The Strategic Perspective from the 11th USCG District

09/08/2011
09/08/2011 - The Second Line of Defense team visited the 11th USCG District in July 2011.  The team included retired Rear Admiral Ed Gilbert who among other things was a former 11th USCG District commander.  The current commander, Rear Admiral Joseph Castillo, provided a perspective of some of the key…

Turkey’s Syria Problem

09/07/2011
By Dr. Richard Weitz (Credit: Bigstock) 09/05/2011 - Turkish President Abdullah Gu, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu have recently warned that they might side with the Syrian protesters if the Syrian government did not order the security forces to end their massive violence against the…

“Heading Fair”

09/06/2011
An Exclusive Interview with the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Reported by George Talbot   [caption id="attachment_23671" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Adm. Mark P. Fitzgerald, commander of U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa, right, escorts Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead to an all-hands call at Naval Support Activity Naples. Credit: USN Visual…

Trouble Busters: The Agile Response Group in Action

09/06/2011
09/06/2011 By Maj. General Tim Hanifen, Rear Adm. Sinclair Harris and Robert Holzer Global demand for amphibious forces outstrips resources. When a crisis erupts the first question U.S. leaders often ask is, “Where are the aircraft carriers?” This historical axiom, however, has expanded over time and now regional commanders also…

Getting it Right for the Battle-Hardened I-Pad Generation

09/06/2011
09/06/2011 by Ed Timperlake On Monday November 8, 2010 the Southern Chester Weekly (Pa.) published an obituary for a fallen Marine. “William McCurdy DeMarino, 20, died suddenly on October 24, 2010, in an automobile accident where he was stationed in North Carolina. He was serving as a Lance Corporal in…

Better Homeland Defenses Needed Against EMP Threat

09/04/2011
By Dr. Richard Weitz 09/04/2011 - An electromagnetic pulse (EMP) is a high-intensity burst of electromagnetic energy caused by the rapid acceleration of charged particles. Once the pulse reaches electronic devices, it disables, damages, or destroys them. An electromagnetic bomb (E-bomb), the deliberate creation of EMP for attacking targets, represents…