The UK Rethinks the F-35C Decision: Shaping a British led Expeditionary Strike Group

03/16/2012
3/16/12 by Ed Timperlake The UK is rethinking its carrier aircraft decision.  In large part this is because of the cost necessary to build traps and cats on the Queen Elizabeth class carrier.  In part it is because of the impact of Libya and Bold Alligator in reminding strategists and…

Brigadier General Owens on Bold Alligator 2012: “We’ve got to hit them where they’re not!”

03/15/2012
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…

Putin’s Defense Procurement Challenge

03/13/2012
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,…

The Way Ahead After Bold Alligator 2012: A Coalition Perspective

03/12/2012
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…

Putin’s Rearmament: Can Moscow Afford It?

03/11/2012
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…