DefenceTalkNorth Korea’s latest missile launch represents a significant step forward in its weapons capabilities, analysts say, but Pyongyang could be looking to secure a position of strength before a return to the negotiating table. The intermediate-range missile fired by the North over the weekend, named the Hwasong-12, was its longest-range rocket yet, analysts say. It […]https://www.defencetalk.com/north-korea-takes-leap-with-missile-test-analysts-69979/

DefenceTalkNorth Korea Monday celebrated the launch of what appeared to be its longest-range ballistic missile yet tested in a bid to bring the US mainland within reach, saying it was capable of carrying a “heavy nuclear warhead”. Leader Kim Jong-Un personally oversaw the test on Sunday, the official Korea Central News Agency (KCNA) said, and […]https://www.defencetalk.com/north-korea-says-new-missile-can-carry-nuclear-warhead-69960/

DefenceTalkNorth Korea’s military forces were massed in Pyongyang on Saturday (Apr 14) for a show of strength by leader Kim Jong-Un as tensions mount over his nuclear ambitions. Hundreds of flatbed trucks packed with soldiers lined the banks of the Taedong river ahead of a parade through the North Korean capital. Ostensibly the event was […]https://www.defencetalk.com/troops-mass-in-pyongyang-show-of-strength-69739/

DefenceTalkPresident Donald Trump is raising pressure on North Korea, touting the US naval “armada” he ordered to the troubled peninsula and promising America will “solve the problem” if China won’t help. He wants to stop Pyongyang from developing a long-range nuclear missile, but North Korean leader Kim Jong-un sees such a weapon as key to […]https://www.defencetalk.com/no-easy-way-for-us-to-back-military-threats-to-pyongyang-69710/

DefenceTalkU.S. President Donald Trump has asked officials to give him options for removing the threat of a nuclear-armed North Korea, National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster said Sunday. As a U.S. Navy strike group steamed toward the Korean Peninsula to send a message to North Korea, McMaster told Fox News, “This is a rogue regime that […]https://www.defencetalk.com/trump-wants-options-to-end-north-korea-nuclear-threat-69699/

DefenceTalkMore than 100 countries on Monday launched the first UN talks aimed at achieving a legally binding ban on nuclear weapons, as Washington led an international boycott of a process it deems unrealistic. Before the conference had even begun, the US ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, spoke out to reject the proposal in the […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-leads-boycott-of-nuclear-weapons-ban-talks-69616/

DefenceTalkIt’s just after 10 a.m. on April 24, 2017, when the New York 1 cable TV news feed in the New York National Guard Joint Operations Center here goes dark. Gabreski Air National Guard Base at the eastern tip of Long Island calls in, reporting a bright flash in the direction of New York City. […]https://www.defencetalk.com/nuclear-device-in-nyc-new-york-national-guard-ponders-the-unthinkable-69460/

DefenceTalkIran is complying with the landmark nuclear deal it sealed with major world powers in 2015, according to a report from the UN watchdog seen by AFP on Friday. The International Atomic Energy Agency addressed key limits set under the agreement, which is under intense scrutiny after the election of US President Donald Trump. The […]https://www.defencetalk.com/iran-complying-with-nuclear-deal-says-un-watchdog-69307/

DefenceTalkThe powerful head of Poland’s ruling party wants his country to be “included” in the US nuclear defence system, according to an interview published Wednesday. Jaroslaw Kaczynski told the Gazeta Polska daily that Warsaw “should work for the inclusion of Poland in the American nuclear defence system”, which “would be the optimal solution”. But Kaczynski […]https://www.defencetalk.com/poland-wants-us-or-european-nuclear-umbrella-kaczynski-69082/

DefenceTalkAny nuclear attack by North Korea would trigger an “effective and overwhelming” response, US Defense Secretary James Mattis said in Seoul Friday as he sought to reassure Washington’s Asian allies following President Donald Trump’s inauguration. Mattis was in the South Korean capital before going on to Tokyo, on the first overseas tour by a senior […]https://www.defencetalk.com/north-korea-nuclear-attack-would-trigger-overwhelming-response-mattis-68965/