By Robbin Laird During my recent visit to Australia in March-April 2023, the main focus of attention was on the re-set of Australian defence to deal with the evolving strategic challenges in the Pacific. An important area for expanding the reach and viability of the ADF in its regional focus…
U.S. Air Force aircrew members assigned to the 8th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron transport cargo on a C-17 Globemaster III in support of Exercise Juniper Oak, within the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, Jan. 19, 2023. Juniper Oak is a large-scale bilateral exercise, aimed to enhance interoperability between U.S. and…
In a 20 April 2023, an article by Gregor Ferguson in The Australian provided an overview of the Ghost Shark program. In that article, the author highlighted the anticipated role of the XL-AUV or extra Large Autonomous Underwater Vehicle. “Make no mistake, (XL-AUVs) will be a game-changer,” said former Royal…
A non-flyable F-35C Lightning II airframe is flown as part of a CH-53K King Stallion external load certification lift Dec. 13, 2022, at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md. The structure is from the first F-35C carrier variant aircraft, CF-1, a former developmental flight test jet from the Patuxent River…
By Robbin Laird I met with Ross Babbage on 5 April 2023 in Canberra to discuss his new book and his assessment of the way ahead in building credible deterrence of the China of President Xi. Ross Babbage in his new book, The Next Major War: Can the U.S. and…
By David Beaumont National Defence: Defence Strategic Review was released to the public on 24 April 2023, to a defence ‘community’ only too eager to scrutinise the document for its consequences on the ADF’s capability mix. The paper, of course, covers a swathe of topics and concepts. It describes the reasons…
U.S. Marines have left a mark on the U.S. territory of Guam since the beginning of the 20th century, contributing to regional stability by serving as an enduring symbol of the continued partnership between the Marine Corps and the government of Guam. When Marines first landed on the Pacific island…
By Robbin Laird During my visit to Honolulu during the last week of April 2023, I had a chance to meet with Rear Admiral Jeffrey Jablon, the Submarine Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet (SUBPAC) commander. We disscused the evolving role of the submarine fleet in the challenging environment of the Pacific.…