DefenceTalkJailed Kurdish rebel chief Abdullah Ocalan was set to call a “historic” ceasefire on Thursday, raising expectations for an end to a three-decade conflict with Turkey that has cost tens of thousands of lives. The widely anticipated ceasefire call is to come in a letter penned by the leader of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party […]https://www.defencetalk.com/turkey-awaits-historic-ceasefire-call-by-kurdish-rebel-chief-47231/

DefenceTalkPentagon officials have put off sending furlough notices to civilian employees until they’ve had a chance to analyze how pending legislation that would fund the federal government for the rest of the fiscal year will affect the Defense Department. Officials now estimate that furlough notices will go out on or about April 5, Navy Cmdr. […]https://www.defencetalk.com/pentagon-delays-sending-furlough-notices-to-civilian-workforce-47222/

DefenceTalkTwo recent studies have shown that, essentially, an arms race is in full swing in Asia – cause for serious concern, considering the number of simmering conflicts in the region. The national interests of Asian countries are growing along with their economic clout and affluence, prompting governments in the region to protect their spheres of […]https://www.defencetalk.com/the-new-arms-race-in-asia-47196/

DefenceTalkDeputy Defense Secretary Ash Carter is traveling to Asia to meet with U.S. allies and partners and continue defense consultations on a range of common security challenges. Carter will visit defense and government officials in Yokota, Japan; Seoul, South Korea; Manila, the Philippines; and Jakarta, Indonesia. In Jakarta he will hold bilateral meetings, attend a […]https://www.defencetalk.com/carter-visits-asia-to-discuss-common-security-challenges-47185/

DefenceTalkChina has become the world’s fifth largest exporter of major conventional arms, replacing the United Kingdom, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) said in a report Monday. The report, which contains new data on international arms transfers, says this is the first time China has been one of the top five weapons exporters since […]https://www.defencetalk.com/china-replaces-uk-as-fifth-global-arms-exporter-sipri-47178/

DefenceTalkSouth Korea and the United States launched joint drills Monday involving thousands of troops, defying North Korea’s apocalyptic threat to repudiate the 60-year-old Korean War armistice in retaliation. The start of the two-week “Key Resolve” exercise follows a week of escalating tensions on the Korean peninsula, with North Korea also threatening nuclear war over UN […]https://www.defencetalk.com/south-korea-us-drills-start-as-north-rejects-armistice-47118/

DefenceTalkIt is generally agreed that the additional cuts to the defense budget required by sequestration will do more than just hurt the military; they will require significant force posture changes and, according to senior Department of Defense (DoD) officials, a new defense strategy. This should come as no surprise. The first round of cuts imposed […]https://www.defencetalk.com/defense-budget-cuts-demand-smart-downsizing-47111/

DefenceTalkChina will increase its defense budget by 10 percent this year. The country’s growing military spending is a trend that has many of its neighbors worried. Beijing sees the increase as natural. China has planned a defense budget for the year 2013 that will total around 90 billion euros. That is an increase of 10.7 […]https://www.defencetalk.com/china-defends-military-expansion-47079/

DefenceTalkRussia will continue to build up its own defense capabilities according to foreseeable threats stated President Vladimir Putin at a meeting at the Defense Ministry, reports the Voice of Russia’s correspondent from the session. There are multiplying and expanding zones of instability on the planet: with non-stop armed conflicts in the Middle East, Central Asia, […]https://www.defencetalk.com/russia-will-continue-building-up-its-defenses-47084/

DefenceTalkAfter invading Iraq ten years ago, the United States spent $60 billion on a vast reconstruction effort that left behind few successes and a litany of failures, an auditor’s report said Wednesday. The ambitious plan to transform the country after the fall of Saddam Hussein has been marked by half-finished projects and crushed expectations, according […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-wasted-billions-in-iraq-with-few-results-inspector-47072/