By Robbin Laird The AUKUS partnership stands at a critical juncture. Born from the vision of three leaders who have since left the political stage, this ambitious trilateral alliance centers on one of the most complex defense undertakings in modern history: enabling Australia, a non-nuclear nation, to operate nuclear-powered attack…
By Ed Timperlake Cornell University President Michael I. Kotikoff recently expressed serious concerns about the sudden freeze of federal research grants, particularly those from the Department of Defense. His statement reveals the troubling scope of this funding suspension and its potential impact on critical national security research. President Kotikoff's initial…
U.S. Marine Corps F-35B Lightning II aircraft assigned to Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 242, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, conduct touch-and-go flight operation drills aboard the amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6), in the Solomon Sea, June 9, 2025. Marine F-35Bs bring a 5th generation multi-discipline strike capability to…
By Robbin Laird I have been coming to Australia since 2014 and writing the seminar reports for the Sir Richard Williams Foundation bi-annual seminar reports. I have done so because of my deep commitment to the U.S.-Australian relationship but more generally because of my concern with the rise of multi-polar…
On this July 4th 2025, it is important to remember the Flying Fortress: When Heroes Fell from the Sky When that B-17 went down over France on 4 July 1943, it became part of a larger story. Seventy years after a B-17 Flying Fortress crashed into Nazi-occupied territory, French villagers…
F-35B Lightning II aircraft conduct flight operations aboard HMS Prince of Wales during exercise Med Strike. 05.05.2025 Video by Travis Minyon F-35 Joint Program Office
Recently, the Polish Foreign Minister argued that Putin had awaken a sleeping giant in terms of European defense efforts. The commitment to 5% defense spending inclusive of 1 and 1/2 percent of GNP on defence related infrastructure will raise a number of analytical questions of who does what with what…
U.S. Marines with Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron (HMLA) 773, Marine Aircraft Group 29, 4th Marine Aircraft Wing, conduct flight and forward area refuel point operations during Integrated Training Exercise 3-25 at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms, California, June 6, 2025. MCAGCC serves as the Marine Corps’…
