KAIRAI, LTHUANIA (June 4, 2018) U.S. Marines assigned to 2nd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit and Members of the Romanian 307th Naval Infantry Battalion conduct an amphibious assault during exercise Baltic Operations (BALTOPS) 2018 in Kairai, Lithuania, June 4. BALTOPS is the premier annual maritime-focused exercise in…
By Stephen Blank The revelation that President Trump has seriously considered the desirability of invading Venezuela ought to focus our attention on that unhappy country and others like it in Latin America. While Venezuela’s crisis is an extreme manifestation of the kleptocratic autocracies masquerading under the socialist or Chavista sobriquet…
By Robbin Laird With peer adversaries emphasizing technological change and force modernization, focusing on strategic advantage for US and allied forces is a key element for combat success. At the heart of such an approach, clearly will be the ability to operate more effective distributed forces and to leverage the…
By Robbin Laird Putin has clearly focused on expanding Russian influence in the areas of strategic interest to Russia. While the United States has diffused its efforts with an over emphasis on stability operations and counter-insurgency in the Middle East, the Russians have focused on their core interests and how…
A Joint Task Group of four ships and more than 1,000 personnel from the Australian Defence Force are deployed on Indo-Pacific Endeavour 2018, a series of key engagement activities with Australia’s regional neighbors. [maxgallery id="118209"] Indo-Pacific Endeavour 2018 is the second iteration of the exercise and part of ongoing efforts…
By Richard Weitz One issue that will probably not be on the NATO summit agenda, but should be, is to develop a strategy for dealing with the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO). NATO has consistently rejected to do so, dismissing the organization as a façade for Moscow’s aspirations for regional…
U.S. Marines with 2nd LAAD Battalion, Marine Air Control Group 28, 2nd Marine Air Wing lock on to aerial targets in support of Weapons and Tactics Instructor course 2-18 at Site 50, Welton, Ariz., April 20. WTI is a seven-week training event hosted by MAWTS-1 cadre, which emphasizes operational integration…
Exercise Hamel is a major Army exercise that is designed to evaluate the war fighting skills of a brigade. In 2018 the Brisbane-based 7th Brigade will be undergoing this evaluation. Major exercises such as Exercise Hamel allow commanders to ensure their formations and units are battle ready. These exercises are…
