DefenceTalkJapanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Wednesday he will attend this month’s NATO summit in Madrid, becoming the country’s first leader to join a top meeting of the transatlantic alliance. The June 28-30 gathering is seen as a crunch moment for the 30 North Atlantic Treaty Organization allies, four months into Russia’s war in Ukraine. […]https://www.defencetalk.com/japan-to-attend-nato-summit-for-first-time-78967/

DefenceTalkUS Secretary of State Antony Blinken will launch a European charm offensive on his first official trip to Brussels on Tuesday, looking to rebuild ties with NATO allies and the EU. Washington’s top diplomat will attend a two-day meeting of NATO foreign ministers and hold talks with EU chiefs as he tries to mend relations […]

DefenceTalkTop U.S. and South Korean military leaders spoke to reporters yesterday at Osan Air Base near the South Korean capital of Seoul to reinforce the alliance between the two countries and their combined resolve to deter North Korean threats. In attendance were Army Gen. Vincent K. Brooks, commander of U.S. Forces Korea, Combined Forces Command […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-south-korean-military-leaders-reinforce-alliance-70365/

DefenceTalkUS Defense Secretary Jim Mattis is in Saudi Arabia Wednesday to reinvigorate the Riyadh-Washington alliance, with both seeing a common adversary in Iran and its “destabilising” activities. The United States and Saudi Arabia have a decades-old relationship based on the exchange of American security for Saudi oil. But ties between Riyadh and Washington became increasingly […]https://www.defencetalk.com/mattis-in-riyadh-to-boost-us-saudi-alliance-69755/

DefenceTalkFrom Berlin to Washington, Germany’s role in the trans-Atlantic alliance has taken center stage. But what does Germany actually do for NATO? DW examines its strategic role amid a spat prompted by US President Trump. In Germany, the question of defense spending has become a contentious topic ahead of key parliamentary elections slated for September, […]https://www.defencetalk.com/how-does-germany-contribute-to-nato-69563/

DefenceTalkNATO Defence Ministers wrapped up two days of talks in Brussels on Thursday (16 February 2017), focused on the Alliance’s adaptation to a more demanding security environment. On Wednesday, Ministers discussed NATO’s role in the fight against terrorism and agreed to create a new regional Hub for the South, based at NATO’s Joint Force Command […]https://www.defencetalk.com/nato-defence-ministers-take-steps-to-strengthen-the-alliance-69165/