Featured Article

08/14/2025
By Robbin Laird In 2021, my book entitled Training for the High-End Fight: The Strategic Shift of the 2020s was published. I am starting a series of article re-engaging on this critical issue in the run up to my visit this Fall to the Italian International Flight Training School where there will be a great opportunity to look at one of the leading Western air forces addressing this challenge. In this article, I want to…
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The KC-130J: A Key Enabler of Marine Corps Aviation Operations

05/21/2025By Robbin Laird On 30 April 2025, I had the chance to talk with Major White, the Operations Officer at VMGR-252. This is a KC-130J squadron based at… Read more »

Distributed Aviation Operations: Marine Wing Support Squadron Adapts for Future Combat

05/20/2025By Robbin Laird In an increasingly complex and contested battlefield environment, the U.S. Marine Corps is adapting its aviation support strategy to meet emerging challenges. Captain Medlen, an… Read more »

Keeping USMC H-1s Ready and Relevant for Today’s Crisis Management Response

05/13/2025The Marine Corps Aviation Association (MCAA) 2025 Symposium is going on this week from May 12 through the 15h in Dallas Texas. We are publishing a piece highlighting… Read more »

Shaping a Way Ahead for the MV-22: A Modernization Path

05/06/2025By Robbin Laird V-22 modernization efforts are essential to enable the Osprey to remain in service for the next thirty years. One important ongoing effort is the Nacelle… Read more »

The Paradigm Shift in Maritime Operations: Expanding the Impact of Capabilities for Distributed Maritime Effects

05/04/2025By Robbin Laird At the recent Navy League meetings held during the first week of April, I had a chance to talk with several companies and analysts about… Read more »

The Paradigm Shift in Maritime Operations: What Potential Role for Future Tiltrotor Systems?

04/24/2025By Robbin Laird In my forthcoming book on the paradigm shift in maritime operations, I focus on the importance of pairing distributed capital ship operations with the capabilities… Read more »

The H-1s at MAWTS-1: Participating in Weapons and Tactics Instructor Course 2-25

04/20/2025U.S. Marine Corps UH-1Y Venom and AH-1Z Viper pilots assigned to Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron One (MAWTS-1), are seen in the photo slide show below at… Read more »

The U.S. Approach to Defense and Deterrence in the Indo-Pacific: Deconstructing Admiral Paparo’s Recent Testimony

04/16/2025By Robbin Laird Recently the Commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command presented testimony before the Congress. In this piece, I will deconstruct that testimony to highlight key elements… Read more »

Leadership is More than a Title — It is a Calling

04/09/2025By Lt. General (Retired) David Deptula Leadership is more than a title — it is a calling. Few have answered that call with the depth of dedication, intellect,… Read more »