DefenceTalkSome 27 months into the conflict raging in Syria and with over 90,000 dead, the United States has vowed for the first time to send military aid to the rebels battling to oust President Bashar al-Assad. But with the White House staying tight-lipped over what kind of weapons it might provide and lacking any public […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-military-aid-to-rebels-unlikely-to-tip-balance-in-syria-48118/

DefenceTalkPakistan’s new government announced Wednesday a 10 percent increase in defence spending a week after taking office, despite a crippling budget deficit of 8.8 percent. The budget for fiscal year 2013-14, which begins July 1, comes against a backdrop of weak economic growth, high inflation, dwindling foreign exchange reserves and unprecedented power cuts. But the […]https://www.defencetalk.com/pakistan-raises-annual-defence-budget-by-10-percent-48100/

DefenceTalkIran’s role in flashpoints like Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Afghanistan is proving a headache for the West as it tries to normalise ties with Tehran without a trade-off on its contested nuclear drive. As the Islamic republic prepares for presidential elections on Friday to choose a successor to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, whose eight years in office […]https://www.defencetalk.com/iran-nuclear-push-flashpoints-role-has-west-in-a-bind-48098/

DefenceTalkTaiwan urged the United States Sunday to continue arming it with defensive weapons as it kept a wary eye on the first summit between US President Barack Obama and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping. During the meeting in California, the Chinese side had asked the US to end its arms sales to Taiwan, which Beijing […]https://www.defencetalk.com/taiwan-renews-arms-sales-call-amid-us-china-summit-48071/

DefenceTalkBaghdad has warned Israel that it would respond to any attempts by the Jewish state to use Iraqi airspace for a strike against Iran’s controversial nuclear programme, a top Iraqi minister told AFP. The remarks from Hussein al-Shahristani, deputy prime minister responsible for energy affairs, mark the first time a senior Iraqi official has publicly […]https://www.defencetalk.com/iraq-warns-israel-on-using-airspace-in-iran-strike-48016/

DefenceTalkWASHINGTON — The United States military has “complete faith that our systems are secure and reliable,” a Pentagon spokesman said here today. The military is always concerned about cybersecurity and the chances of losing information to other nations, Army Col. Steve Warren said, but the department has invested a lot of money, time and expertise […]https://www.defencetalk.com/despite-hackers-dod-retains-faith-in-weapon-systems-47987/

DefenceTalkThe European Union’s decision to lift its arms embargo on the Syrian opposition has provided Russia with a new defence of its controversial weapons deliveries to President Bashar al-Assad’s regime. Russia reacted with fury to the EU’s decision Monday — advocated primarily by Britain and France — to lift its arms embargo on the rebels […]https://www.defencetalk.com/eu-embargo-move-boosts-russia-plan-to-arm-syria-47961/

DefenceTalkRussia has started fulfilling its recent arms exports contract with Iraq after receiving an advance payment from Baghdad, Russian Technologies (Rostech) CEO Sergei Chemezov said. “The contract is being implemented, the production [of ordered equipment] has started,” Chemezov told RIA Novosti at the opening ceremony of a Russian grenade-launcher assembly facility in Jordan on Thursday. […]https://www.defencetalk.com/russia-receives-payment-under-iraqi-arms-deal-47971/

DefenceTalkA week after President Barack Obama cracked the lid of secrecy on his drone war, the United States refused Wednesday to confirm it had killed a top Pakistani Taliban leader in an airborne attack. Pakistani security and intelligence sources said that Waliur Rehman, deputy leader of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) had perished in an American […]https://www.defencetalk.com/after-vowing-transparency-us-silent-on-drone-killing-47949/

DefenceTalkChinese hackers have stolen top-secret blueprints to Australia’s new intelligence agency headquarters, a report said Tuesday, but Foreign Minister Bob Carr insisted ties with Beijing would not be hurt. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation said the documents taken in the cyber hit included cabling layouts for the huge building’s security and communications systems, its floor plan, […]https://www.defencetalk.com/china-steals-new-australia-spy-agency-blueprints-report-47939/