DefenceTalkThe big-spending Pentagon opened a campaign Tuesday against the consolidation of defense contractors, saying competition has dwindled as arms suppliers merge and supersize. In an official report, the Department of Defense (DoD), which has a budget of $768 billion this year, said the shrinking number of suppliers threatens national security and limits the potential for […]https://www.defencetalk.com/pentagon-fights-defense-industry-consolidation-77947/

DefenceTalkRussian President Vladimir Putin told his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron Saturday that accusations Moscow plans to attack Ukraine were “provocative speculation” and could lead to a conflict in the ex-Soviet country. Putin and Macron discussed what Moscow called “provocative speculation related to an allegedly planned Russian ‘invasion’ of Ukraine,” the Kremlin said after phone talks. […]https://www.defencetalk.com/putin-tells-macron-invasion-claims-are-provocative-speculation-77938/

DefenceTalkThe top diplomats of the United States, Australia, Japan and India opened talks in Melbourne Friday on deepening their Quad alliance, hoping to blunt China’s expanding power across the Asia-Pacific region. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison kicked off the day by highlighting the group’s importance in building cooperation among democracies, while making a thinly-veiled allusion […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-asia-allies-meet-to-deepen-bulwark-against-china-77916/

DefenceTalkChina has suspended imports of Lithuanian beef, the customs administration said, as tensions rise over trade following the Baltic nation’s stance on Taiwan. Lithuania, one of the smallest countries in the European Union, enraged China last year when it allowed Taipei to open a representative office in Vilnius under the name of Taiwan — a […]https://www.defencetalk.com/china-suspends-lithuanian-beef-imports-amid-row-over-taiwan-77891/

DefenceTalkA UN commission set up to obtain reparations from Iraq over the country’s 1990 invasion of Kuwait submitted its final report in Geneva on Wednesday after paying out $52.4 billion to the small Gulf state. Set up in 1991 by UN Security Council Resolution 692 to manage financial compensation owed by Iraq to Kuwait, the […]https://www.defencetalk.com/un-panel-wraps-up-after-iraq-pays-52-4-bn-for-kuwait-invasion-77895/

DefenceTalkRussia has a stake in crises around the world from Ukraine to Syria, Sudan and Mali — and that is reflected in the active role it takes at the UN Security Council on issues both big and small, contrasting with the relative detachment of the United States. The paradox is that, by at least one […]https://www.defencetalk.com/russia-takes-lead-at-un-in-crises-around-the-world-77824/

DefenceTalkUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday announced plans to add 100,000 personnel to the armed forces over three years and end obligatory service, as tensions soar with Russia. But Zelensky insisted the move — part of a drive to modernize the 250,000-strong military — did not mean a large-scale invasion by Moscow was imminent amid […]https://www.defencetalk.com/ukraine-to-bolster-military-as-russia-tensions-soar-77810/

DefenceTalkRussia said Sunday it wants “mutually respectful” relations with the United States and denied posing a threat to Ukraine, as the UK said it was preparing fresh sanctions against Moscow. Tensions have soared between Moscow and Washington after Western governments accused Russia of amassing tens of thousands of troops on its border with ex-Soviet Ukraine. […]https://www.defencetalk.com/russia-says-wants-respectful-ties-with-us-77801/

DefenceTalkThe threat of a Russian invasion of Ukraine has reignited debate in Finland and Sweden over whether they should join NATO to fend off any possible eastern aggression. Fighter jets could be heard carrying out drills above the Finnish capital this week, while Sweden recently deployed troops to a Baltic outpost in response to rising […]https://www.defencetalk.com/rattled-by-russia-finland-and-sweden-revisit-nato-debate-77782/

DefenceTalkUS authorities announced Tuesday they are suing to block Lockheed Martin’s $4.4 billion takeover of Aerojet Rocketdyne, asserting the proposed deal would lead to higher costs on defense systems. Noting that Aerojet is “the last independent US supplier of missile propulsion systems,” the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) said it would file a complaint in US […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-sues-to-block-lockheed-martin-aerojet-deal-77767/