02/21/2016: An F-16 Fighting Falcon from the 421st Expeditionary Fighter Squadron departs on a sortie from Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan, Jan. 8, 2016. Airmen assigned to the 421st Fighter Squadron, known as the “Black Widows,” from Hill Air Force Base, Utah, support both Operation Freedom’s Sentinel and NATO’s Resolute Support mission.…
2016-02-12 By Robbin Laird There is a long history and strategic culture associated with nuclear deterrence. The only question is whether the history and the culture are more of hindrance than a help into thinking about second nuclear age deterrence and warfighting? Paul Bracken in his book, The Second Nuclear…
02/19/2016: Marines with the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade work alongside Norwegian Armed Forces personnel to move vehicles, weapons and equipment forward to one of the largest live-fire ranges in Norway for Exercise Cold Response 2016. The equipment was drawn from a stockpile stored and meticulously maintained in secure caves throughout…
2016-02-08 On Feb. 5, the Italian Air Force’s first F-35, AL-1 with code “32-01” and markings of the 32 Stormo Wing landed at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland, at the end of the JSF’s first ever transatlantic flight. The aircraft was piloted by “Ninja,”an Italian Air Force test pilot, belonging to the Reparto…
2016-02-14 By Robbin Laird and Ed Timperlake The F-35 working with robotic elements and with new weapons can empower a distributed operations approach. This approach is being tested out at various centers of innovation within the U.S. military and will be synergistic with allied partners. Traditional assets, such as the…
2016-02-18 By Robbin Laird, Ed Timperlake and Murielle Delaporte Logistics is the oft forgotten dimension of combat power. For the sea services, this means that the key role of the Military Sealift Command (MSC) can never be overlooked or forgotten. It is just a notable fact that the MSC can…
2016-02-18 By Todd Miller Three weeks of intensive Red Flag aerial warfighting culminated 2-12-16. This first of four Red Flag exercises to be held in 2016 featured 39 units, 120 aircraft and 2400 personnel from three countries, the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia. Group Captain Philip Gordon, Air Expeditionary…
02/18/2016: F-16 Fighting Falcons from the 421st Expeditionary Fighter Squadron, Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan supporting ground operations in the Helmand Province, Afghanistan, Jan.6, 2016. The 421st EFS, base out of Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan, is the only dedicated fighter squadron in the country and continuously supports Operation Freedom's Sentinel and the…
