The Alliance Aspect of Shaping the New Second Fleet: The Role of CJOS COE

04/04/2021
By Robbin Laird and Ed Timperlake When 2nd Fleet was stood up in 2018, it was not the case of it being re-established. It was an older name but was being stood up in a new historical and military context. It was being stood up in the context of the…

Enhancing Coalition Combat Capability: The Role of Joint Force Command, Norfolk

03/31/2021
By Robbin Laird and Ed Timperlake The standup of both Second Fleet in 2018 and Joint Force Command, Norfolk in 2019 have had very similar goals: how to enhance the combat capability of the entire allied maritime force in the North Atlantic? From this point of view, these are not…

F-35 National Training Takes Off in Australia

03/30/2021
By Flying Officer Bronwyn Marchant Four Air Force pilots on the first F-35A Lightning II operational conversion course to be run in Australia completed their first flights at RAAF Base Williamtown on February 2. The pilots began their training in January after graduating from the Introductory Fighter Course at No.…

21st Century USW: A Kill Web Team Sport

03/28/2021
By Robbin Laird and Ed Timperlake Last Fall, 2nd Fleet hosted the 2020 version of Black Widow, an Atlantic-focused USW  exercise. But to be completely accurate, although the term ASW is most commonly used, what we are discussing is undersea warfare. USW is an integrated fight against all undersea threats,…

Green Knights in Japan: The Marines Lead the Way in F-35 Introduction in the Pacific

03/27/2021
The Green Knights pioneered the standup of an operational F-35 squadron. They have been operating from Japan for the past four years. Capt. Anneliese Satz, a pilot assigned to the "Green Knights" of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 121, is seen working with Japanese Air Self-Defence Force (JASDF) service members…

The Nordics and North Atlantic Defense: Their Key Role in Allied JFC Norfolk

03/26/2021
By Robbin Laird and Ed Timperlake The standup of C2F and Allied JFC Norfolk has occurred as allies are significantly reworking their approaches to deterrence and warfighting in the North Atlantic at the same time. It is the blend of the U.S. efforts with those of the allies which is…

The USS Gerald R. Ford and ITS Cavour: Beyond the Photo Ops

03/25/2021
By Robbin Laird Recently, the latest large deck carrier was at sea with the ITS Cavour.  One could describe this as a large deck carrier at sea with a smaller carrier but that would really miss the point. From the standpoint of what we are seeing with the launch of…