For the fourth time the Portuguese Air Force assumed lead of the Baltic Air Policing mission. During the traditional ceremony at Šiauliai Airbase on May 2 a detachment of the Portuguese Air Force was handed over the symbolic key to the Baltic Airspace from the outgoing detachment of the Royal…
The first quarter of this year, with the Danish Air Force in the lead, the Italian Air Force contributed its Eurofighters to the QRA mission in the Baltics. As David Cenciotti noted in a March 14, 2018 piece on the mission: As part of the Task Force Air (TFA) 36°…
Brexit is a process which have a major impact on the UK and Europe for sure. And no matter what the Brexit negotiated outcome that will be sorted out between the EU and the UK, both continental Europe and the UK will have to find a way to work together…
RAAF Base Williamtown hosted one of the world’s largest cargo aircraft, an Antonov An-124 on Wednesday 2 May, and Thursday 3 May to deliver F-35A training equipment. The equipment – an F-35 Weapons Load Trainer (WLT) and Ejection Seat Maintenance Trainer (ESMT), unloaded and installed in the Australian F-35 Integrated…
By Robbin Laird I have spent last week in Norway and visited Bodø air base as well as Ørland airbase, home of the first F-35s in Norway. This week I visited RAF Marham, the Tornado and F-35 base, and RAF Conigsby, a QRA and Typhoon base and then yesterday Portsmouth to…
By Philip Butterworth-Hayes Time, they say, slows down the few seconds before a car crash. For close observers of the UK’s disentanglement from the European Union’s (EU) defence and security institutions, time has started to decelerate over the last few weeks. First came the reports of the Commission’s decision that…
By Robbin Laird During past visits to Australia, I have had a chance to talk with Major General (Retired) Jim Molan. The last time we talked was during my August 2017 visit and we focused on the challenge for Australia preparing for future conflicts. In that interview, he focused on…
By Murielle Delaporte Recent interviews conducted in Norfolk, Virginia, and in particular with Supreme Allied Transformation Commander (SACT) General Denis Mercier, focused on how NATO is addressing its transformation. In the wake of February’s NATO Defense ministers’ two-day meeting in Brussels and the reform of the command structure, the ACT…
