Re-Crafting North Atlantic Defense: The Impact of the 2nd Fleet and Joint Force Command Norfolk

03/15/2021
By Robbin Laird and Ed Timperlake A recent article in the London Times highlighted the new role of the Royal Navy in the Arctic. “The Royal Navy will have a regular presence in the Arctic Circle to counter the Russian strategic advantage over trade routes that will open as the…

A Hybrid Diesel-Electric Engine for the New Franco-German Tank?

03/14/2021
By Pierre Tran Paris - Arquus, a French builder of light and medium armored vehicles, has pitched the concept of a hybrid diesel-electric as an alternative to a conventional diesel engine for a planned tank for the French and German armies, executive chairman Emmanuel Levacher said March 10. “We have proposed a large hybrid engine,”…

USAF Combines Orange Flag With Black Flag: Working Kill Web Integration

03/13/2021
According to a recent USAF article, the USAF has recently combined two exercises -- Orange Flag and Black Flag in order to accelerate change in operating in contested airspace. EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. (AFNS) By 2nd Lt. Christine Saunders, Air Force Test Center Public Affairs and 1st Lt. Savanah…

Launch of F-X Program by Japan

03/12/2021
According to the Japanese, Ministry of Defence, Japan has launched the F-X program. They describe the program as follows: The Japan-led F-X development program to succeed the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) F-2 fighter jet has started in Japan’s fiscal year 2020. “Air superiority” which is the basic premise for…

French Indo-Pac Strategy: A Balancing Act

03/11/2021
By Murielle Delaporte ‘’Initiated and adopted by several nations in the past years, the concept of an Indo-Pacific theater does not mean the same for each one of them. For France, which is the very first European nation to have replaced the traditional Asia-Pacific concept with a more assertive Indo-Pacific…

UK-Australian Space Bridge Agreement

03/11/2021
According to a UK Ministry of Defence story published on February 23, 2021, the UK and Australia have signed a new ‘Space Bridge’ partnership to increase knowledge exchange and investment across the two countries’ space sectors. The world’s first Space Bridge will unlock improved access to trade, investment and academic…

C2, the Kill Web and Concepts of Operations

03/10/2021
By Robbin Laird In my recent book, Training for the High-End Fight: The Strategic Shift of the 2020s, a major element of the shift focused upon was how command changes with the crafting of a distributed but integrated force. The book started by quoting Rear Admiral Manazir, then head of…

India Commissions Third Kalvairi Class Submarine

03/10/2021
By India Strategic Mumbai. The Indian Navy’s third stealth Scorpene class Submarine INS Karanj was been commissioned at the Naval Dockyard Mumbai through a formal ceremony on March 10. Admiral VS Shekhawat former Chief of the Naval Staff, who was part of the commissioning crew of the old Karanjand later the Commanding officer…