DefenceTalkThe United States will help Taiwan “develop the capability to defend itself” from a Chinese invasion, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Sunday, stopping short of President Joe Biden’s vow to send troops to the island. “We’re committed to helping Taiwan develop the capability to defend itself,” Austin said in an interview with CNN. Washington […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-defense-chief-vows-to-help-taiwan-defend-itself-79460/

DefenceTalkLife may seem tranquil on Japan’s remote Yonaguni island, where wild horses graze and tourists dive to spot hammerhead sharks, but China’s recent huge military exercises have rattled residents. The western island is just 110 kilometres (70 miles) from Taiwan, and a Chinese missile fired during the drills last month landed not far from Yonaguni’s […]https://www.defencetalk.com/chinese-moves-on-taiwan-rattle-remote-japanese-island-79409/

DefenceTalkChinese president Xi Jinping has set a timeline for his nation’s military to be capable of taking Taiwan by 2027 — just five years from now. Recent events in the Taiwan strait have some questioning the strategic situation and prospects of a near-term invasion.  Colin H. Kahl, the undersecretary of defense for policy, said that […]https://www.defencetalk.com/china-may-draw-lessons-from-russian-failures-in-ukraine-79362/

DefenceTalkTaiwan said a Chinese military reconnaissance drone entered its air defence zone on Monday, the latest incursion as relations between the two neighbours remain tense. The drone, identified by Taipei’s defence ministry as a BZK-007 vehicle, crossed into the southwest corner of the island’s air defence identification zone (ADIZ) along with eight Chinese warplanes. Taiwan’s […]https://www.defencetalk.com/taiwan-says-chinese-military-drone-entered-air-defence-zone-79333/

DefenceTalkPresident Vladimir Putin attended large-scale military exercises on Tuesday involving China and several other Russia-friendly countries, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told local news agencies. Putin was meeting with Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and military chief of staff Valery Gerasimov at the Sergeevski military range and could observe the final phase of the military exercises later, […]https://www.defencetalk.com/putin-attends-military-exercises-with-chinese-forces-kremlin-79329/

DefenceTalkThe United States on Friday announced a $1.1 billion arms package for Taiwan, vowing to keep boosting the island’s defenses as tensions soar with Beijing, which warned Washington of “counter-measures.” The sale comes a month after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi defiantly visited the self-governing democracy, prompting mainland China to launch a show of force that […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-approves-1-1-billion-in-arms-for-taiwan-79310/

DefenceTalkTaipei and Beijing have traded barbs over a recent string of drone sorties from the Chinese mainland to an outlying Taiwanese island, as Taiwan’s president Tuesday vowed “strong countermeasures” against such incursions. Photos and video taken by Chinese drones of the Kinmen islands have been circulating on both Taiwanese and Chinese social media, with one […]https://www.defencetalk.com/taiwan-china-trade-barbs-over-island-drone-incursions-79252/

DefenceTalkSoldiers from several countries have arrived in eastern Russia for joint military drills that China will take part in, Russia’s defence ministry said Monday, amid tensions between Moscow and Western capitals. Servicemen from Kremlin-friendly countries including close ally Belarus, India, Mongolia and Syria will participate in the drills. The exercises will take place between September […]https://www.defencetalk.com/foreign-forces-arrive-for-military-drills-in-eastern-russia-79260/

DefenceTalkTwo United States warships sailed through the Taiwan Strait on Sunday, the American navy said, the first such transit since China staged unprecedented military drills around the island. In a statement, the US Navy said the passage “demonstrates the United States’ commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific.” Tensions in the Taiwan Strait soared to […]https://www.defencetalk.com/two-us-navy-warships-transit-through-taiwan-strait-79263/

DefenceTalkJapan is considering the deployment of more than 1,000 long-range cruise missiles to increase its ability to counter growing regional threats from China, local newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun reported on Sunday. The country plans to upgrade its existing surface-to-ship missiles to extend their range from 100 kilometers (62 miles) to about 1,000 kilometers (620 miles), which […]https://www.defencetalk.com/japan-mulls-long-range-missile-upgrades-due-to-china-threat-report-79232/