DefenceTalkTop scientists and security experts moved the “Doomsday Clock” forward on Tuesday to just 90 seconds to midnight — signaling an increased risk to humanity’s survival from the nuclear shadow over the Ukraine conflict and the growing climate crisis. The new timing of the clock set by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists is closer […]https://www.defencetalk.com/doomsday-clock-moves-closest-ever-to-midnight-79749/

DefenceTalkTurkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned Sweden on Monday that it should not expect his backing to join NATO following the burning of the Koran outside Ankara’s embassy in Stockholm. Erdogan’s furious comments further distanced the prospects of Sweden and Finland joining the Western defence alliance before Turkey’s presidential and parliamentary polls in May. Turkey […]https://www.defencetalk.com/erdogan-warns-sweden-on-nato-after-koran-burning-79733/

DefenceTalkEuropean powers must do more to dissuade China from invading Taiwan, including being prepared to unleash painful economic sanctions and train Taiwanese troops, the former head of NATO said Thursday. Anders Fogh Rasmussen, who is visiting Taipei, said European and NATO powers were “too naive” in the run-up to Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine and risked […]https://www.defencetalk.com/ex-nato-chief-says-europe-too-naive-on-chinas-taiwan-threats-79690/

DefenceTalkRussia’s ex-president Dmitry Medvedev said on Sunday the country was ramping up production of new-generation weapons to protect itself from enemies in Europe, the United States and Australia. “We are increasing production of the most powerful means of destruction. Including those based on new principles,” Medvedev said on messaging app Telegram. “Our enemy dug in […]https://www.defencetalk.com/russia-ramping-up-production-of-most-powerful-weapons-medvedev-79654/

DefenceTalkThe 2022 China Military Power Report lays out the challenges facing the United States military as it works to manage relations with the emerging superpower. The report, released today, calls the Peoples’ Republic of China “the most consequential and systemic challenge to our national security and to a free and open international system.” A senior […]https://www.defencetalk.com/china-military-power-report-examines-changes-in-beijings-strategy-79635/

DefenceTalkHungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban called EU sanctions against Russia “a step towards war” on Friday, describing the bloc’s Russia policy as dangerous. Orban has sought to take a neutral position since Russia invaded Ukraine in February, refusing to send Kyiv military aid and opposing an 18-billion-euro EU support package for Ukraine. Although Budapest didn’t […]https://www.defencetalk.com/eus-russia-sanctions-a-step-towards-war-hungary-pm-79619/

DefenceTalkNorway, a NATO member that shares a border with Russia in the Arctic, will raise its military readiness, the prime minister said Monday, stressing no direct threat had been detected. “The military will as of tomorrow raise its preparedness in Norway,” Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store told reporters. “We currently have no reason to believe […]https://www.defencetalk.com/norway-raises-military-readiness-but-pm-says-no-direct-threat-79572/

DefenceTalkUS Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi discussed the rivalry between the two superpowers and Russia’s war in Ukraine in a call Sunday, the State Department and Beijing’s foreign ministry said. The top diplomats talked about the need to “responsibly manage the competition between our two countries,” Blinken said in […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-china-discuss-relations-war-in-ukraine-79569/

DefenceTalkRussia’s invasion of Ukraine highlights the “acute threat” posed by Moscow, but China is the most consequential challenge for the United States, the Pentagon said Thursday. The dangers are both conventional — Moscow’s aggression toward its neighbors and Beijing’s efforts to gain control of Taiwan — and nuclear, with Russia possessing an extensive arsenal and […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-sees-acute-threat-from-russia-but-says-china-is-main-challenge-79549/

DefenceTalkThe US military must be ready to respond to a potential invasion of Taiwan as soon as this year, a senior admiral said Wednesday, signaling heightened alarm over Beijing’s intentions towards the island. Admiral Michael Gilday, chief of US naval operations, is the latest senior official in Washington to raise concerns that China’s President Xi […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-must-prepare-now-for-china-invasion-of-taiwan-admiral-79533/