DefenceTalkPentagon chief Lloyd Austin said Tuesday that Beijing’s expansive claims in the South China Sea have “no basis in international law”, taking aim at China’s growing assertiveness in the hotly contested waters. “That assertion treads on the sovereignty of the states in the region,” he said at the start of a trip to Southeast Asia, […]

DefenceTalkDefenceTalkHong Kongers are scrubbing their social media accounts, deleting chat histories and mugging up on cyber privacy as China’s newly imposed security law blankets the traditionally outspoken city in fear and self-censorship. China’s authoritarian leaders enacted sweeping new powers on Tuesday — keeping the contents secret until the last minute — after more than a […]https://www.defencetalk.com/hong-kongers-scrub-social-media-history-in-face-of-security-law-75834/

To help Soldiers to better understand the complex rules of war, the Army has released Field Manual 6-27, the Commander’s Handbook on the Law of Land Warfare. The handbook provides crucial guidance to Soldiers and Marines on the Law of Armed Conflict, or LOAC. It also helps U.S. troops comply with international and host nation […]

Apple and the US government are at loggerheads for the second time in four years over unlocking iPhones connected to a mass shooting, reviving debate over law enforcement access to encrypted devices. Attorney General Bill Barr said Monday that Apple failed to provide “substantive assistance” in unlocking two iPhones in the investigation into the December […]

DefenceTalkChina adopted its first counter-terrorism law Sunday after early drafts of the bill attracted strong criticism for provisions that may tighten media controls and threaten the intellectual property of foreign firms. The legislation comes as Beijing wages a hard-hitting campaign to stamp out ethnic violence in its Xinjiang region and tries to tighten control over […]https://www.defencetalk.com/china-adopts-first-counter-terrorism-law-66185/

DefenceTalkWhen a rabbi showed up at a synagogue in Israeli military uniform, David Croise and others there were not impressed. He denies they assaulted him, but admits they shouted him down. The incident last year led to the arrest of 19-year-old Croise, followed by his detention for around a week for having failed to enlist […]https://www.defencetalk.com/israeli-law-renews-heated-debate-on-army-service-for-ultra-orthodox-66182/

DefenceTalkThe US military will continue to operate “wherever” international law allows, including in the South China Sea, a top US admiral said in Beijing on Tuesday, a week after America infuriated China by sailing close to artificial islands it is building in the contested waters. “International seas and airspace belong to everyone and are not […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-to-operate-wherever-law-allows-in-south-china-sea-65735/

DefenceTalkA European entrepreneur who challenged the right of US authorities to regulate small drones has settled his case with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), his lawyer said Thursday. Raphael Pirker will pay $1,100 in the settlement after the FAA had initially slapped Pirker with a $10,000 fine for reckless flying. The fine came when he […]https://www.defencetalk.com/drone-entrepreneur-settles-us-reckless-flying-case-62235/

DefenceTalkFirearms Policy Coalition and a dozen other civil rights groups ask the U.S. Supreme Court to weigh in on an NRA-backed lawsuit. The Firearms Policy Coalition and 12 other state and national civil rights organizations filed a brief in the United States Supreme Court today for a lawsuit challenging a San Francisco gun control ordinance. […]https://www.defencetalk.com/supreme-court-urged-to-take-up-san-francisco-gun-control-case-62199/

DefenceTalkDefense officials today welcomed an announcement by the Japanese government that it would seek a change to the policy regarding the country’s collective self-defense. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said in a statement that the change will enable the Japan Self-Defense Forces to engage in a wider range of operations and that it will strengthen the […]https://www.defencetalk.com/defense-officials-hail-japanese-decision-on-self-defense-law-60013/