DefenceTalkBritain leaving the EU would damage Western security and dangerously weaken Europe, five ex-NATO chiefs and a host of former US secretaries of state and defence warned on Tuesday. The former NATO heads said a so-called Brexit would undermine the transatlantic military alliance and “give succour to the West’s enemies”, and would “undoubtably lead to […]https://www.defencetalk.com/ex-nato-heads-us-defence-chiefs-fire-brexit-warning-67447/

DefenceTalkThe UK will be at the forefront of a high-readiness force allowing seven nations to meet new challenges in an uncertain world. Defence Secretary Michael Fallon today (30 November) committed the UK to a leading role in the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF), which will include Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands and Norway, and could […]https://www.defencetalk.com/uk-led-joint-force-launched-to-tackle-common-threats-65937/

DefenceTalkBrussels: European Union nations on Tuesday unanimously backed a French request for support with military missions in the wake of the Paris attacks, after France invoked a previously unused part of the bloc’s treaties to seek help. France, which launched new airstrikes against Islamic State militants in Syria after Friday’s bloodshed, used a little-known article […]https://www.defencetalk.com/french-military-aid-request-backed-by-eu-after-paris-attacks-65873/

DefenceTalkEuropean Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker on Sunday called for the creation of an EU army in the wake of rising tensions with Russia. Juncker said the force could help counter new threats beyond the bloc’s borders and defend European “values”, in an interview with Germany’s Welt am Sonntag newspaper. “You would not create a European […]https://www.defencetalk.com/commission-chief-juncker-calls-for-eu-army-63413/

DefenceTalkFollowing a prolonged period of budgetary reductions, Europe’s larger defense environment appears to have reached its low threshold. But instead of a marked rebound in investment, the market as a whole will remain largely flat over the near term, according to the latest Europe Military Markets analysis by Forecast International. Though the eurozone economic recovery […]https://www.defencetalk.com/europes-defense-retrenchment-appears-over-but-what-comes-next-60573/

DefenceTalkNATO and Russia had a “very frank” exchange of views on the Ukraine crisis Monday but found no common ground in the first such meeting since Moscow annexed Crimea, officials said. “I can say it was a very frank exchange of views,” alliance spokeswoman Oana Lungescu said after a meeting of the NATO-Russia Council which […]https://www.defencetalk.com/nato-russia-fundamentally-differ-over-ukraine-crisis-59767/

DefenceTalkAs China boosts its military spending, rattling neighbors over territorial disputes at sea, an AFP investigation shows that European countries have approved billions in transfers of weapons and military-ready technology to the Asian giant. China’s air force relies on French-designed helicopters, while submarines and frigates involved in Beijing’s physical assertion of its claim to vast […]https://www.defencetalk.com/eu-firms-help-power-chinas-military-rise-59468/

DefenceTalkFour former Soviet satellites in Central Europe signed a military pact Friday to coordinate defence planning and to create a joint combat unit to operate under NATO and EU auspices, in response to the Ukraine crisis. “The current situation in Europe shows that unfortunately a military conflict, previously considered unthinkable, could happen,” Polish Defence Minister […]https://www.defencetalk.com/former-soviet-satellites-sign-joint-military-pact-59053/

DefenceTalkRussia revealed on Monday that its armed forces had moved nuclear-capable Iskander missiles closer to Europe’s borders in response to the US-led deployment of a disputed air defence shield. The advanced version of the Russian missile has a range of 500 kilometres (310 miles) and could potentially be used to take out ground-based radar and […]https://www.defencetalk.com/russia-moves-nuclear-capable-missiles-closer-to-eu-49951/

DefenceTalkItaly’s parliament on Wednesday ratified the UN’s Arms Trade Treaty, which is intended to stop arms supplies to countries at war or that abuse human rights. The treaty was adopted by the United Nations in April to regulate the $80 billion (59 billion euros) annual trade in conventional arms and stop supplies to states where […]https://www.defencetalk.com/italy-becomes-first-eu-state-to-ratify-un-arms-treaty-49214/