Updated 5/23/2017 to reflect statements made by Coast Guard commandant Zukunft regarding the program. Earth’s polar regions, the Arctic and the Antarctic, are some of the most inhospitable places on the planet. Receiving little sun,…
Update: As of mid-2017, the US Navy has decided to expand the scope of the frigate program, opening the door for non-LCS designs and investigating the possibility of higher-powered sensors and a heavier armament. While…
Recently, there has been much ado about China’s aircraft carriers. CV-16, known as the Liaoning, was launched in 2012 to much fanfare, and CV-17 will probably enter service within a few years. Until this point,…
For much of history, the Royal Navy was the best-manned and best-equipped navy in the world. It has been many decades since that era, and while the Royal Navy (RN) is still potent, it is no…
Note: this article is part of a series on Russia’s naval modernization. For part one, see the article on the Black Fleet’s Admiral Grigorovich-class frigates. Defense strategists and policy wonks will often speak of a…
On the surface, the international arms market may appear to be a mere forum for buying and sellings weapons. However, the actual workings of defense markets are highly nuanced and often involve geopolitics. For example,…
In recent years, the United States Air Force has launched a number of programs intended to replace aging aircraft with modern ones. Most of these programs are in various stages of completion; the Advanced Tactical…
Updated 7/6/2017 with grammatical corrections. Mobility, the ability to transport troops and provisions from one place to another, is critical to any military operation. While firepower may be more prominently featured in the popular imagination,…
The Russian Navy’s woes after the fall of the Soviet Union are well-documented. During its glory years, the Soviet Navy was the second-most-powerful in the world; while it never quite reached the level of sophistication…
Often times, mainstream coverage of military equipment focuses on flashy new weapon systems, such as the F-35 fighter jet. Based on these prominent articles and the formidable budgets of many militaries, it would be a…