DefenceTalkSpain’s defence ministry said Tuesday it has opened an investigation after one of its Eurofighter jets accidentally fired a missile in the skies over Estonia during a routine training mission. “A Spanish Eurofighter based in Lithuania accidentally fired a missile without causing any harm,” the ministry said in a statement, adding that the incident happened […]https://www.defencetalk.com/spanish-jet-accidentally-fires-missile-above-estonia-71772/

DefenceTalkPrime Minister Justin Trudeau said Tuesday that Canada is extending its NATO commitment in Latvia by another four years to March 2023 and will boost the number of troops in the country to 540 from the current 455 in a show of ongoing solidarity with the alliance. Trudeau made the announcement in Riga following a […]https://www.defencetalk.com/canada-extends-nato-mission-in-latvia-to-2023-trudeau-71741/

DefenceTalkSeven European countries are expected to meet a NATO defence spending pledge this year, the alliance said Tuesday, in news that is unlikely to appease US President Donald Trump on the eve of an already tense summit. Trump has repeatedly berated America’s European allies for not spending enough on their own defence and launched a […]https://www.defencetalk.com/seven-european-countries-to-hit-nato-spending-pledge-stoltenberg-71739/

DefenceTalkBEMOWO PISKIE, Poland: As this year’s U.S. Army Europe-led Saber Strike 18 cooperative training exercise comes to an end, soldiers from NATO’s Enhanced Forward Presence Battle Group Poland reflected on training, partnerships and interoperability. “Through Saber Strike, I have learned that together, we are NATO. Once again, this multinational exercise has proven that all participating […]https://www.defencetalk.com/exercise-saber-strike-18-participants-mull-lessons-learned-71714/

DefenceTalkBritain is backing a French plan to create a European military intervention force as a way to maintain strong defense ties with the EU after Brexit, a minister told AFP on Saturday. British junior defense minister Frederick Curzon said London was “very keen to support” French President Emmanuel Macron’s plan for a force that could […]https://www.defencetalk.com/britain-backs-french-plan-for-european-defense-force-minister-71649/

DefenceTalkThe United States has formally approved the sale of Javelin anti-tank missiles to Ukraine, the State Department said on Thursday (Mar 1), confirming a move expected to anger Kiev’s foe Russia. The Defence Security Cooperation Agency said Ukraine has asked President Donald Trump’s US administration for permission to buy 210 missiles and 37 launchers at […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-approves-sale-of-anti-tank-missiles-to-ukraine-71527/

DefenceTalkDuring Operation Atlantic Resolve in Europe, Soldiers were tasked to move ammunition around Eastern Europe but lacked sufficient trailers to haul it, said Col. Lanier Ward. A program manager said more trailers were not budgeted in the Program Objective Memorandum, meaning it would take a while to make it happen. So the rotational brigade combat […]https://www.defencetalk.com/rapid-equipping-force-bringing-swift-solutions-to-soldiers-71524/

DefenceTalkUS concerns over the EU’s landmark defence cooperation pact and increasingly strained relations between Washington and Turkey look set to loom large as NATO defence ministers meet for talks on Wednesday. The US and Ankara, two of the transatlantic alliance’s most important members, are at loggerheads over Turkey’s military offensive in northern Syria, which US […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-concerns-over-eu-defence-pact-cloud-nato-meet-71469/

DefenceTalkGRAFENWOEHR, Germany: Soldiers with the 2nd Cavalry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade and 2nd Armored Brigade, 1st Infantry Division are the first to receive new electronic warfare, known as EW, prototype systems that enable the U.S. Army to contest and challenge near-peer adversaries in this critical domain. Delivery and training for the integrated package of mounted, […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-armys-new-electronic-warfare-capabilities-hit-the-ground-in-europe-71455/

DefenceTalkFrance on Wednesday announced plans to boost defence spending by more than 40 percent, bringing it into line with NATO targets after complaints from US President Donald Trump that Europe is not pulling its weight. European NATO members have come under pressure from Trump to relieve the burden on the US, which currently accounts for […]https://www.defencetalk.com/france-hikes-defence-spending-to-hit-nato-target-71437/