DefenceTalkThe U.S. Army Security Assistance Command Commanding General and its Regional Operations Director for U.S. Africa Command conducted engagements with Uganda and Kenya military officers, State Department officials and Defense Department representatives from the respective countries’ Offices of Security Cooperation last month. The visits were designed to allow one-on-one discussions with Maj. Gen. Del Turner […]https://www.defencetalk.com/africa-engagements-stress-importance-of-security-assistance-50675/

DefenceTalkFour days after their official transfer of authority ceremony, U.S. Army Soldiers with Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa’s East Africa Response Force deployed for the first time since being established earlier this year. The Soldiers loaded onto a U.S. Air Force C-130 Hercules Dec. 14, and deployed to South Sudan, supporting the U.S. Embassy’s […]https://www.defencetalk.com/east-africa-response-force-deploys-for-1st-time-49982/

DefenceTalkWASHINGTON: Four U.S. service members were injured today when their aircraft came under ground fire in South Sudan during a mission to evacuate American citizens in Bor, according to a statement issued by U.S. Africa Command. The updated Africom statement reads as follows: “At the request of the Department of State, the United States Africa […]https://www.defencetalk.com/ground-fire-injures-4-us-troops-in-south-sudan-49980/

DefenceTalkThe US military will help fly African Union peacekeeping troops to the Central African Republic as part of a French-led effort to restore security there, US officials said Monday. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, in Qatar on a tour of the region, has ordered American forces “to begin transporting forces from Burundi to the Central African […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-military-to-fly-african-union-troops-to-central-africa-officials-49884/

DefenceTalkSituated in sight of unstable north Africa and on the shipping route to the Middle East, Gibraltar has military and intelligence facilities that still make it a strategic asset for Britain, analysts say. Spain ceded Gibraltar to Britain in perpetuity in 1713 following a military struggle but has since the 1960s fought to have the […]https://www.defencetalk.com/gibraltar-still-strategic-asset-for-britain-analysts-48790/

DefenceTalkThere are still some ways in which newspapers capture the moment better than blogs or social media. One such way is their ability to display the full extent of global chaos, a topic so diverse and variegated that it is tough to capture on an Internet page or blog posting. So if you want to […]https://www.defencetalk.com/as-global-unrest-spreads-us-slashes-military-readiness-48772/

DefenceTalkAlgeria’s army has reinforced its forces along the eastern border with Tunisia, Interior Minister Daho Ould Kablia said on Thursday, days after the killing of eight Tunisian soldiers. The soldiers were found on Monday with their throats cut after being ambushed by jihadist militants in Mount Chaambi, an area near the border with Algeria. Algeria’s […]https://www.defencetalk.com/algeria-army-boosts-forces-on-tunisia-border-minister-48662/

DefenceTalkApproximately 700 U.S. and 3,000 South African Defense Force service members gathered here for the opening ceremony of Exercise Shared Accord 13, July 24. This is the second exercise of its type between these two countries and is the result of bilateral discussions that originated in 2009, and were approved in 2010. “This particular exercise […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-army-africa-south-african-partners-kick-off-exercise-shared-accord-13-48583/

DefenceTalkBy Jody Ray Bennett In January 2013, US military officials finalized a Status of Forces (SOFA) agreement with the government of Niger to increase military involvement throughout the country. While the move clearly reflected developments in neighboring Mali, it had long been an operational goal of the Pentagon to establish a drone base in the […]https://www.defencetalk.com/niger-new-drone-base-highlights-a-shift-in-us-west-african-relations-47985/

DefenceTalkModernization programs and the procurement of advanced platforms have lent momentum to the defence market in Africa and the Middle East. This is particularly true for the Gulf states of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, which are looking to develop their military capabilities in the light of civil unrest and international instability. New […]https://www.defencetalk.com/military-modernization-in-africa-middle-east-drives-defense-market-growth-47929/