Defense XXI Shaping a Way Ahead for the United States and Its Allies

Global defense analyst Robbin Laird brings you, "Defense XXI". This compendium of articles published in 2021 provides an overview of several key trends and themes regarding the evolution of U.S. and allied defense. We have focused on several key developments during the year in the defense domain which will have longer term impacts in the years ahead. During 2021, we visited several U.S. Naval and Marine Corps bases, as well as France and Poland as well as "virtually" Denmark and the United Kingdom. During those visits, we interviewed many senior commanders about how they are focused on shaping a more effective military to deal with the evolving challenges from the authoritarian powers.


As former Secretary of the USAF, Michael Wynne commented: "The articles in the book, organized as they are by natural topics, will undoubtedly enhance the reader's understanding as to just how weapons and information technology and the distribution and relationship knowledge have affected and impacted the age old concept that military action is simply an extension of diplomacy by other means."

A long-time analyst of global defense issues, Robbin Laird has worked in the U.S. Government and several think tanks, including the Center for Naval Analysis and the Institute for Defense Analysis. He is a Columbia University alumnus, where he taught and worked for several years at the Research Institute of International Change, a think tank founded by Dr. Brzezinski. He is a frequent op-ed contributor to the defense press, and he has written several books on international security issues.

Dr. Laird has taught at Columbia University, Queens College, and Johns Hopkins University. He has received various academic research grants from various foundations, including the Fritz Thyssen Foundation, the United States Institute for Peace, etc.

He is the editor of two websites, Second Line of Defense and Defense.info. He is a member of the Board of Contributors of Breaking Defense and publishes there on a regular basis. He is a regular contributor to FrontLine Defense, as well.

He is a frequent visitor to Australia where he is a Research Fellow with The Williams Foundation in supporting their seminars on the transformation of the Australian Defence Force. Recently, he has become a Research Fellow with The Institute for Integrated Economic Research-Australia. The Institute is focused on a number of key macro social/defense issues which revolve around establishing trusted supply chains and resiliency in dealing with the challenges posed by the 21st century authoritarian powers.