DefenceTalkThe US Army will scrap 12 combat brigades as part of a budget-cutting plan to slash the size of the force after a decade of war, chief of staff General Ray Odierno said Tuesday. Calling the move the biggest reorganization of the Army since World War II, the general outlined how the force would reach […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-army-outlines-plans-to-cut-brigades-48267/

DefenceTalkThe United States and the Taliban cleared the decks for peace talks Tuesday even as a deadly attack on US troops underlined the still furious nature of their decade-long war. US officials welcomed the Islamist insurgent group’s opening of an office in Qatar to serve as a front for talks with Washington and President Hamid […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-to-open-peace-talks-with-taliban-48181/

DefenceTalkThree top European defence firms called Sunday on governments to launch a program to manufacture drones that European countries are currently having to buy from Israel or the United States. France’s Dassault Aviation, European aerospace giant EADS and Italy’s Finmeccanica argued such a joint program would “support the capability needs of European armed forces while […]https://www.defencetalk.com/defence-giants-call-for-european-drone-program-48116/

DefenceTalkTaiwan urged the United States Sunday to continue arming it with defensive weapons as it kept a wary eye on the first summit between US President Barack Obama and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping. During the meeting in California, the Chinese side had asked the US to end its arms sales to Taiwan, which Beijing […]https://www.defencetalk.com/taiwan-renews-arms-sales-call-amid-us-china-summit-48071/

DefenceTalkThe United States and China have agreed to hold regular, high-level meetings aimed at setting standards for behavior on cybersecurity and commercial spying, the White House confirmed Sunday. The talks — first reported by The New York Times — have a wide agenda, focusing not just on hacking but also on developing ground rules for […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-china-to-hold-regular-talks-on-hacking-white-house-48010/

DefenceTalkPlans to expand the American naval presence in the Pacific with new ships and hi-tech weaponry will go ahead despite steep budget cuts, the US Navy chief said before a trip to the region. Admiral Jonathan Greenert told AFP in an interview he will seek to “reassure” partners during a nine-day trip to Japan, Singapore […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-shift-to-asia-on-track-despite-budget-cuts-admiral-47720/

DefenceTalkA Defense Department report released today describes China’s military modernization and the Chinese army’s interaction with other forces, including those of the United States, a senior Pentagon official said today. The annual report — titled “2013 Military and Security Developments Involving the People’s Republic of China” — went to Congress today and covers China’s security […]https://www.defencetalk.com/dod-report-on-china-details-military-modernization-47704/

DefenceTalkThe United States will need between five and seven Ground Based Interceptors (GBI) to intercept one Russian Topol-M intercontinental ballistic missile, a Russian military expert said on Tuesday. “From my contacts with the director of the [US Department of Defense’s] Missile Defense Agency, I have learned that the Americans will need five to seven interceptors […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-needs-5-7-gbis-to-intercept-one-topol-icbm-expert-47327/

DefenceTalkRussia said Monday it saw “no concession” in the US decision to abandon the final phase of its missile shield for Europe in favour of deploying new interceptors against a possible attack from North Korea. The US move was seen in Washington as raising prospects for a revival of arms control talks with Russia. But […]https://www.defencetalk.com/russia-dismisses-us-missile-defence-move-47189/

DefenceTalkIsraeli, Greek and US warships began a joint two-week Mediterranean naval exercise codenamed “Noble Dina” on Thursday, the Israeli military said. “Noble Dina, one of the navy’s scheduled annual exercises, is part of the security cooperation between the Israeli navy and foreign naval forces,” a statement said. Israel’s military sees it “as an opportunity for […]https://www.defencetalk.com/israel-us-and-greece-launch-joint-naval-exercise-47090/