Jointness, Airpower, and the Emerging Security Environment

08/05/2011
By Lt. General (Retired) Deptula 08/05/2011 - Since the advent of Goldwater-Nichols, a joint approach was to move contingency organizations and operations from independent, de-conflicted, service-oriented approaches to sustained interoperability.  How well the U.S. military has done that, where we are today, and where we ought be heading, could and…

Assessing the 5th Generation Competition: Losing A Decade

08/02/2011
08/02/2011 - The introduction of non-US stealth aircraft into the global competition is a significant development.  The Chinese and Russians have introduced developmental prototypes that signify both capabilities and intentions to enter the stealth aircraft game.  The former Secretary of Defense indicated that this competition was years away; but it…

The Slippery Slope of SLEP

08/02/2011
Service Life Extension Program (SLEP): Investing in Going Backwards By Michael W. Wynne, 21st Secretary of the USAF 08/02/2011 - Pressure is growing on the DoD budget. Perhaps 80 billion, 400 billion or whatever on top of the one hundred billion in savings that has been demanded by the outgoing…

Sacrificing Sovereignty at Sea

08/02/2011
By James Jay Carafano 08/02/2011 - America’s Navy and Coast Guard have always partnered to protect the nation’s sovereignty. The navy projects power. The Coast Guard policies the seas. The Coast Guard has served the nation well because the nation always gave it the right ships to do the job.…

The National Security Cutter Opportunity

08/02/2011
08/02/2011 - Recently, Second Line of Defense sat down with Admiral Currier, the Deputy Commandant  (Mission Support) of the USCG, to discuss the importance of the new National Security Cutter in executing the national maritime strategy.  The NSC provides a focal point for deployed defense and security capabilities afloat and…

The F-35 Maintenance Approach

07/31/2011
The Impact of A New Upgrading and Sustainment Approach An Interview with Scott Ogden 08/01/2011 - A key element in understanding the Cultural Revolution associated with the 5th generation aircraft is the dramatic change in how maintenance and sustainment can be done fleet wide and in terms of global sustainment. …

Emerging Alliances for the 21st Century, Part VII

07/31/2011
07/31/2011 Terrorist-Criminal Pipelines and Criminalized States By Douglas Farah Conclusions 07/  /2011 - The trend toward the merging of terrorist and criminal groups to mutually exploit new markets is unlikely to diminish. Both will continue to need the same facilitators, and both can leverage the relationship with the other to…

F-35 and Cost Effective Performance

07/31/2011
The Missing Element from the “Sustainment” Debate By Dr. Robbin Laird 08/01/2011 - In the wake of the headlines about the trillion-dollar airplane, F-35 sustainment costs have been tossed into the political fray.  According to a single line in an unreleased SAR report, the F-35 fleet is projected to cost…