RFID Technology: From Cattle Herds to Military Use

01/03/2011
By Kirsten Ashbaugh [email protected] 01/02/2011 - In September 2010, Second Line of Defense attended IDGA’s Military Logistics Summit 2010 in Vienna, VA.  At the conference, Dr. Robb Clarke of Michigan State University discussed RFID and other Auto-ID technologies and their role with supply chain optimization. RFID, or Radio Frequency Identification,…

Combat-Proven Tiger

12/21/2010
A Conversation with Dominique Maudet 12/21/2010 - The Tiger helicopter has been used by the French military in their Afghan engagement.  The operational role has been to work with two other helo types in providing crucial air capabilities for the French Army.  The impact of operations has highlighted the significance…

Building a High Speed Helicopter

12/20/2010
An Interview with Jean-Michel Billig   12/21/2010 - In early October 2010, Second Line of Defense had a chance to talk with Eurocopter about its new high-speed test helicopter, X Cubed. Jean-Michel Billig is Executive Vice President of Eurocopter for Research and Development. The slide show  and the accompanying video…

“It Takes Time”

12/19/2010
An Update on the Osprey From New River (VIII) [download PDF of full report] An Interview With Master Sgt. Jeremy Kirk 12/21/2010 - Master Sgt. Jeremy Kirk discussed his experience with maintaining the V-22. As an experience CH-46 maintainer he underscored that the Corps had decades of experience maintaining this…

The Afghan Drug Challenge

12/19/2010
A Russian Perspective By Dr. Richard Weitz and Dmitri Titoff, October 21, 2010 12/21/2010 - Translation provided by Dr. Richard Weitz Q: What accounts for the fact that, since the overthrow of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, the flow of narcotics from that country has increased significantly? Victor P. Ivanov:…

The F-35 Pilot: An Interview with Test Pilot Squirt Kelly at Pax River

05/28/2010
SLD went to Pax River in April 2010 to interview several members of the Pax River test team. In this interview, Ed Timperlake and Robbin Laird talked with test pilot “Squirt” Kelly about his thoughts on the F-35 experience. [slidepress gallery='the-f-35-pilot-an-interview-with-test-pilot-squirt-kelly-at-pax-river'] SLD: You’ve been testing the helmet and the plane.…

The USCG 8th District Faces the Future: Meeting the Challenges of Security in the Gulf

05/06/2010
In early April 2010, SLD discussed the challenges facing the USCG 8th district in managing, safety and security in the Gulf region.  As the slide show accompanying this interview shows, the scope and size of the territory facing the men and woman of the USCG serving in the 8th district…