DefenceTalkThe Pentagon on Thursday warned of possible weapons delays and other military ramifications if the government shuts down over a budget deal impasse or passes a stop-gap spending bill to avert it. The US government is facing the looming prospect of shutting down as Republicans and Democrats wrangle over federal spending. Top leaders from both […]https://www.defencetalk.com/pentagon-braces-for-possible-government-shutdown-70980/

DefenceTalkThe Pentagon pledged Monday to be as transparent as possible about how many troops are deployed overseas, after an agency published figures that diverge significantly from official counts. According to a quarterly report from the Pentagon’s Defense Manpower Data Center, as of September 30 the US military had 15,298 troops in Afghanistan, 8,892 in Iraq […]https://www.defencetalk.com/pentagon-report-shows-thousands-more-us-troops-deployed-overseas-70866/

DefenceTalkThe escalating diplomatic row between Washington and Ankara has so far not impacted NATO or US military ties with Turkey, the Pentagon said Tuesday. The United States relies heavily on an air base at Incirlik in southern Turkey to launch air strikes against the Islamic State group in neighboring Syria and Iraq. “The Turkish air […]https://www.defencetalk.com/no-impact-on-us-military-ops-amid-turkey-row-pentagon-70647/

DefenceTalkPentagon chief Jim Mattis tried to clear up doubts about the US administration’s North Korea strategy Tuesday, backing Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s effort to find a diplomatic solution to the nuclear stand-off. Defense Secretary Mattis was speaking two days after President Donald Trump appeared to undermine his top diplomat by saying Tillerson was “wasting […]https://www.defencetalk.com/pentagon-chief-says-us-admin-backs-tillersons-north-korea-effort-70582/

DefenceTalkThe US Senate overwhelmingly authorized $700 billion in defense spending Monday, a substantial increase over 2017 funding and nearly five percent more than President Donald Trump had requested. The National Defense Authorization Act of 2018 allows for increased spending on new F-35 fighter jets, ships and M1 Abrams tanks, raises military pay by 2.1 percent […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-senate-passes-700-bn-defense-spending-bill-70490/

DefenceTalkUS Defence Secretary James Mattis on Monday said the Pentagon will undertake a broad investigation into multiple accidents after the second severe collision involving a US Navy ship in two months. “My thoughts and prayers are with the sailors and families of the USS John McCain,” the destroyer which collided with a tanker off Singapore […]https://www.defencetalk.com/pentagon-chief-pledges-broad-probe-into-navy-accidents-70337/

DefenceTalkAfter days of fiery talk of possible military intervention in the North Korea nuclear stand-off, Pentagon officials late last week suddenly found themselves digesting a surprising piece of breaking news. President Donald Trump, in the middle of a working vacation, stood before cameras and said the United States was also mulling options against crisis-hit Venezuela, […]https://www.defencetalk.com/pentagon-adjusts-to-life-under-unpredictable-commander-in-chief-70292/

DefenceTalkThe Pentagon on Monday criticized Turkey’s plans to purchase a Russian air-defense system instead of investing in NATO technology. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is in talks to get Russia to supply Ankara with its latest S-400 surface-to-air missile system. Pentagon spokesman Navy Captain Jeff Davis said the Pentagon had concerns over its NATO ally’s […]https://www.defencetalk.com/pentagon-alarm-over-turkey-plan-to-buy-russian-missiles-70216/

DefenceTalkDefense Secretary Jim Mattis today directed the start of the department’s Ballistic Missile Defense Review, chief Pentagon spokesperson Dana W. White said in a statement. The review is conducted to identify ways to strengthen missile-defense capabilities, rebalance homeland and theater defense priorities and provide the necessary policy and strategy framework for the nation’s missile defense […]https://www.defencetalk.com/pentagon-announces-start-of-ballistic-missile-defense-review-69923/

DefenceTalkThe US military will ask the Donald Trump administration next week to deploy thousands more troops to Afghanistan, a senior official says. US media have reported that the Pentagon will request between 3,000 and 5,000 conventional military personnel, mainly to advise and assist Afghan military and police units in the fight against the Taliban. The […]https://www.defencetalk.com/pentagon-to-request-thousands-more-us-troops-for-afghanistan-69918/