Leveraging the Advantages of the USN-USMC Team

04/27/2011
04/27/2011 - In late March 2011, Second Line of Defense visited San Diego to discuss the evolution of the USN-USMC team as seen by key members of the staff of Naval Air Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet.  At a time when the nation is remembering the 100 years of Naval Aviation,…

Building the LPD-17

04/27/2011
04/27/2011 - In late March 2011, prior to the christening of the LPD-24 at the Ingalls Shipyards in Pascagoula, Mississippi, Second Line of Defense interviewed the LPD 17 program manager, Doug Lounsberry.  Lounsberry provided an overview to the challenges of building this class of ship and the advantages, which the…

Maritime and Port Security in Pakistan

04/21/2011
By Mathias Hagstrøm, Stud. Scient. Soc., Roskilde University Strategic Insights No 27 October 2010 4/21/2011 - With a population of more than 180 million people and being a potential gateway for Central Asian and western Chinese trade, Pakistan is a very interesting developing market. But with problems of insurgency groups…

French Ops in Libya

04/20/2011
Preliminary Lessons Learned By General Jean-Patrick Gaviard Photo Credit: Libya: Operation Harmattan, EMA / Armée de l’Air – Marine Nationale, March 2011 04/20/2011 - In the aftermath of several weeks of bombings above Libya, it might be of interest to attempt to decrypt two key events which happened as this…

Shaping a 21st Century USCG: The Key Role for Maritime Patrol Aircraft

04/19/2011
­­­By Dr. Robbin F. Laird 04/19/2011 - The Obama Administration has come to power at a global turning point.  The President has underscored the importance of working with allies and shaping a new global engagement for the United States. At the same time, he has emphasized the need to enhance…

China-Russia Relations and the United States: At a Turning Point?

04/13/2011
By Dr. Richard Weitz 04/12/2011 - Since the end of the Cold War, the improved political and economic relationship between Beijing and Moscow has affected a range of international security issues. China and Russia have expanded their bilateral economic and security cooperation. In addition, they have pursued distinct, yet parallel,…

Defense Department Prepares for CyberWar

04/12/2011
The Current State of Play By Dr. Richard Weitz (Credit: Bigstock) 04/12/2011 - Ensuring the security of the cyber domain has emerged as one of the most serious challenges to U.S. national and economic security. Of all U.S. government departments, the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) has evinced the greatest…