DefenceTalkDefenceTalkPresident Donald Trump told his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Thursday that he hopes to avoid an “expensive” US arms race with Russia and China, the White House said. Washington and Moscow are preparing negotiations on a successor to the New START treaty capping their countries’ nuclear arsenals. However, China has so far rejected pressure […]https://www.defencetalk.com/trump-tells-putin-hopes-to-avoid-us-russia-china-arms-race-75997/

DefenceTalkDefenceTalkWashington’s order to China to close its consulate in Houston was to protect US intellectual property and private information, the State Department said Wednesday. Spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus was elaborating on the incident that has strained already tense relations between the two world powers, as US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited Denmark. Under the Vienna […]https://www.defencetalk.com/china-consulate-threatened-intellectual-property-says-us-75978/

DefenceTalkDefenceTalkSerbia has reportedly taken delivery of a batch of CH-92A armed reconnaissance drones plus missiles recently, the first time China has exported military-use aviation equipment to a European country and a milestone for Chinese arms firms in the European market, analysts said on Monday. The drones are expected to become some of the most advanced […]https://www.defencetalk.com/china-delivers-armed-drones-missiles-to-serbia-first-deal-to-europe-75872/

DefenceTalkDefenceTalkBritain said on Tuesday it would resume arms sales to Saudi Arabia, halted last year after a UK court ruling over the Gulf kingdom’s bombing campaign in neighbouring Yemen. Weapons exports were stopped in June 2019 after the Court of Appeal ordered the government to clarify how it assesses whether their use in Yemen’s civil […]https://www.defencetalk.com/uk-set-to-resume-saudi-arms-sales-despite-yemen-concerns-75868/

DefenceTalkDefenceTalkChina signed a global pact Monday to regulate arms sales that has been rejected by the United States, the Asian power’s UN ambassador said. The Communist Party leadership’s top legislative body voted in late June to join the UN Arms Trade Treaty, designed to control the flow of weapons into conflict zones. The signing demonstrates […]https://www.defencetalk.com/china-signs-un-arms-trade-treaty-75856/

DefenceTalkDefenceTalkAustralia has unveiled plans to dramatically tool-up its military as threats from China mount, but some see collapsing trust in the United States alliance as an underlying motivation. On paper, Australia’s landmark defence review released Wednesday was all about a middle-ranking military power looking north at an increasingly belligerent emerging superpower and deciding it was […]https://www.defencetalk.com/chinese-threats-weaker-us-alliance-spur-australian-military-overhaul-75824/

DefenceTalkDefenceTalkThe NATO Western military alliance on Tuesday approved a new defence plan for Poland and the Baltic states after the allies reached a compromise with Turkey which had been vetoing it, officials said. The deal marked a breakthrough after months of talks over Turkey’s demand to receive more support in its fight against a Kurdish […]https://www.defencetalk.com/turkey-lifts-veto-on-nato-defence-plan-for-poland-baltics-75788/

DefenceTalkDefenceTalkDefense Secretary Mark Esper will present President Donald Trump with a series of options Monday to withdraw thousands of US troops from Germany, with many moving to eastern Europe, the Pentagon said Saturday. “Secretary Esper met with President Trump on Wednesday to discuss our presence in Europe,” said Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman. “On Monday the […]https://www.defencetalk.com/pentagon-to-give-trump-options-to-reduce-troops-in-germany-75776/

DefenceTalkDefenceTalkAustralia’s spy agency and police raided a lawmaker’s home Friday as they probed alleged Chinese influence operations and Prime Minister Scott Morrison warned the country would not tolerate foreign political interference. The developments added to months of escalating tensions between the two nations, partly driven by Australia accusing China of economic ‘coercion’ and raising concerns […]https://www.defencetalk.com/australian-intelligence-raids-target-lawmaker-over-china-links-75772/

DefenceTalkDefenceTalkThe Pentagon has published a list of 20 Chinese companies it says are backed by the military, in the latest instance of a running tit-for-tat economic battle between Washington and Beijing. Telecom giant Huawei — which has been dogged by allegations of stealing American trade secrets and aiding China’s espionage efforts — and video surveillance […]https://www.defencetalk.com/pentagon-lists-firms-it-says-are-backed-by-chinese-military-75769/