DefenceTalkA Pakistani Taliban militant wanted for his role in a school massacre has died in a US drone strike in Afghanistan, Pakistani and American military officials said Wednesday. Omar Narai, also known as Omar Khalifa and Khalid Khurasani, died in Nangarhar province over the weekend, security officials from both countries said. Narai “was killed along […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-drone-strike-kills-pakistan-militant-behind-school-attack-67824/

DefenceTalkThe Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) have begun their third year in the lead for security in Afghanistan and the second year in which they have full security responsibility with limited U.S. or coalition support on the battlefield. During the December 1, 2015, to May 31, 2016, reporting period, the ANDSF addressed key […]https://www.defencetalk.com/dod-releases-report-on-enhancing-security-and-stability-in-afghanistan-67694/

DefenceTalk“The inability to operate in degraded visual environments is the primary contributing factor to Army aviation mishaps over the past decade,” said Steffanie Easter. Easter, principal deputy assistant secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology, spoke at the Army Aviation Association of America-sponsored 2016 Army Aviation Mission Solution Summit in Atlanta, April 29 […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-army-aims-to-own-the-weather-67416/

DefenceTalkThe dwindling US troop presence in Afghanistan is hampering the Pentagon’s ability to train and monitor local security forces, a government watchdog report warned Friday. Since local Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) assumed responsibility for their country’s security, taking over from NATO forces at the start of 2015, US troop numbers have dropped […]https://www.defencetalk.com/shrinking-us-presence-in-afghanistan-creates-security-concerns-report-67378/

DefenceTalkThe inaugural launch of a ScanEagle unmanned aerial vehicle in Helmand, Afghanistan marked new intelligence gathering capability for the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces. The Helmand ScanEagle site is the first of eight in Afghanistan that will be operational in the next two and a half years. “The ScanEagle systems provide the Afghan National […]https://www.defencetalk.com/scaneagle-uavs-enhance-intelligence-capability-for-afghanistan-67283/

DefenceTalkChief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif, speaking at the Peace and Prosperity seminar on Tuesday, said Indian intelligence agency RAW is actively involved in destabilizing Pakistan. “Hostile intelligence agencies are averse to China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC),” said the chief of army staff. Let me make it clear that we will not allow anyone to […]https://www.defencetalk.com/indias-raw-involved-in-destabilizing-pakistan-says-general-raheel-67225/

DefenceTalkSoldiers with 3rd Squadron, 6th Cavalry Regiment, provide a set of eyes in the sky in the fight against Daesh through the use of Tactical Unmanned Aerial Systems. Under the Army’s aviation restructure initiative, UAS can be used for attack missions and to supplement manned missions against the enemies of the U.S. and its allies. […]https://www.defencetalk.com/unmanned-aerial-system-more-than-just-remote-controlled-planes-67136/

DefenceTalkUS military personnel involved in a devastating air strike on a hospital run by Doctors Without Borders in Afghanistan have been or will be punished, officials said Thursday. The bombing last October of the MSF hospital in Kunduz — which came as NATO-backed Afghan forces clashed with insurgents for control of the northern provincial capital […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-military-personnel-punished-over-afghan-hospital-attack-67087/

DefenceTalkThe White House for the first time will release casualty figures from its controversial drone program, officials said on Monday, amid criticism that the airstrikes often kill civilians instead of the intended terror targets. Lisa Monaco, President Barack Obama’s top homeland security adviser, said the administration will publish a review of its air strikes on […]https://www.defencetalk.com/white-house-to-release-data-on-drone-strikes-66981/

DefenceTalkIf there is one virtue the U.S. national security establishment needs to embrace in its war against Islamic extremism, it is patience. More than fourteen years in Afghanistan and almost thirteen in Iraq have demonstrated how difficult it is to accomplish even relatively straightforward tasks such as training an indigenous security force and building basic […]https://www.defencetalk.com/new-afghan-air-force-finally-taking-flight-66603/