The Gulf Coast Aerospace Corridor: Where Manufacturing is Not a Dirty Word

01/03/2012
01/03/2012 - by George Talbot Any region that wants jobs with good wages and a secure future is eager for a piece of the $219 billion U.S. aerospace industry. It’s such an appealing prospect that a group of competing states in the Southeast actually joined forces to back EADS’ bid…

Saudi Arms Deal offers Boeing Military Aviation a Lifeline

01/03/2012
01/03/2012 by Richard Weitz On December 29, the Obama administration announced that the United States and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have finalized the deal to provide advanced F-15SA combat aircraft to the Royal Saudi Air Force.  The sale has gained widespread support within the U.S. defense community and will…

Iraq 2012: Looking Forward

12/23/2011
12/23/2011 by Richard Weitz Recently, Vice President Joe Biden made his seventh visit to Iraq as vice president and 16th visit overall. Biden spent two days in Baghdad meeting with Iraqi political leaders, then he travelled to Erbil, capital of the Kurdistan Regional Government, to meet with President Massoud Barzani.…

Beyond Putinism

12/23/2011
[caption id="attachment_12920" align="alignleft" width="150" caption=" "][/caption] By Dr. Richard Weitz 12/14/2011 - Recent Russian elections have identified several weaknesses in Russia’s political system, but not the means solve them. Russia is experiencing its own unexpected Arab Spring, though the system should survive and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin is likely to…

Pakistan-US Tensions: In Strategic Decline?

12/22/2011
[caption id="attachment_12920" align="alignleft" width="150" caption=" "][/caption] By Dr. Richard Weitz 12/22/2011 - In addition to the immediate causes of the November 26 incident, there are deeper reasons for the elevated levels of tension that have degraded Pakistani-U.S. relations during the past few years. The two countries have regularly been allies…

An Update on the US and the Arctic

12/19/2011
12/19/2011 Shortly before he was to testify before Congress with regard to the Arctic, Rear Admiral Jeffrey M. Garrett, U.S. Coast Guard (Retired) sat down with Second Line of Defense to provide our readers with an update. SLD: The icebreaker is an extremely important asset for presence in the Arctic…

Russia’s Arms Sales to India Under Threat

12/19/2011
[caption id="attachment_12920" align="alignleft" width="150" caption=" "][/caption] By Dr. Richard Weitz 12/19/2011 - Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh just left Moscow after meeting with President Dmitry Medvedev at the Kremlin for the 12th Indo-Russian Summit. Much of the Russian-Indian discussions during Singh’s three-day visit concerned Russian weapons sales to India. For…