will President Putin's defense policy look like in reality? The implications of Vladimir Putin’s return to the Russian presidency for his country’s defense policy became clearer after the Prime Minister published a lengthy article on the front page of the February 20 issue of the government…
The head of Expeditionary Strike Group 2 sat down with Second Line of Defense after the Bold Alligator 2012 exercise to discuss the focus of the exercise and the way ahead. SLD: What was the major purpose of the Bold Alligator 2012 exercise from your perspective? Admiral Scott: Both the…
By Richard Weitz Ned Parker, a reporter for the Los Angeles Times and currently the Edward R. Murrow Press Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, has written a devastating critique of U.S. policy toward Iraq in the Council’s flagship publication, Foreign Affairs. Although the article, “The Iraq We Left…
