DefenceTalkUS President Donald Trump said Friday that the United States remained committed to NATO’s mutual defense pledge, after he failed to endorse it in a speech in Brussels last month. Amid worries by Washington’s European partners that the US leader had not fully bought into the Atlantic alliance, Trump told reporters: “I’m committing the United […]https://www.defencetalk.com/trump-says-us-committed-to-natos-mutual-defense-pledge-70162/

DefenceTalkDefense Secretary Jim Mattis today directed the start of the department’s Ballistic Missile Defense Review, chief Pentagon spokesperson Dana W. White said in a statement. The review is conducted to identify ways to strengthen missile-defense capabilities, rebalance homeland and theater defense priorities and provide the necessary policy and strategy framework for the nation’s missile defense […]https://www.defencetalk.com/pentagon-announces-start-of-ballistic-missile-defense-review-69923/

DefenceTalkAccording to the latest report published by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), countries around the world are spending ever more money on weapons. Diplomacy, it seems, is in retreat. Global defense spending has gone up for the first time since 2011. According to the World Military Expenditure Report published by the Stockholm International […]https://www.defencetalk.com/global-defense-spending-increases-69808/

DefenceTalkThe future of rotary-wing or vertical lift aircraft across the services is the focus of a Defense Department initiative that seeks to improve the speed, range, refueling and interoperability capabilities across the military services, U.S. Special Operations Command and the Coast Guard, and was the subject of a discussion today at the Center for Strategic […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-dod-officials-discuss-future-vertical-lift-family-of-systems-69356/

DefenceTalkDefense Secretary Jim Mattis will present a preliminary version of the Pentagon’s new plan to rapidly defeat the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria during a meeting of the White House Principals Committee today, Navy Capt. Jeff Davis said here this morning. The Cabinet-level senior interagency forum, which usually does not include the president, already […]https://www.defencetalk.com/pentagon-spokesman-discusses-isis-preliminary-plan-budget-amendment-69328/

DefenceTalkPresident Donald Trump on Friday promised a historic buildup of America’s already vast military, but said he hoped he would never need to use it. We are “putting in a massive budget request for our beloved military and we will be substantially upgrading all of our military,” Trump told the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) […]https://www.defencetalk.com/trump-promises-massive-buildup-of-entire-us-military-69305/

DefenceTalkA program office at Hanscom Air Force Base is working to improve and upgrade a system that provides comprehensive air surveillance and defense with a recent request for information and industry days. The Battle Control Systems Fixed, or BCS-F, provides a comprehensive air picture for North America and allows air battle managers to execute command […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-air-force-looks-to-upgrade-bcs-f-air-surveillance-system-68429/

DefenceTalkThe military service chiefs today unanimously named budget uncertainty and reduced funding levels leading to gaps in readiness as their most critical long-term budgetary challenges. Testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee were Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Milley, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John M. Richardson, Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-military-chiefs-budget-uncertainty-funding-levels-are-biggest-challenges-68176/

DefenceTalkDefense ministers and other senior leaders of the counter-Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant coalition have agreed on next steps in the accelerated fight against the terrorist army in Iraq and Syria, Defense Secretary Ash Carter said today. Carter hosted the meeting, the third of its kind, at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland for […]https://www.defencetalk.com/carter-defense-ministers-agree-on-next-steps-in-counter-isil-fight-67870/

DefenceTalkA Chinese national pleaded guilty Wednesday to charges stemming from the hacking of trade secrets from US defense contractors, including plans for transport and fighter jets, officials said. Su Bin, 50, had been charged in a 2014 indictment with hacking into the computer networks of Boeing and other contractors, as part of a scheme to […]https://www.defencetalk.com/chinese-national-admits-hacking-us-defense-firms-67165/