By Robbin Laird The United States Air Force stands at a critical crossroads. After decades of counterinsurgency operations and peacetime bureaucracy, America's air arm faces an uncomfortable reality: it may not be adequately prepared for the high-intensity conflicts that could define the next decade. This sobering assessment comes from one…
The 33rd Fighter Wing conducted an Agile Combat Employment exercise at Ebbing Air National Guard Base, Arkansas, Sept. 9 - 20, 2024. The purpose of the exercise was to demonstrate that Ebbing’s facilities and airspace were suitable for F-35A Lightning II training, in preparation to begin the Foreign Military Sales…
By Murielle Delaporte For thousands of years, military commanders have considered mass — having more troops and equipment than the enemy — a critical factor in winning battles. The last fifty years have seen a shift from mass to precision, a trend that has accelerated since the end of the…
By Robbin Laird Dateline: Canberra, Australia Recently, General "Buzz" Moseley spoke via video link to the May 22, 2025 seminar held by the Sir Richard Williams Foundation in Canberra, Australia. General Moseley was the 18th Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force. Moseley was a distinguished war fighter…
Polish Air Force F-35A Lightning II pilots with the 57th Fighter Squadron execute ground operations at Ebbing Air National Guard Base, Arkansas, Jan. 29, 2025. Ground operations took place in preparation for Poland's first F-35 flights, marking a significant milestone for their history, as well as the Foreign Military Sales…
Robbin Laird Dateline: Canberra, Australia On May 22, 2025, the first seminar of 2025 for the Sir Richard Williams Foundation was held at the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra. The seminar was entitled: The Imperatives for Cost Effectiveness in Multidomain Operations. The program for the seminar laid out the…
By Robbin Laird On 30 April 2025, I had the chance to talk with Major White, the Operations Officer at VMGR-252. This is a KC-130J squadron based at the Marine Corps Air Station at Cherry Point and is part of 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing. The last time I visited the…
U.S. Marine Corps F-35B Lightning II fighter jets assigned to Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 121, landing on Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, as part of Cope North 25, Feb. 19, 2025. CN25 enhances warfighting readiness and interoperability among participating nations, demonstrating our collective ability to deploy airpower and ensure…
