4/24/12 The USS Ponce (LPD-15) was launched on 20 May 1970. It was last in action off of the coast of Libya and was a member of the ARG-MEU, which was part of the transformation evident in the air operations off the shores of Tripoli. She faced the end of…
By Richard Weitz The second panel discussion at the April 2012 Army War College annual strategy conference offered international perspectives on the U.S. role in the world. LTG (UK, Ret) P.R. Newton, Director of the Centre for Strategic Studies at Exeter University in the United Kingdom, discussed the meaning of…
During the U.S. tanker competition, a consistent "missing" analytical element was an understanding that the A33o MRTT was just that a multi-capable tanker. Rather than having to carry fuel or carry other things, the tanker can do both. Because the tanker carried its fuel load in its wings, the basic…
By Richard Weitz From the perspective of the Republic of Korea (ROK) and its allies, the situation on the Peninsula is extremely unsettling. The DPRK looks set to resume testing its nuclear weapons as well as test launch more long-range ballistic missiles. Together, these capabilities could render the continental United…
By Lieutenant General (Retired) Michael Dunn, President, Air Force Association I have been seeing “trial balloons” in the press about the Administration's desire to go to lower numbers of nuclear warheads … beyond those listed in New START. Some of the numbers are as low as 300 warheads. (For example…
By Richard Weitz The first panel at the U.S. Army War College conference assessed the meaning and consequences of the United States having entered “An Age of Austerity.” Lawrence Korb Lawrence Korb, Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress, argued that defense planners always have to accept some risk…
Dr. Michael L. Skaff created this briefing. Skaff described his background in a recent interview as follows: I was an F-16 pilot out of the Air Force Academy. I was prior enlisted, and I’ve been with Lockheed Martin for about 23 years working on the F-35 cockpit since ’95. I flew…
By Richard Weitz This year’s U. S. Army War College Strategy Conference, which met from April 10-12, focused on “The Future of U.S. Grand Strategy in an Age of Austerity: Challenges and Opportunities.” The Hon. Richard Armitage, a career diplomat and the former Deputy Secretary of State for the George…
