The US is deploying up to 3,500 more troops to the Middle East in a show of force, a Pentagon official said Friday, after an American drone killed a top Iranian general. The reinforcements will come from the 82nd Airborne Division’s Global Response Force, which already supplied several hundred extra troops to the region earlier […]

A US navy official visited Saudi Arabia to discuss maritime defence coordination following last month’s twin attacks on key oil facilities in the kingdom. Riyadh joined a US-led force to protect Gulf shipping as tensions with Iran soared after the September 14 attacks that temporarily knocked out half of the OPEC giant’s production. “The visit […]

Russia and the US traded accusations at the United Nations on Thursday of risking a new arms race as China said it would play no part in any new missile deal. The United States and Moscow ditched the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty after blaming each other for violating the accord. Deputy Russian Ambassador to […]

DefenceTalkIraq has promised to guarantee the safety of United States interests from Iran, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Tuesday as he paid a surprise trip to Baghdad where he accused Tehran of planning “imminent” attacks. The top US diplomat’s sudden, unannounced visit marked an effort to shore up Washington’s ties with Baghdad as […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-seeks-assurance-of-security-for-interests-in-iraq-amid-wrangle-with-iran-72303/

DefenceTalkTurkey on Thursday accused the US State Department of making false claims about rows during a meeting between the top US and Turkish diplomats, but Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he stood by the account. The NATO allies are at odds over issues including US support for a Syrian Kurdish militia viewed as terrorists […]https://www.defencetalk.com/turkey-says-us-distorted-meeting-but-pompeo-stands-by-it-72251/

DefenceTalkIndia and the U.S. have identified small air launch unmanned aerial vehicles(UAV) and a lightweight small arms technology project along with aircraft maintenance for defence collaboration, a top Pentagon official has said. The U.S. statement came as defence officials from the two countries held their latest round of Defence Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI) talks […]https://www.defencetalk.com/india-u-s-looking-to-develop-unmanned-aerial-vehicles-pentagon-72210/

DefenceTalkRussia has rejected the U.S. demand for the elimination of the 9M729 cruise missile, as the two countries continue a spat over the INF Treaty. Speaking at a briefing on the 9M729 missile, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said, “The US delegation arrived in Geneva for inter-departmental consultations over the INF Treaty with the sole […]https://www.defencetalk.com/russia-rejects-us-demands-on-9m729-missile-elimination-72083/

DefenceTalkIsrael said it carried out a successful test Tuesday with the United States of ballistic missile interceptors jointly developed by the allies, in the face of growing tensions with Iran. The test came a day after the latest deadly exchange of fire between Israel and Iranian forces operating in Syria. The Arrow 3 interceptor system, […]https://www.defencetalk.com/israel-us-test-ballistic-missile-interceptor-72076/

DefenceTalkThe United States, China and several other countries on Saturday agreed in principle to guidelines on preventing unplanned warplane encounters, the latest effort to avoid military confrontations in Asia. Risks of chance encounters between military aircraft spiralling out of control have risen in recent years as Beijing becomes ever more assertive in the South China […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-china-back-military-air-rules-to-avoid-mishaps-71908/

DefenceTalkWhen President Donald Trump announced the US would halt joint military drills with South Korea, he backed his controversial move by citing the “tremendous” costs of such exercises. On Monday, the Pentagon put a dollar amount — about $14 million — on the costs of Freedom Guardian, a large-scale joint drill that was to kick […]https://www.defencetalk.com/scrapped-drill-with-south-korea-would-have-cost-14-mn-pentagon-71732/