Army 1st Lt. Steven Rose launches an RQ-11 Raven unmanned aerial vehicle near a new highway bridge project along the Euphrates River north of Taqqadum, Iraq. With almost 1 million UAS flight hours clocked in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Army is committed to growing the program to keep pace with demand for UAS capabilities. This year alone, the Army plans to train more than 2,000 operators who ultimately will deploy with the ground troops they will support, Carlile
Army UASs come in three primary forms. The Raven, just under 3 feet long, supports battalions down to the platoon level. The Shadow, 11 feet long with a 14-foot wingspan, supports brigade-level operations. The more sophisticated “big daddy” of Army UASs, the Extended Range Multi-Purpose system, has a 56-foot wingspan and supports division-level operations.
Credit: Office of the Secretary of Defense Public Affairs, Courtesy Photo, 10/9/09
Location: Taqqadum, Iraq
General Bansard on the Evolution of Logistics and Sustainment in France (Part One)
The reform of the French armed forces, which is now taking place is at least as thorough as the professionalization reform initiated in 1996. This reform is twofold as it results from the convergence of two distinct reviews: on the one hand it stems from the White Paper on defense and security and on the other hand from the General Review of Public Policies (known as “RGPP” in French).
Read More >>—General George Patton Jr.
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What's New
Gamechanger Series: Reframing The Climate Change Debate (Part One)
Is the bitter winter afflicting much of the Northern Hemisphere the start of a global trend towards much cooler weather that is likely to last in the longer term?
Read More >>Randy Fowler on DoD’s New Logs and Sustainment Challenges
At the heart of logistics and sustainment are readiness issues. “If the military and its equipment are not ready to fight, its ability to influence events is significantly reduced. And the ability to count on availability of weapons systems is a significant aspect shaping concepts of operations worldwide”, he explains.
Read More >>Alain Bonny On: Rafale Care, One Year Later
The search for a balanced agreement has led to a risk sharing approach between Dassault Aviation and the French government: on the company’s part, the challenge is to give a guarantee on a very high reliability of equipment for the coming years; on the state’s part, it is to take a long-term – ten years – commitment.
Read More >>Lessons Learned: The USMC Approach to Close Air Support in Fallujah (Part One)
Urban close air support (CAS) successfully employed in Fallujah in 2004 highlights the capability of Marine Corps-style command and control (C2) of aviation. The CAS plan was built on Marine Corps C2 basics—procedural control and unity of command, which were enhanced with a common map or grid reference graphic (GRG).
Read More >>For more information about each publication, click on one of the following thumbnails
Towards Flexible Strategic Capability: The C5 Modernization Asset
Ashton Carter, Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics, gave approval for the LRIP (low-rate initial production) for the C-5 Reliability Enhancement and Re-Engining Program. This article provides an overview of this modernization effort and its strategic impact at a time when multi-mission capabilities need to be emphasized.
Read More >>General Hawley on: Why Weapons Systems Cost So Much – the 101 Version (Part Two)
There are three broad categories of cost – development, procurement and sustainment; each of which is driven by a different set of factors. While development and procurement costs attract the most attention from the media and from Congress, they account for just 40% of total weapons system cost.
Read More >>A new Civil War Is Brewing Over Aircraft Production
The economic battle for jobs and capital investment pits the Pacific Northwest against a rising challenger in the Southeast. (…) The Southern Aerospace Corridor’s business-friendly climate recently led Boeing, much to the disappointment of political and labor leaders in the Northwest, to select South Carolina as the site of a second assembly line for its 787 Dreamliner.
Read More >>General Bansard on the Evolution of Logistics and Sustainment in France (Part One)
The reform of the French armed forces, which is now taking place is at least as thorough as the professionalization reform initiated in 1996. This reform is twofold as it results from the convergence of two distinct reviews: on the one hand it stems from the White Paper on defense and security and on the other hand from the General Review of Public Policies (known as “RGPP” in French).
Read More >>Randy Fowler on DoD’s New Logs and Sustainment Challenges
At the heart of logistics and sustainment are readiness issues. “If the military and its equipment are not ready to fight, its ability to influence events is significantly reduced. And the ability to count on availability of weapons systems is a significant aspect shaping concepts of operations worldwide”, he explains.
Read More >>Haiti: U.S. Lessons Learned From the Tsunami Relief Mission
Even thought immediate parallels to Hurricane Katrina have been made, the real story is the way the US Military in Haiti has been building on the lessons learned by providing aid and comfort to the victims of the 2005 Tsunami.
Read More >>Lessons Learned: The USMC Approach to Close Air Support in Fallujah (Part One)
Urban close air support (CAS) successfully employed in Fallujah in 2004 highlights the capability of Marine Corps-style command and control (C2) of aviation. The CAS plan was built on Marine Corps C2 basics—procedural control and unity of command, which were enhanced with a common map or grid reference graphic (GRG).
Read More >>Eglin AFB’s Upcoming Comprehensive Training Facility for the F35
Colonel Tomassetti, Vice Commander of the 33rd Fighter Wing, explains the approach to F-35 training and the nature of the training center:”The 33rd Fighter Wing is the wing that has been charged with running the joint strike fighter, the F35 integrated training center operations here at Eglin Air Force Base…”
Read More >>Eglin Air Force Base: Building Synergy for the Future
Eglin is the home to the Air Armament Center where Major General CR Davis (formerly PEO of the F-35 program) functions as both the AAC Commander as well as the USAF PEO for Weapons. Given the size of the base, and the collocation of all elements of the weapons development process on the base, Eglin possesses a formidable capability to shape an integrated weapons development process.
Read More >>Intel Too Overloaded For Cyber Taskings?
Are recent events regarding US intelligence efforts indications that the intelligence agencies might be overloaded with work? The first-draft answer is Yes, and a re-balancing of cyberspace duties seems to be in order. In other words, is it possible that the core intelligence functions may deteriorate as intelligence work assignments extend into the realms of law enforcement and warfighting?
Read More >>Crafting Cyber Operations: A Terms of Reference for Facing 21st Century Challenges
Former Special Assistant to the Secretary of the Air Force, John Wheeler provides a very helpful overview to a very confusing and conflictual problem: what is the nature of the cyber security challenge and what concepts of operations do the US and allied governments need to shape to effectively meet the latter?
Read More >>Business as Usual in Bangladesh: The Global Armed Robbery Hotspot
Despite being tucked away at the bottom of the Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh and its primary port, Chittagong, remain a piracy hotspot. Even with a reduction in armed robberies two years ago, the five-year trend reveals that it is business as usual in Bangladesh.
Read More >>Taking the pulse of the next generations of aeronautics and space engineers: A French Sample
French students tend generally to get their early training in engineering schools specialized in aeronautics (ENAC, ESMA, ISAE, ESTACA or Supmeca in France), which all select their candidates via a competitive process.
Read More >>General Dunn on The Future of the Nuclear Force
The Administration will make perhaps its most important announcements over the next few months, affecting our very existence, i.e. the results of our nuclear posture review and the arms control deal we are seeking to make with Russia. In this regard, the central question, which ought to be asked, is not: “Can we live with this treaty and force structure?” The central question should be: “Does this treaty and force structure make us safer?”
Read More >>Copenhagen Dynamics: A Window into 21st Century Geo-Politics
History will look back at the Copenhagen Summit as the moment at the beginning of the 21st century when the power structure of the world fundamentally changed. During the run-up to the summit, President Obama and most European leaders believed they were in their customary role of guiding the rest of the world. Without fanfare, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao formed a Chinese-led core group of emerging market economic powerhouses.
Read More >>