DefenceTalkFinland is preparing for a potentially historic decision “before midsummer” on whether to apply to join NATO as a deterrent against Russian aggression. The Nordic nation of 5.5 million has traditionally been militarily non-aligned, in part to avoid provoking its eastern neighbor, with which it shares a 1,300 kilometer (830 mile) border. But Russia’s invasion […]https://www.defencetalk.com/finland-gears-up-for-historic-nato-decision-78661/

DefenceTalkThe US announced Tuesday it has approved the sale of up to $95 million worth of training and equipment to support Taiwan’s Patriot missile defense system, something Taipei said would help protect the island from any invasion by China. “The proposed sale will help to sustain (Taiwan’s) missile density and ensure readiness for air operations,” […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-approves-sale-of-missile-defense-support-to-taiwan-78611/

DefenceTalkSolomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare said Friday his government would not allow a Chinese military base to be built in his country “under its watch” as he defended a pending security agreement with Beijing. Sogavare, echoing a fiery speech he made to Honiara’s parliament this week, dismissed concerns the deal would allow China a […]https://www.defencetalk.com/solomons-leader-rules-out-hosting-china-military-base-78565/

DefenceTalkRussia’s invasion of Ukraine has created a “new sense of urgency” among NATO member states to boost defence spending, the alliance’s chief Jen Stoltenberg said Thursday as he unveiled the organization’s 2021 report. The report itself — covering expenditures before Russia launched its war in February this year — showed just eight of NATO’s 30 […]https://www.defencetalk.com/ukraine-war-spurring-nato-allies-to-spend-more-stoltenberg-78559/

DefenceTalkSweden’s prime minister said Wednesday she hasn’t ruled out NATO membership in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, after having insisted until now on her country’s policy of military non-alliance. “I don’t rule out NATO membership in any way”, Magdalena Andersson told Swedish public television SVT, adding that a review of the country’s security […]https://www.defencetalk.com/swedens-pm-says-hasnt-ruled-out-nato-membership-78556/

DefenceTalkBerlin: Outdated equipment, woeful bureaucracy, demotivated soldiers: Germany has quite a task ahead to modernize its army, which it has vowed to do in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Three days after the attack began, Chancellor Olaf Scholz in a landmark speech pledged a special budget of 100 billion euros for the military, […]https://www.defencetalk.com/how-germany-shaken-by-ukraine-plans-to-rebuild-its-military-78534/

DefenceTalkFinland must brace for Russian interference and hybrid attacks as it weighs whether to join the NATO military alliance, the security services warned on Tuesday. The Nordic nation shares a 1,340-kilometre (830-mile) border with Russia and has remained militarily non-aligned since the end of World War II to avoid provoking its eastern neighbour. But Russia’s […]https://www.defencetalk.com/finlands-spy-service-warns-of-russian-interference-attacks-78530/

DefenceTalkThe Philippines and the United States launched the largest-ever joint military drills in the archipelago nation on Monday, signaling deepening defence ties as fresh tensions surface in the disputed South China Sea. The war games are the last under outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte, who previously threatened to cancel exercises and axe a key military deal […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-philippines-kick-off-their-largest-ever-war-games-78514/

DefenceTalkWhen 20 Indian soldiers were killed in a recent border clash with China, the military hardware New Delhi sent to bolster its Himalayan frontier was mostly Russian-origin, showing not for the first time its closeness to “longstanding and time-tested friend” Moscow. Facing an increasingly assertive China closer to home, these ties help explain Prime Minister […]https://www.defencetalk.com/indias-russian-arms-explain-shaky-ukraine-stance-78507/

DefenceTalkIn a muddy car park in Norway’s Far North, Finnish troops show off their military might, lining up rocket launchers, artillery and snowmobiles as they prepare to train alongside their NATO brothers-in-arms. While Finland and Sweden’s partnership with the Atlantic Alliance is nothing new, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has pushed the two militarily non-aligned nations […]https://www.defencetalk.com/with-war-next-door-finland-sweden-train-with-nato-78504/