DefenceTalkDefenceTalkThe United States is counting on further military withdrawal from Afghanistan to potentially fewer than 5,000 troops as inter-Afghan peace talks progress, the Pentagon said Monday. “Over the next four months, the United States will continue to drawdown its force levels in Afghanistan based on conditions in-country,” the Department of Defense said in a statement. […]https://www.defencetalk.com/pentagon-aims-5000-us-troops-in-afghanistan-76154/

DefenceTalkDefenceTalkDefense Secretary Mark Esper will present President Donald Trump with a series of options Monday to withdraw thousands of US troops from Germany, with many moving to eastern Europe, the Pentagon said Saturday. “Secretary Esper met with President Trump on Wednesday to discuss our presence in Europe,” said Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman. “On Monday the […]https://www.defencetalk.com/pentagon-to-give-trump-options-to-reduce-troops-in-germany-75776/

DefenceTalkDefenceTalkThe Pentagon has published a list of 20 Chinese companies it says are backed by the military, in the latest instance of a running tit-for-tat economic battle between Washington and Beijing. Telecom giant Huawei — which has been dogged by allegations of stealing American trade secrets and aiding China’s espionage efforts — and video surveillance […]https://www.defencetalk.com/pentagon-lists-firms-it-says-are-backed-by-chinese-military-75769/

DefenceTalkDefenceTalkThe US Defense Department announced Thursday it was resuming military assistance to Ukraine after a freeze forced by the scandal at the heart of President Donald Trump’s impeachment. The Pentagon said $250 million will be released to assist with Ukraine’s defensive capabilities, air and sea surveillance, communication and cyberdefense, the latter “to counter Russian cyber […]https://www.defencetalk.com/pentagon-resumes-military-aid-to-ukraine-75734/

DefenceTalkThe US Air Force said Wednesday it would be sending its high-tech X-37B space drone back into orbit this month — the sixth trip for the reusable vehicle that maneuvers around the Earth on secretive missions. The X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle, which looks like a small version of the manned space shuttles retired in 2011, […]https://www.defencetalk.com/pentagon-announces-new-mission-for-secretive-space-drone-75455/

DefenceTalkOne hundred thirty-two civilians were killed last year in US global military operations, the army said Wednesday, a number far lower than those published by NGOs. The Department of Defense “assesses that there were approximately 132 civilians killed and approximately 91 civilians injured during 2019 as a result of US military operations in Iraq, Syria, […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-military-killed-132-civilians-globally-in-2019-pentagon-75452/

DefenceTalkThe US Defense Department said Saturday it would extend travel restrictions through June 30 in a bid to curb the spread of the coronavirus, but will allow for some redeployments and repatriation of troops serving abroad. The new order will go into effect on Monday, Matthew Donovan, the undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, […]https://www.defencetalk.com/pentagon-extends-travel-restrictions-through-june-30-75216/

DefenceTalkThe Pentagon removed the captain of the coronavirus-stricken USS Theodore Roosevelt Thursday, saying he mishandled communications over how the outbreak was sweeping through the warship. Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly said Captain Brett Crozier was wrong to distribute to a wide range of people copies of an emotional, four-page letter describing the threat of the […]https://www.defencetalk.com/pentagon-removes-captain-of-virus-struck-aircraft-carrier-75051/

DefenceTalkThe US Department of Defense said Thursday it wants to reconsider its decision to award a multi-billion-dollar military cloud computing contract to Microsoft in a bidding process Amazon claims was tainted by politics. A judge last month issued an order at Amazon’s request temporarily blocking the US military from starting work on the Joint Enterprise […]https://www.defencetalk.com/pentagon-wishes-to-reconsider-awarding-jedi-contract-to-microsoft-74812/

A top Pentagon official resigned Wednesday at the request of Donald Trump after becoming indirectly tied to the Ukraine scandal that led to the US president’s impeachment. John Rood, the Pentagon’s top policy official, certified that Ukraine had made sufficient reforms to be eligible to receive $250 million in military aide. That undercut Trump’s argument […]