DefenceTalkPresident Donald Trump on Friday promised a historic buildup of America’s already vast military, but said he hoped he would never need to use it. We are “putting in a massive budget request for our beloved military and we will be substantially upgrading all of our military,” Trump told the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) […]https://www.defencetalk.com/trump-promises-massive-buildup-of-entire-us-military-69305/

DefenceTalkPhilip Bilden has withdrawn his nomination as secretary of the US Navy, the Pentagon said Sunday, marking the latest in a series of nominees to remove their names from consideration to serve under President Donald Trump. “This was a personal decision driven by privacy concerns and significant challenges he faced in separating himself from his […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-navy-secretary-nominee-withdraws-pentagon-69297/

DefenceTalkThe Pentagon’s top officer on Thursday would not say if US ground forces will deploy to Syria to fight Daesh terrorists, observing only that he is readying a “full range of options” for President Donald Trump. General Joe Dunford’s remarks come as the Pentagon finalizes a new plan to defeat Daesh that Trump ordered shortly […]https://www.defencetalk.com/top-us-general-readies-full-range-of-syria-options-for-trump-69264/

DefenceTalkUS Defence Secretary James Mattis bluntly warned NATO allies Wednesday that Donald Trump’s administration would “moderate its commitment” to the transatlantic alliance unless members met their spending pledges. Mattis’s no-nonsense message to his counterparts in Brussels follows years of calls by Washington for allies to spend at least two percent of their GDP on defence, […]https://www.defencetalk.com/trump-defense-chief-to-nato-pay-up-or-we-reduce-support-69158/

DefenceTalkUnited Nations: The UN Security Council on Monday unanimously condemned North Korea’s latest ballistic missile test as US President Donald Trump vowed to deliver a strong response to the provocation. Backed by China, Pyongyang’s main ally, the council agreed on a US-drafted statement describing the test-firing of the missile as a “grave violation” of UN […]https://www.defencetalk.com/un-condemns-north-korea-missile-launch-as-trump-vows-strong-response-69115/

DefenceTalkPresident Donald Trump told Spain’s leader Mariano Rajoy on Tuesday that the United States is committed to NATO, the White House said, despite his past criticism of the transatlantic military alliance. Trump’s first conversation with Rajoy since taking office on January 20 served to “reaffirm the strong bilateral partnership across a range of mutual interests,” […]https://www.defencetalk.com/trump-tells-turkish-spanish-leaders-he-backs-nato-69086/

DefenceTalkDonald Trump’s White House signaled a tougher stance toward Iran on Wednesday, condemning a recent missile test and declaring America was putting the Islamic republic “on notice.” In his first public remarks since taking office, National Security Advisor Michael Flynn accused Barack Obama’s administration of having “failed to respond adequately to Tehran’s malign actions.” Flynn […]https://www.defencetalk.com/trump-white-house-puts-iran-on-notice-68962/

DefenceTalkUS Air Force Gen. John E. Hyten’s statement that Russia and China will soon pose a threat to American spacecraft resembles nothing so much as an attempt to justify the militarization of space by the Pentagon, Russian military expert Konstantin Sivkov told RIA Novosti. The US continues to take steps toward the militarization of space, […]https://www.defencetalk.com/trump-could-reset-star-wars-at-full-throttle-toward-militarization-of-space-68944/

DefenceTalkEuropean leaders were left shaken following U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent comments that NATO is “obsolete.” The organization has formed the bedrock of Europe’s security since World War Two, but some EU leaders say Europe must now take responsibility for its own defense. The continent would face a huge deficit in military capability if the […]https://www.defencetalk.com/trumps-criticism-nato-europe-mulls-building-own-military-force-68931/

DefenceTalkUS President Donald Trump said Wednesday he thinks waterboarding and other interrogation techniques widely seen as torture — and prohibited by law — “absolutely” work, but would defer to his CIA and Pentagon chiefs on whether to reinstate them. When asked about waterboarding in an interview with ABC News at the White House, Trump said […]https://www.defencetalk.com/trump-says-torture-works-but-will-follow-cia-pentagon-advice-68906/