The Indian Decision in the Fighter Competition

06/02/2011
A Conversation with Pravin Sawhney [caption id="attachment_19419" align="alignleft" width="180" caption="(Credit: SLD)"][/caption] 06/02/2011 - In Mid-May, Second Line of Defense sat down with Pravin Sawhney, editor of Force Magazine, the highly regard Indian monthly on national security and defense.  Sawheny provided his interpretation of the decision to downselect European aircraft and…

A New Approach to Airlift and Tanking

06/01/2011
06/01/2011: The Shifting Strategic Environment: A New Approach to Airlift and Tanking The United States has inherited and chosen to pursue the specialized aircraft route to airlift and tanking; Airbus Military has chosen a multi-mission path to providing for airlift and tanking capabilities for its customers. When the DOD chose the…

The Weather Piece at the TACC

05/27/2011
The Weather Piece 05/27/2011 - First Lieutenant Adam Bennett  led the discussion at the Tanker Airlift Control Center (TACC) of how weather planning figures into both the planning and execution of the TACC missions. Working the Weather Issues in the TACC Command Center Credit: TACC SLD: What do the weather planners…

Tour of Russia’s Missile Defense Facilities

05/27/2011
05/27/2011 By Richard Weitz The second day of the Russia site visit began with a tour of the DON-2N multifunctional radar station at Sofrino, about 90 minutes outside Moscow. The facility is one of Russia’s most important aerospace facilities. It is a major component of Moscow’s missile defense system, which…

The State of the Russian Military: An SLD Site Visit

05/26/2011
05/26/2011 by Richard Weitz I have had the opportunity to participate in the first Defense and Security section meeting of the Valdai International Discussion Club in Moscow from May 25-27. The discussions focus on the modernization of Russia’s Armed Forces and cooperation in international security. The meeting was co-organized by…