05/21/2017: U.S. Marines and Sailors forward deployed to the 3rd Marine Division, as part of the forward Unit Deployment Program, participate in a vertical assault off a British MK3 Merlin helicopter on the Island of Tinian, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, British MK3 Merlin helicopter May 16, 2017. Marines and…
By Richard Weitz For the last few years, the Russian government has made the unprecedented decision to purchase expensive Western military equipment. This has been done partly to fill gaps in Russian military capabilities and partly to use the threat of foreign competition to induce its military industrial complex to…
by Robbin Laird Recently, the USN-USMC team completed the largest “amphibious” exercise in more than a decade along with core allies. But what did people see? What did they recognize in the exercise and focus upon? Because it is called an amphibious exercise, outsiders who attended the exercise tended to…
03/21/2012: The Eurocopter Puma was engaged in Bold Alligator 2012. Off of the Mistral, the Pumas supported the French Army by transporting artillery pieces and providing support for the troops on the ground. For the USN, the Pumas worked off of the USNS Robert E. Peary providing support for the amphibious…
In an interview with Brigadier General Owens, the 2nd MEB commander noted that the French forces on the ground operated more than 80 miles dealing with the “enemy” to the South West of the insertion point. This meant that the French were operating nearly 4000 miles from their home port. …
From Afghanistan to Libya to Bold Alligator 2012 to ... ? French Forces on Deployment By Murielle Delaporte and Robbin Laird February 20, 2012 - Defense debates rarely picture the folks who get into harm’s way to execute strategies and whose actions determine mission success or failure. The last decade…
02/13/2012: The BPC Mistral was the key sea platform which allies brought to the Bold Alligator 2012. The Mistral was recently involved in the Libyan operations and part of the French use of sea bases in a Mediterranean engagement context. In a key interview with a senior French leader, SLD…
By Murielle Delaporte 02/12/2012- Onboard the multipurpose amphibious assault ship BPC Mistral (BPC stands for "Bâtiment de projection et de commandement") - which starts its tenth month of continued deployment -, the French Navy and Army prepare to play a major role in Bold Alligator 2012. The USN-USMC team and…
