DefenceTalkRussia is highly likely to intervene in the Baltic states to test NATO’s collective defense commitment, the former head of the Atlantic alliance was quoted as saying by Britain’s Daily Telegraph on Friday. “This is not about Ukraine. Putin wants to restore Russia to its former position as a great power,” Anders Fogh Rasmussen told […]https://www.defencetalk.com/ex-nato-chief-says-russia-likely-to-act-in-baltics-62773/

DefenceTalkPakistan’s military said it killed 25 militants in air strikes on tribal regions near the Afghan border Wednesday as part of a major offensive against the Taliban and other insurgents. The strikes took place in the Sanzila area of South Waziristan and Tirah in Khyber, the military said in a statement. “In precise aerial strikes, […]https://www.defencetalk.com/pakistan-military-says-25-militants-killed-in-air-strikes-62652/

DefenceTalkAt least 19 people, including 13 Ukrainian troops, have been killed in fighting with pro-Russian separatists in the east of the country over the last 24 hours, officials and rebels said Sunday. At least 20 Ukrainian troops were also wounded, said Ukrainian defence official Volodymyr Poliovyi, as separatists pushed their offensive around key transport hub […]https://www.defencetalk.com/19-die-in-east-ukraine-fighting-in-24-hours-62488/

DefenceTalkChina’s military training this year will focus on “improving fighting capacity” to win “local wars”, the defence ministry said Thursday, with Beijing embroiled in several territorial disputes. The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has been tasked with improving its ability to “win battles” by President Xi Jinping, its commander-in-chief, who has also pushed a high-profile campaign […]https://www.defencetalk.com/china-2015-military-drills-to-focus-on-winning-local-wars-62346/

DefenceTalkUkrainian forces on Thursday abandoned their defense of a long-disputed airport in the country’s separatist east and vowed a response to Russia’s escalating “aggression” in one of the deadliest days of the nine-month war. In a graphic illustration of the worsening conflict, pro-Russian rebels also paraded some 20 captured Ukrainian soldiers through the city of […]https://www.defencetalk.com/ukraine-troops-abandon-airport-in-bloody-day-of-conflict-62092/

DefenceTalkThe Philippines’ foreign minister on Thursday slammed China’s attempts to build islands in the disputed South China Sea, prompting Beijing to accuse Manila of making “trouble out of nothing”. Albert del Rosario repeated a warning that Beijing was reclaiming land around isolated reefs in the South China Sea to turn them into islands which could […]https://www.defencetalk.com/philippines-slams-china-island-building-as-beijing-hits-back-62086/

DefenceTalkCanada’s opposition leader accused Prime Minister Stephen Harper on Tuesday of having lied when he promised no ground combat alongside airstrikes against the Islamic State group in Iraq. The accusation comes after Canadian special forces exchanged gunfire with Islamic State fighters in the Mideast country in recent days, in the first confirmed ground battle between […]https://www.defencetalk.com/canadas-harper-lied-about-ground-combat-in-iraq-opposition-62050/

DefenceTalkTaiwan on Tuesday launched its largest ever missile ship Tuesday as the island strives to modernise its armed forces in response to a perceived threat from China. The 500-tonne corvette named ‘Tuo Chiang’ — ‘Tuo River’ — is the first of its kind ever produced by Taiwan and was touted by defence minister Yen Ming […]https://www.defencetalk.com/taiwan-launches-its-largest-ever-missile-ship-61211/

DefenceTalkTribal separatists killed at least 34 people, including four women, in a series of attacks in India’s remote northeastern state of Assam on Tuesday, police said. The attacks took place in the two districts of Kokrajhar and Sonitpur, senior state police official SN Singh said, with the deadliest claiming 26 lives. Police blamed the attacks […]https://www.defencetalk.com/separatists-kill-at-least-34-in-northeast-india-police-61193/

DefenceTalkFrench Army operations in Mali (Operation Serval) in 2013 provide a model for designing and operating an expeditionary force, one that has a number of attributes and competencies that United States Army Chief of Staff General Raymond Odierno has indicated to be requirements for the Army. The model therefore provides a living example that illustrates […]https://www.defencetalk.com/frances-war-in-mali-lessons-for-an-expeditionary-army-60828/