By Robbin Laird I had a chance to talk with Chris Morton during the 2025 Navy League meetings held the first week of April 2025. Morton is the Aerospace and Defence Global Industry Director at IFS which is an enterprise software company. We discussed the arrival of maritime autonomous systems…
By Robbin Laird Recently the Commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command presented testimony before the Congress. In this piece, I will deconstruct that testimony to highlight key elements for shaping a way ahead in the near to mid-term. Not only is this necessary to focus on what the force needs…
F-35A Lightning II aircraft from the 354th Fighter Wing participate in exercise Arctic Gold 25-1 on Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska. 10.07.2024 Video by Travis Minyon F-35 Joint Program Office
By Robbin Laird The war in Ukraine has brought the nuclear question back again as a central topic in European security. And now the Trump Administration with its focus on European defense by Europeans, coupled with the unfinished business of the Ukraine war, have intensified considerations of what is the…
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…
The Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group is underway in the Atlantic Ocean completing integrated naval warfighting training. Composite Unit Training Exercises are an intense, multi-week exercise designed to fully integrate a carrier strike group as a cohesive, multi-mission fighting force, to assess their ability to carry out sustained combat…
By Lt. General (Retired) David Deptula Leadership is more than a title — it is a calling. Few have answered that call with the depth of dedication, intellect, and vision that Michael Wynne demonstrated as the 21st Secretary of the United States Air Force. Wynne led with an unwavering commitment…
Two F-35 Lightning IIs arrived on Ebbing Air National Guard Base, Fort Smith, Arkansas as part of the Foreign Military Sales Mission on Dec. 23, 2024. The F-35s will be used to train Polish pilots and were welcomed to Ebbing by the 188th Fire Department giving them a "Water Salute".…
