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/

DefenceTalkThe White House is considering lifting a decades-old arms embargo against Vietnam in time for President Barack Obama’s visit to the booming Southeast Asian nation this month. As both countries warily eye China’s military build-up in the disputed South China Sea, officials said Obama is weighing an end to the Cold War-era ban on lethal […]https://www.defencetalk.com/obama-weighs-lifting-vietnam-arms-embargo-67450/

DefenceTalkPresident Barack Obama has promised a full investigation into an apparent US air strike on an Afghan hospital that killed 19 people, a bombing which the UN said could amount to a war crime. Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said patients burned to death in their beds during a raid that continued for more than an […]https://www.defencetalk.com/obama-pledges-probe-into-fatal-airstrike-on-afghan-hospital-65549/

DefenceTalkUS President Barack Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Sunday that Western sanctions must remain in place against Russia until it complies with a ceasefire deal with Ukraine. “The two leaders discussed the ongoing crisis in Ukraine and agreed that the duration of sanctions should be clearly linked to Russia’s full implementation of the […]https://www.defencetalk.com/merkel-obama-russia-sanctions-to-stay-until-ukraine-truce-implemented-64439/

DefenceTalkPresident Barack Obama has chosen a submarine officer to serve as the next head of the US Navy and an infantry officer who commanded troops in Afghanistan for army chief, officials said Wednesday. Admiral John Richardson, currently the head of naval reactors, has been nominated to lead the navy, and General Mark Milley, who also […]https://www.defencetalk.com/obama-picks-new-chiefs-for-us-army-navy-64207/

DefenceTalkPresident Barack Obama now has a framework nuclear deal with America’s Iranian foe, but as he tries to build it into a binding accord he faces enemies closer to home. Can he prevent the US Congress from torpedoing his diplomatic efforts to contain Tehran? “If Congress kills this deal, not based on expert analysis and […]https://www.defencetalk.com/obama-congress-tilt-over-iran-deal-63719/

DefenceTalkPresident Obama has approved sending twelve [F-16] fighter jets, 20 Harpoon missiles and 125 [M-1] tank [modernization] kits to Egypt, the White House has said. The military aid had been suspended after the army seized power in Cairo in 2013. Washington decided to release the military equipment in an effort to help Egyptian forces in […]https://www.defencetalk.com/obama-unblocks-military-aid-for-egypt-63701/

DefenceTalkAmerican lawmakers voted overwhelmingly Monday to urge President Barack Obama to provide Ukraine with lethal weapons to defend itself against Russian “aggression.” The US House of Representatives approved the resolution in a broadly bipartisan 348-48 vote, heaping further pressure on the Obama administration to end its delays in providing weapons and other heavy military equipment […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-house-urges-president-obama-to-send-lethal-arms-to-ukraine-63629/

DefenceTalkPresident Barack Obama said he would not flinch from sending US special forces to kill Islamic State leaders, as he called for Congress to authorize military operations that stop short of a full-scale invasion. Tantamount to a declaration of war, Obama on Wednesday asked lawmakers for formal authority to take the fight to the Islamic […]https://www.defencetalk.com/obama-says-special-forces-could-target-is-leaders-62935/

DefenceTalkUS President Barack Obama was planning to undo cuts on defense and other domestic programs as part of his budget for 2016, the White House said Thursday. Obama’s main goal is to freeze the so-called “sequester,” a series of automatic cuts which would reduce spending by $1 trillion (roughly 884 billion euros) by 2021 if […]https://www.defencetalk.com/obama-to-reverse-defense-spending-limits-in-2016-budget-62468/