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Lockheed Martin has unveiled a new version of the F-16 at the Singapore Airshow. The F-16V will feature enhancements including an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, an upgraded mission computer and architecture, and improvements to the cockpit - all capabilities identified by the U.S. Air Force and several international customers for future improvements. With nearly 4,500 F-16s delivered, this is a natural step in the evolution of the world's most successful 4th generation fighter. The Fighting Falcon program has continually evolved as it began with the F-16 A/B as the lightweight fighter then transitioned to F-16 C/D and Block...

n Iraq and Afghanistan, the “coalition” defeats continue slowly to unroll. In Lebanon, it appears Hezbollah may win not only at the moral and mental, strategic and operational levels, but, astonishingly, at the physical and tactical levels as well. That outcome remains uncertain, but the fact that it is possible portends a revolutionary reassessment of what Fourth Generation forces can accomplish. If it actually happens, the walls of the temple that is the state system will be shaken world-wide. One pointer to a shift in the tactical balance is the comparative casualty counts. According to the Associated Press, as of...

In June of 1944, when Field Marshal von Rundstedt, the German commander in France, was told that the Allies were landing in Normandy, he knew exactly what to do. He went out into the garden and pruned his roses. Von Rundstedt knew that in war, early reports, regardless of whether the news is good or bad, are usually misleading. Reacting to them with "instant analysis" merely makes the problem worse. That is as true for the war in Iraq as for any other war. For now, we need to wait. Only time can offer clarity. What we can do now...

The Pentagon is awash with talk about military transformation. An important part of that debate goes beyond transformation, however, and into a concept called 4th Generation Warfare (4GW). The urban battlefield is an important 4GW trend, and the USA will need to have the ability to deal with it. Some new U.S. experiments and lessons from Israel will help us get there... read all about it.

The recent Mujahir announcement has really put this issue on the table. I've just finished a very comprehensive look at "dirty bombs," including their history, uses, and connection to 4th Generation Warfare. It's intended to be a fairly definitive primer, much more detailed than you've seen at news sites like CNN.

By now you've read the stories about the latest Al-Qaeda threat against the USA, as delivered on Sunday June 1 by al-Qaeda spokesman Sulaiman bu Ghaith. There was a threat of this type issued about 3 weeks before Sept. 11. What's the purpose of this one? Winds of Change starts with a careful look at al-Qaeda's strategic situation, then proposes a number of scenarios re: where al-Qaeda might be going with this threat and why. For instance, Donald Rumsfeld might want to be extra-careful on his trip to Pakistan.