The Osprey Nacelle Upgrade Dynamic: Understanding Its Broader Impact on Force Sustainability
When you spend enough time with maintainers in the fleet rather than briefing officers in the…
Read More »A Kill Web Admiral Sets a Blockade
The Commander of CENTCOM is Admiral Brad Cooper, USNA Class of 1989. A Kill Web is…
Read More »Epochal Change and the Transformation of Questions
We tend to measure historical change by its products: new weapons systems, new doctrines, new institutions,…
Read More »From Missile Defense to Systems Warfare: The MEADS Case and the Future of Security
For a long time, we viewed missile defense as an essentially technical problem. A problem of…
Read More »From Crisis to Confidence: How the V-22 Nacelle Improvement Program Delivered the Readiness Revolution the Osprey Needed
The story of the V-22 Osprey’s transformation from a maintenance-intensive platform to a readiness success offers…
Read More »The Age of Chaos: The Changing Rules of Shaping the Global Order
Consider the classic board game. Its appeal is simple: a rule book, a shared set of…
Read More »
NAVAL AIR SYSTEMS COMMAND, PATUXENT RIVER, Md. April 20, 2026 The CH-53K King Stallion helicopter, under the direction of H-53 Heavy Lift Helicopters Program Office (PMA-261), achieved a major milestone by successfully lifting another CH-53K King Stallion. The test, performed by Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 21 (HX-21), is part of the CH-53K aircraft recovery rigging evaluation and a critical step toward developing new operational capabilities and procedures for the CH-53K fleet. “This is a capability we hope will never be needed in the fleet,” said Col. Kate Fleeger, Program Manager, PMA-261. “However, the continued expansion of the aircraft’s capabilities ensures a faster response to emerging requirements and highlights its ability to perform.” The primary purpose of the evaluation was to validate the specialized rigging and procedures required...