In early September 2021, the U.S. Navy set up a new task force to deliver usable unmanned systems for enhanced maritime capabilities in the 5th Fleet Area of Operations. In a story written by MC1 Roland Franklin and published on September 9, 2021 by the U.S. Navy: U.S. Naval Forces…
By Robbin Laird and Pierre Tran On September 22, 2021, we had a chance to meet Army General (retired) Didier Castres and discuss the evolution of military operations and strategy under president Macron. Castres is a highly experienced staff officer who has been engaged in activities associated with crisis management…
By Robbin Laird During my visit to Europe earlier this Fall, the surprise announcement of the Morrison Administration’s decision to shift from their French alliance to deliver a long-range diesel submarine to acquiring nuclear submarine capability through an alliance with the United States and Britain was made. I talked with…
By Robbin Laird Recently, I had a chance to discuss with Air Vice-Marshal (Retired) John Blackburn the work he been engaged in since last I was in Australia in March 2020. The team has recently released a final report on the challenges facing Australia to become a more resilient society…
By Robbin Laird Training is becoming an advanced weapon system. So much so that the classic formulation of Tactics, Techniques and Procedures upon which training has been built is expanding to now be informed by advanced training that reshapes tactics, techniques, and procedures for the future fight. Multi-domain training encompassing…
In this special report, we bring together some initial assessments of the Morrison Administration's decision to move on from conventional to nuclear submarines. These articles were published in September 2021. The recent announcement of the decision by the Australian government to cancel their diesel submarine contract and to acquire nuclear…
By Robbin Laird During my visit to France in the Fall of 2021, I had a chance to talk with my old friend and colleague, Jean-Louis Gergorin. Jean-Louis is a noted European strategist with many years of experience both in government and in the private sector. We first met in…
By Robbin Laird The opportunity to attend the Defence 24 conference on Polish defense provided a significant opportunity to learn about Polish assessments of the current strategic situation and ways Poland should shape a way ahead. In addition to attending the conference, I had a chance to talk to Polish…
