DefenceTalkDefenceTalkFrance is confident that a deal on developing a joint European military drone project will be signed this year, after the conclusion of tough price negotiations with manufacturers, the defence ministry said Wednesday. “A few small details” still need to be worked out, but “we’re rather optimistic about this project,” an official in Defence Minister […]https://www.defencetalk.com/france-sees-joint-european-drone-project-launched-this-year-76353/

DefenceTalkDefenceTalkGreece’s defence minister on Wednesday dismissed reports that his country would spend 10 billion euros on an arms overhaul announced at the weekend. “It’s not a 10-billion-euro spending spree, let me make that very clear. It’s a series of very calculated, prioritised, smart moves addressing our needs to the maximum,” Nikos Panagiotopoulos told an Economist […]https://www.defencetalk.com/greek-arms-spending-will-not-cost-10-billion-euros-minister-76339/

DefenceTalkDefenceTalkWashington will deploy at least 1,000 soldiers in Poland and oversee forces on NATO’s eastern flank, Defence Minister Mariusz Blaszczak said Friday after the US announced a massive troop pullout from Germany. US Defence Secretary Mark Esper said on Wednesday the Pentagon will be sending home about 6,400 military personnel from Germany, and move nearly […]https://www.defencetalk.com/poland-says-us-to-deploy-troops-on-eastern-border-76105/

DefenceTalkDefenceTalkWashington is getting ready to unveil its plans for repositioning of US forces in Europe in the coming days, including a reduction in troop levels in Germany, sources in both countries say. US President Donald Trump approved plans in late June to withdraw 9,500 American troops from Germany, and was to present them first to […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-to-unveil-plans-soon-for-repositioning-forces-in-europe-76074/

DefenceTalkDefenceTalkDefense Secretary Mark Esper will present President Donald Trump with a series of options Monday to withdraw thousands of US troops from Germany, with many moving to eastern Europe, the Pentagon said Saturday. “Secretary Esper met with President Trump on Wednesday to discuss our presence in Europe,” said Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman. “On Monday the […]https://www.defencetalk.com/pentagon-to-give-trump-options-to-reduce-troops-in-germany-75776/

DefenceTalkDefenceTalkThe United States will send 600 soldiers to take part in a training exercise in Germany in the coming weeks, even as Washington considers reducing the number of troops stationed in the country, AFP learnt Thursday. The US defence ministry has informed representatives of the German parliament’s defence committee of the plans to push ahead […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-to-send-600-troops-to-germany-for-war-games-75737/

DefenceTalkDefenceTalkThe F-15E Strike Eagle has officially become the first fully compatible fighter aircraft to carry and deploy the latest variant of the United States Air Force’s (USAF) air-dropped nuclear munition – the B61-12. In a media release on Twitter dated June 9th, Sandia National Labs stated that “Years of preparation have culminated in two test […]https://www.defencetalk.com/f-15e-officially-first-compatible-fighter-for-b61-12-nuclear-bomb-75713/

DefenceTalkUS military exercises in Europe that were suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic will go ahead next month but in a scaled-back format, the Army said Wednesday. US-Polish exercise Allied Spirit, originally planned for May, will see the mobilization of 6,000 soldiers from the two countries from June 5-19 at the Drawsko Pomorskie base in […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-army-resumes-europe-exercises-after-pandemic-pause-75532/

DefenceTalkSpain’s armed forces on Tuesday asked NATO for humanitarian assistance to fight the novel coronavirus as the national death toll touched 2,700 and infections soared towards 40,000. With the pandemic spreading across the world, Spain has been one of the worst-hit countries, logging the third highest number of deaths with the latest toll standing at […]https://www.defencetalk.com/spain-seeks-nato-help-as-virus-death-toll-touches-2700-74960/

DefenceTalkThe EU must provide funds to enable the faster movement of military forces across Europe, defence ministers from four eastern European nations said on Tuesday, as the bloc braces for a new round of fractious budget talks. EU and NATO members Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Romania said Brussels could undermine European Union ambitions by cutting […]https://www.defencetalk.com/east-europeans-demand-eu-funds-for-faster-troop-movement-74748/