DefenceTalkCivilian and military logisticians from the 21st Theater Sustainment Command’s Theater Logistics Support Center-Europe and Maintenance Activity Kaiserslautern are at Kaiserslautern Army Depot preparing M2A2 Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles for retrograde and transportation to the U.S. The departure of the 88 Bradleys coincides with the departure of M1 Abrams tanks from Europe earlier this year, […]https://www.defencetalk.com/end-of-era-bradley-fighting-vehicles-leave-germany-48665/

DefenceTalkBudgetary pressures in North America and Europe are significantly affecting both new aircraft production numbers and delivery revenue on a global basis. Asia-Pacific and other regions provide some lift to the market, but it is small at this point. Frost & Sullivan’s recent Aerospace and Defense research finds that the global market for military fixed-wing […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-europe-fixed-wing-military-aircraft-spending-seen-dropping-48575/

DefenceTalkIn 2010 a Customs Union comprising Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan was launched as part of a Russia-led project aimed at economic reintegration within the former Soviet space (as Russian President Vladimir Putin explained in an article published in Izvestiya in October 2011). Evidence gathered during the short period of the Union’s existence suggests this project […]https://www.defencetalk.com/should-the-west-be-afraid-of-moscows-plans-for-a-eurasian-union-48430/

DefenceTalkSouth Korea will buy European bunker-busting missiles as the United States refused to sell the same kind of weapons to the country, the state procurement agency said Wednesday. At a meeting presided over by Defence Minister Kim Kwan-Jin, the Defence Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) approved a plan to purchase air-to-ground missiles with a 500-kilometre (312.5 […]https://www.defencetalk.com/south-korea-to-buy-european-missiles-48179/

DefenceTalkSaber Strike 2013 concluded June 13 as training locations in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia held closing ceremonies to commemorate two weeks of multinational exercises in the Baltics. “The exercise was an extreme success,” said Col. Frederick Jessen, U.S. Army Europe’s contingency-command post officer in charge. “We partnered with numerous nations improving our partner capacity and […]https://www.defencetalk.com/saber-strike-2013-demonstrates-multinational-partnership-in-baltics-48176/

DefenceTalkThe Air Force inactivated the 81st Fighter Squadron June 18, here, in support of force-shaping procedures across the service. The squadron employed the A-10 Thunderbolt II, and the closure signals the end of A-10 operations in Europe. “For 71 years, the men and women of this fine squadron have ensured America’s security,” said Col. David […]https://www.defencetalk.com/fighter-squadron-inactivation-signals-end-of-a-10s-in-europe-48146/

DefenceTalkThree top European defence firms called Sunday on governments to launch a program to manufacture drones that European countries are currently having to buy from Israel or the United States. France’s Dassault Aviation, European aerospace giant EADS and Italy’s Finmeccanica argued such a joint program would “support the capability needs of European armed forces while […]https://www.defencetalk.com/defence-giants-call-for-european-drone-program-48116/

DefenceTalkThe European Union’s decision to lift its arms embargo on the Syrian opposition has provided Russia with a new defence of its controversial weapons deliveries to President Bashar al-Assad’s regime. Russia reacted with fury to the EU’s decision Monday — advocated primarily by Britain and France — to lift its arms embargo on the rebels […]https://www.defencetalk.com/eu-embargo-move-boosts-russia-plan-to-arm-syria-47961/

DefenceTalkUnmanned weapons systems are fast becoming an indispensable aspect of modern warfare. But their use raises ethical questions which Germany has just begun to address. The growing use of so-called remote-controlled drones for surveillance and active warfare has raised a number of ethical questions, prompting a debate between supporters and opponents of the technology in […]https://www.defencetalk.com/drone-use-raises-ethical-questions-in-germany-47863/

DefenceTalkWhat does a commander do when the unit has a mission in Afghanistan, and they’re partnering with nation’s more than 6,000 miles away? The 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne), also called 10th SFG(A), of Fort Carson, Colo., met Special Forces units from four European nations at Grafenwoehr Training Area, April 16-28, to prepare for an […]https://www.defencetalk.com/army-europe-provides-venue-for-us-multinational-special-forces-training-47845/