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An Interview with the CEO of Quickstep: An Australian F-35 Global Supplier

03/27/2014
2014-03-27 By Robbin Laird During my visit to Australia in early March, I had a chance to talk with some of the F-35 suppliers in Australia. When one frames this subject, the term “suppliers” to a nation’s F-35 program suggests a legacy approach, whereby one is assembling an aircraft in…

MV-22 Osprey Flight Operations in East China Sea

03/27/2014
03/27/2014: An MV-22 Osprey Tiltrotor Aircraft performs flight operations in the East China Sea and Okinawa. EAST CHINA SEA (March 15. 2014) -- An MV-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft, assigned to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 265, performs operations out of the forward-deployed amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6).…

Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star

03/26/2014
03/26/2014: In the first two photos, Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star transits through the water accomplishing the Coast Guard missions summer of 2013. The Polar Star is one of the largest ships within the Coast Guard measuring at 399 feet long. Polar Star is specifically designed for open-water icebreaking with…

The Business Model of Thales Australia: Transfer Technology, Grow Indigenously and Export Globally

03/25/2014
2014-03-25 By Robbin Laird Earlier I wrote about the role of European firms in the augmentation of allied Pacific defense capabilities. In American discussions of the re-shaping of Pacific defense, naturally the primary focus is upon the American role and contribution. Lost in such a focus often is how the Asian…

The Challenge of Energy Security in the 21st Century: The Australian Case

03/25/2014
2014-03-25  The global interdependence of the 21st century poses significant challenges when states are forced to handle disruptions, and when competitors to shape outcomes to their advantage use disruptions. Energy security is clearly a key part of global interdependence, and managing energy security is a key challenge facing 21st century…