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The Dynamics of Change in the Middle East

06/10/2011
An Interview with Gilles Kepel (Credit: http://gilleskepel.weebly.com/) 06/09/2011 - Second Line of Defense’ Robbin Laird sat down with Gilles Kepel in Paris and had a wide-ranging discussion on trends in the Middle East.  At the heart of the discussion was a clear argument that any simplistic assumption that there is…

22nd MEU Marines Participate in Non-lethal Training

06/10/2011
06/10/2011 Marines with Lima Battery, Battalion Landing Team, 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit conduct riot control training for the final exercise in the non-lethal weapons course at Stone Bay aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, N.C. The 22nd MEU is a multi-mission capable force comprised of…

USS Carl Vinson Operations

06/09/2011
06/09/2011 - USS Carl Vinson Operations [slidepress gallery='uss-carl-vinson-operations'] Credit: USN Visual News Service: 4/4/11 In the first photo, an E-2C Hawkeye assigned to Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron 125 approaches the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson. Carl Vinson and Carrier Air Wing 17 are conducting…

Osprey as VIP Platform of Choice in Afghanistan

06/09/2011
06/09/2011: The core advantages of the Osprey – speed and range – are highlighted every time VIPs show up in Afghanistan and want to cover as much ground in as short a time.  In these two photos, Secretary of Defense Gates used the Osprey in such a manner.  Here the…

Finding the Exit Door in Afghanistan

06/09/2011
06/09/2011 Earlier this year we published a key interview with a French officer with extensive Afghan experience. His discussion and formulas remain compelling. https://www.sldinfo.com/?p=16559 An excerpt from the interview underscores what recent reports about the Afghan situation issued by the U.S .government simply highlight; investing in a country without a…

The Discipline in the System Piece of the TACC

06/08/2011
An Interview with Col. Mintzlaff [caption id="attachment_18520" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Col. Mintzlaff During the Interview, April 2011 (Credit: SLD)"][/caption] 06/08/2011 - During the roundtable at Tanker Airlift Control Center (TACC)  the challenge of maintaining discipline in the system was a key focus for discussion. The airlift system and the multi-modal approach reinforce…

The Role of the Barrel at the TACC

06/08/2011
The Adjudication Piece An Interview with Major Corinne Bonner [caption id="attachment_18870" align="alignleft" width="204" caption="Major Bonner During the SLD Interview (Credit: SLD)"][/caption] 06/09/2011 - During the roundtable at the Tanker Airlift Control Center (TACC) , the discussion closed with the challenge of adjudication (i.e. matching resources to demand and bringing plan and…

The C-235 in the French Air Force

06/08/2011
06/09/2011: During the Airbus Trade Media event in Spain in mid-May, Commandant David Spieles of the French Air Force provided an overview of how the French Air Force used the C-235 and their plans for the evolution of the fleet.  The core point really revolved around the relative ruggedness of…