On Sunday Aug. 22, President Joe Biden told the nation he’s “made a lot of progress” with Afghanistan and “history is going to record this was the logical and rational decision to make.” Excuse me while I  scream, as I wrote for Fox News Opinion.  You won’t believe Biden’s comments on the Taliban.  Instead of delivering a strong warning from the White House, Biden said “the Taliban will need economic assistance” and foreign aid because “they are seeking legitimacy.”  And by the way, the Taliban are “a ragtag outfit” who “don’t control all their forces.”  Biden ...

20 years of fighting, 2,352 American deaths and it comes down to this: can Afghanistan’s government forces pull back and hold on until the Taliban over-extends its military push?  Afghanistan's government is trying a simple, if brutal strategy, as I wrote for Fox News Opinion Aug. 12.  In early August the Taliban began rolling up small provinical capitals in territory they already dominated.  The Afghanistan government’s strategy is to consolidate around Kabul and other population centers, then draw the Taliban into a fight they can’t win.   Don't forget the impact of warlords and airpower ...

Russia, knock off the cyber attacks or watch out for your oil pipelines.  

President Joe Biden's sharp message on cyber attacks was the big takeaway from the summit in Geneva on June 16, 2021.  As I wrote for Fox News, for the first time a US president gave Russia an exteremely clear warning to knock off the cyber attacks.  Remember the whole domain of cyberspace is veiled and the public rarely sees obvious moves.  So you have to read between the lines.  Biden warned Putin cyber attacks must stop.  US critical infrastructure facilities like energy, power and oil pipelines ...

Of course Russia did it.  The recently discovered massive cyberattack on U.S. government and industry computer networks by a foreign adversary isn’t the first nor will it be the last such hostile action. While the Trump administration has strengthened U.S. defenses and revved up America’s cyber offense, it’s clear that the incoming Biden administration will need to do a lot more because the attacks are becoming increasingly sophisticated.  

The problem became obvious when Russia shut down Estonia with a devastating cyberattack in April 2007. Estonia revamped its entire cybersecurity structure. Today NATO’s cybersecurity center ...

America's B-2 stealth bomber made its dramatic first flight thirty years ago on July 17, 1989.  Today, America's military is preparing to face advanced threats from Russia, China, and others.  Can the B-2 still dominate?  Yes, says this short paper Rules of Stealth.  Low observables break up the air defender's chain of detection, fire control and missile launch.  With updates that refine survivability tactics, the twenty B-2 bombers are still at the heart of conventional war plans and nuclear deterrence for the United States.  Much of the counter stealth chatter comes from Russian military equipment marketing.  Stealth ...

B-2s are at the center of war plans, for every theater of operations around the globe. 

B-2 Stealth Bomber At War  highlights twenty years of missions as seen by pilots and the team of the Air Force's 509th Bomb Wing at Whiteman AFB.  The story begins with the B-2's first flight on July 17, 1989.  Ten years later, the B-2 went to war for the first time in NATO's Operation Allied Force, introducing precision, all-weather stealth attack in the 78-day air campaign.  In 2001, a B-2 crew set the record for a combat mission at 44.3 ...

Data fusion at the tactical edge is a top need for the US military's new concept for Multi-Domain Operations.  US forces came to rely on combat data networks developed in battles in Afghanistna, Iraq and Syria.  But Russia and China's electronic warfare and cyber systems threaten US combat networks.  Fortunately, the technology is ready to test smart data fusion hubs: a new type of network "box" that fits on current airplanes, ships and other platforms to process, sort and refine data in real time, at the tactical edge, while operations are underway.   Over time, the connections and processing ...

New engines can boost the range and payload of the US Army's Blackhawk and Apache helicopters.  GE and ATEC, a Pratt&Whitney and Honeywell team, are developing improved turbine engines to remove and replace on Arny helicopters.  This viatla competition will power up Army missions, making it possible to carry more soldiers, equipment and to omit hazardous forward area refuelings.  Under any budget IREP is a vital Army program -- and one that makes sense for America's global missions and counterterrorism fight.

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US military options in the Pacific depend on airpower.  This paper examines how stealth and legacy fighters like the F-35, F-22 and F/A-18 among others may be deployed to counteract Chinese activity and give US commanders maximum options. 

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Strike sorties over Iraq and Syria now total 32,828 for the 3-year war that began in late 2014.  That's close to the number for Operation Desert Storm.  On Janaury 17, 1991, the US-led Coalition began a fight to eject Iraqi forces from Kuwait.  The six-week war dominated by airpower and finished up with 4 days of ground fighting redefined American military power.  The impact on Iraqi ground forces day after day led Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Merrill A. McPeak to conclude, "My private conviction is that this is the first time in history that a field ...