DefenceTalkThe Defense Department will restructure the 12th Combat Aviation Brigade and subordinate units in Germany as part of the Army’s Aviation Restructuring Initiative in Europe, defense officials said today in a statement. The 12th CAB restructuring will reduce the U.S. presence in Germany by about 1,900 military positions and an estimated 2,850 family members, officials […]https://www.defencetalk.com/dod-to-restructure-us-aviation-brigade-in-germany-64072/

DefenceTalkThe German Bundeswehr is currently upgrading its helicopter training program with simulation technology from Rheinmetall. In March 2015 the Simulation and Training business unit of Rheinmetall Defence was awarded a contract from Germany’s BAAINBw defence procurement agency to upgrade all NH90 Cockpit Trainer to IOC+ configuration and with additional software modules from Rheinmetall’s Asterion product […]https://www.defencetalk.com/rheinmetall-to-upgrade-nh90-cockpit-trainer-for-the-bundeswehr-64031/

DefenceTalkIs it the plastic barrel holder? Or the tin cover? These questions are at the center of a hot debate surrounding “serious faults” with the Bundeswehr’s favorite gun. DW leads you through the storm that is the HK G36. It all started back in 2010, on Good Friday, following a Taliban ambush just outside German […]https://www.defencetalk.com/heckler-koch-g36-the-rifle-held-in-all-the-wrong-places-63986/

DefenceTalkWithin 15 months after contract award Rheinmetall has produced state-of-the-art driving simulator and gunnery simulator systems for training Indonesian Leopard 2 personnel. The order is worth several million euros. The Leopard Gunnery Skills Trainer (LGST) and Driver Training Simulator (DTS) are specifically designed for training Leopard 2A4 tank crews, and will primarily be used for […]https://www.defencetalk.com/leopard-2-simulators-for-the-indonesian-army-pass-acceptance-tests-63953/

DefenceTalkGRAFENWOEHR, Germany: U.S. and German Soldiers teamed up to kick off a bilateral training exercise in Germany, April 16, as part of Operation Atlantic Resolve. Operation Freedom Shock, which is scheduled to run through April 28, includes troops from 3rd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment, 1st Armor Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, and the German […]https://www.defencetalk.com/operation-letzlingen-shock-begins-in-germany-63941/

DefenceTalkThe German body that monitors the export of military goods, the Federal Security Council, has given the green light for the delivery of another submarine to Israel. The decision could be a contentious one. Israel is to receive the fifth of six promised submarines from Germany after the Federal Security Council approved the export at […]https://www.defencetalk.com/german-federal-security-council-oks-submarine-delivery-to-israel-63797/

DefenceTalkThe German army is to bring back into service around 100 tanks sold to industry, the ministry of defence said on Saturday. The move will bring to 328 the number of “Leopard 2” tanks the German army has at its disposal, up from 225 at present, a ministry spokesman told AFP, confirming a report in […]https://www.defencetalk.com/german-army-to-recommission-100-tanks-63814/

DefenceTalkDefence technology and auto parts group Rheinmetall has demanded 120 million euros in damages from the German government after Berlin blocked a major contract with Russia over the Ukraine conflict, reports said Friday. The contract signed in June 2011 and worth 100 million euros ($105 million) involved providing a camp to train 30,000 Russian troops […]https://www.defencetalk.com/defence-firm-wants-damages-from-germany-over-blocked-russia-contract-63530/

DefenceTalkGermany’s top diplomat has warned against supplying Ukraine with lethal weaponry in its fight against pro-Russian separatists, saying such a move could trigger a “dangerous, permanent escalation” of the crisis facing Kyiv and Moscow. Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier spoke Thursday in Washington after talks with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry. He told an audience […]https://www.defencetalk.com/germany-again-warns-against-lethal-weaponry-for-ukraine-63515/

DefenceTalkGerman Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Thursday argued against arming Ukraine during a trip to Washington where support is growing for delivering weapons to help Kiev battle pro-Russian separatists. “I understand that many of you are calling for a more rapid, therefore determined, therefore military-based solution,” Steinmeier said at an event organized by the Center […]https://www.defencetalk.com/germany-warns-of-dangerous-consequences-to-arming-ukraine-63495/