DefenceTalkSweden’s new prime minister said Tuesday he was open to allowing nuclear weapons on Swedish soil once the country becomes a NATO member, a turnaround from the previous government’s stance. Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, who took over the reins in Sweden two weeks ago, was speaking in Helsinki at a press conference with his Finnish […]https://www.defencetalk.com/new-swedish-pm-says-open-to-nukes-under-nato-79586/

DefenceTalkDefenceTalkAn international treaty banning nuclear weapons is on the verge of coming into force, campaigners said Wednesday, with the last few necessary ratifications expected within weeks. The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons — which bans the use, development, production, testing, stationing, stockpiling and threat of use of such weapons — was adopted by […]https://www.defencetalk.com/nuclear-weapons-ban-treaty-nears-coming-into-force-76505/

DefenceTalkRussia’s Poseidon underwater drone currently under development will be able to carry a nuclear warhead with a capacity of up to 2 megatonnes to destroy enemy naval bases, a source in the Russian defense sector told TASS on Thursday. “It will be possible to mount various nuclear charges on the ‘torpedo’ of the Poseidon multipurpose […]https://www.defencetalk.com/russias-poseidon-underwater-drone-to-carry-nuke-warhead-71691/

DefenceTalkThe United States must recapitalize the nuclear triad and accompanying command-and-control system to continue to maintain deterrence into the future, Defense Secretary James N. Mattis wrote in the preface to the Nuclear Posture Review released today. In one of his first acts as president, Donald J. Trump directed Mattis to conduct the review, last conducted […]https://www.defencetalk.com/nuke-review-calls-for-triad-modernization-to-maintain-deterrence-71416/

DefenceTalkThe head of the US Air Force on Thursday said she would be “concerned” if President Barack Obama were to formally declare a “no-first-use” policy for America’s arsenal of nuclear weapons. US media reports have in recent weeks said Obama is weighing an overhaul of long-standing nuclear policy, including by pledging to never conduct the […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-air-force-head-concerned-about-no-first-use-nukes-67956/

DefenceTalkNATO’s military buildup on Russia’s borders, as well as the US muscle flexing in Europe has resulted in what German newspaper Suddeutsche Zeitung called a return to nuclear deterrence. Five years ago, in 2010, the leaders of Russia and the United States signed the New START Treaty, which requires both countries to reduce the number […]https://www.defencetalk.com/nato-us-muscle-flexing-pulls-nukes-back-into-global-game-of-thrones-64679/

DefenceTalkOver the past several weeks as events in Crimea and eastern Ukraine have unfolded, the world has had a chance to see the new Russian defense strategy and force posture in action. Russian President Vladimir Putin has successfully finessed his country’s myriad of weaknesses – economic, political, demographic and military – in ways that permit […]https://www.defencetalk.com/special-forces-and-nuclear-weapons-the-new-russian-military-threat-59385/

DefenceTalkThe United States plans to spend $1 trillion on upgrading and maintaining its nuclear arsenal over the next 30 years, but delays in replacing current systems threaten to weaken US nuclear deterrence, according to a new independent study. “The new procurement schedule still entails significant programmatic risks and will likely result in even higher costs, […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-to-spend-1-trillion-on-nukes-but-payoff-unclear-study-50058/