DefenceTalkA US warship began a week-long port call in China Monday, a moment of cooperation as the two Asia-Pacific powerhouses jockey for position in the disputed South China Sea. The USS Stethem, a guided missile destroyer, arrived in Shanghai ahead of planned drills with the People’s Liberation Army Navy that include communications exercises and a […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-chinese-navies-train-together-despite-tensions-65854/

DefenceTalkWASHINGTON: “It’s a tactical capability working at a strategic distance.” That’s what Army Col. Courtney Cote told a gaggle of mostly aviation and aerospace media at the Association of the United States Army Annual Meeting and Exposition, or AUSA, Tuesday. He was talking about unmanned aerial systems – the new player on the battlefield that, […]https://www.defencetalk.com/unmanned-aircraft-new-kid-on-block-flexing-muscle-65648/

DefenceTalkYAKIMA TRAINING CENTER: Waiting. Soldiers scan the expansive, arid range, ready to fire, waiting for two magic words – “fire mission!” Until then, they wait, preparing their equipment and thinking about the task at hand. They stand ready to bombard the range with accurate 120-millimeter mortar strikes at targets 6,000 meters away. Soldiers, from 4th […]https://www.defencetalk.com/mortar-training-prepares-soldiers-for-exercise-rising-thunder-65492/

DefenceTalkMoscow: Russia’s defence ministry on Thursday said it will hold naval drills in the “east Mediterranean” in September and October, as the West frets over a military buildup by Moscow in Syria. The exercises include three warships from Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, including the Saratov landing ship, the Moskva guided missile cruiser and the Smetlivy […]https://www.defencetalk.com/russia-announces-naval-drills-in-east-mediterranean-65474/

DefenceTalkKECSKEMET AIR BASE, Hungary: Four F-15 Eagle fighter aircraft and support personnel, assigned to the 123rd Expeditionary Fighter Squadron, completed a forward deployment to Kecskemet, Hungary, from Campia Turzii, Romania, Sept. 15. The 123rd EFS is part of the 142nd Fighter Wing located in Portland, Oregon, and is deployed as part of the European theater […]https://www.defencetalk.com/usaf-f-15s-complete-hungarian-deployment-65450/

DefenceTalkThe Army successfully deployed its Enroute Mission Command Capability, or EMC2, during Dragon Spear, a Joint Forcible Entry, or JFE, exercise involving a parachute assault by the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, and the Assault Command Post of the XVII Airborne Corps. What is the JFE’s mission? To seize an airfield and establish […]https://www.defencetalk.com/global-response-force-successfully-employs-flying-command-post-65328/

DefenceTalkRussian President Vladimir Putin on Monday ordered snap checks on troop combat readiness in Russia’s central military district, the defence ministry said. “According to the order, troops in the central district… are being brought into full combat readiness from 09:30 Moscow time (0630 GMT),” defence minister Sergei Shoigu said. Russia has recently intensified snap checks […]https://www.defencetalk.com/putin-orders-snap-military-exercise-in-central-russia-65304/

DefenceTalkLockheed Martin Australia has been selected as the preferred tenderer for the new Australian Defence Force Pilot Training System. The contract will see the Australian Defence Force’s Basic Flying Training delivered from RAAF Base East Sale, Victoria. The Pilot Training System will deliver 49 Pilatus PC-21 aircraft, with RAAF Base East Sale to become home […]https://www.defencetalk.com/raaf-base-east-sale-to-deliver-adf-basic-flying-training-65282/

DefenceTalkSeveral unit command posts and a full fleet of tactical vehicles are built and ready to be equipped with the most advanced technology the Army has to offer. The rush of activity is in preparation for Network Integration Evaluation 16.1/Army Warfighter Assessment, also known as NIE/AWA 16.1, which is set to begin in late September. […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-army-prepares-systems-partner-nations-for-network-exercise-65226/

DefenceTalkMore than 1,000 NATO paratroopers jumped from aircraft above Germany Wednesday in one of the alliance’s largest airborne training exercise in Europe since the Cold War ended, the US army said. Amid a drive by NATO to boost its defences in light of the Ukraine crisis, 11 member countries are taking part in Exercise Swift […]https://www.defencetalk.com/nato-paratroopers-exercise-germany-65192/