France and the Barkhane Operation: Shaping a Way Ahead

01/17/2021
By Pierre Tran Paris - France should pull out of Mali. That is the French media message to the Macron administration, as fatalities rise in what is highlighted as a quagmire. The new year began with a deadly start, when a homemade road bomb killed Jan. 2 two French soldiers…

Uptick in NATO Intercepts of Russian Military Aircraft in Europe

01/14/2021
NATO air forces across Europe scrambled more than 400 times in 2020 to intercept unknown aircraft approaching Alliance airspace. Almost 90 percent of these missions - around 350 - were in response to flights by Russian military aircraft. This is a moderate increase from 2019. Russian military aircraft often do…

The UK Carrier Strike Group Reaches Initial Operating Capability

01/13/2021
According to an article published by the UK MoD on January 4, 2021, the new UK carrier strike group built around its unique strike carrier, the Queen Elizabeth, has reached IOC status. The CSG has reached Initial Operating Capability (IOC), meaning all elements of the group from fighter jets to…

The UK MoD Contract for Spear 3 Weapons for the F-35B

01/12/2021
Paving the way for other F-35B customers globally, the UK has issued a contract for its procurement of the innovative strike missiles for the fifth generation aircraft. According to a January 6, 2021 article published by the UK MoD: Known as SPEAR3, the next-generation missile can travel long distances at…

UAE Prepares for Commercial Nuclear Operations

01/11/2021
By India Strategic ABU DHABI. The Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation, ENEC, has announced that its operating and maintenance subsidiary, Nawah Energy Company, Nawah, has successfully achieved 100% of the rated reactor power capacity for Unit 1 of the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant. This major milestone brings the Barakah plant one…

The German State Buys Significant Stake In Hensoldt

01/09/2021
by Reuters/defenceWeb Germany’s government has decided to buy a 25.1% stake in defence supplier Hensoldt at a cabinet meeting on Wednesday. Reuters reported last week that the government aimed to purchase the stake from private equity company KKR for 464 million euros ($562 million). Sources with knowledge of the matter…

Multiple Basing, Kill Webs and C2: Shaping a Way Ahead

01/07/2021
By Robbin Laird As the United States and core allies build out the way ahead for an integrated distributed force, a key challenge is shaping C2 systems which fully enable such a force. C2 and ISR have been historically treated as separate terms but increasingly the sensor networks are integrable…

An Update on the CH-53K from VMX-1: The Perspective of Lt. Col. Frank

01/05/2021
By Robbin Laird During my visit to 2nd Marine Air Wing during the first week of December 2020, I had a chance to visit New River Marine Corps Air Station and meet with Lt. Col. Frank, VMX-1, to get an update on the coming of the CH-53K. Lt. Col. Frank…