DefenceTalkUS forces will gain access to more military bases in the Philippines than the five already announced, US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter said Wednesday as he began a visit to the longstanding Asian ally. Manila announced this year it would allow US forces to use five of its installations, including an air base close to […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-forces-to-gain-access-to-more-philippine-bases-carter-67248/

DefenceTalkUS Defense Secretary Ashton Carter will meet Indian leaders in New Delhi later Tuesday, seeking to bolster a strategic relationship Washington sees as crucial in the face of China’s growing military ambitions. Carter will hold talks with his Indian counterpart Manohar Parrikar and with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the visit, aimed at shoring up […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-courts-india-to-balance-chinas-military-ambitions-67235/

DefenceTalkUS Defense Secretary Ashton Carter and his Indian counterpart agreed Tuesday to strengthen their cooperation on maritime security, as concerns grow in Washington over Beijing’s growing military ambitions. Carter is in New Delhi to bolster a strategic relationship Washington considers crucial in the face of what it sees as China’s rising assertiveness, particularly in the […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-india-agree-to-strengthen-maritime-cooperation-67232/

DefenceTalkIndia may finally exorcise its Bofors ghost of 30 years. After several years of hard-nosed negotiations, which also saw the proposed deal being stalled for a couple of years, the US government on Monday finally submitted an over $700 million offer for India to acquire 145 M-777 ultra-light howitzers. Sources said the Pentagon’s “letter of […]https://www.defencetalk.com/india-to-acquire-m-777-howitzers-us-submits-loa-66753/

DefenceTalkThe Philippine Supreme Court ruled Tuesday a security accord with the United States was legal, allowing more US forces into the former American colony as it seeks to counter Chinese expansion in the South China Sea. The 10-year agreement, signed in 2014 but not implemented due to legal challenges, will see more US troops and […]https://www.defencetalk.com/philippines-welcomes-more-us-forces-to-counter-china-66339/

DefenceTalkThe United States is prepared to deploy attack helicopters in support of an Iraqi offensive to retake the Islamic State-held city of Ramadi, US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said Wednesday. Carter told a US Senate hearing that the Iraqi army was beginning to move on the city in Iraq’s Anbar province, which fell to IS […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-ready-to-deploy-attack-helicopters-to-retake-iraqi-city-66030/

DefenceTalkBeirut: Suspected US-led coalition air strikes killed at least 26 civilians in a Syrian village, piling pressure on the alliance after allegations another bombing raid left regime soldiers dead. The coalition has been bombarding the Islamic State group for more than a year in Syria and neighboring Iraq, where the jihadists have declared a self-styled […]https://www.defencetalk.com/new-suspected-us-led-syria-raids-kill-dozens-of-civilians-65996/

DefenceTalkWASHINGTON: Russia’s arming its Su-34 warplanes in Syria with air-to-air missiles can only complicate an already difficult situation in Syria’s airspace, Pentagon spokesperson Michelle Baldanza told TASS on Monday. “Such systems will further complicate an already difficult situation in the skies over Syria and do nothing to further the fight against ISIL [the former name […]https://www.defencetalk.com/pentagon-warns-russia-against-arming-warplanes-syria-air-to-air-missiles-65943/

DefenceTalkIn the wake of the Nov. 13 terrorist attacks in Paris, the United States and France will strengthen intelligence sharing to the fullest extent allowed by law, Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook said in a statement today. The United States over the past year has worked closely with the French military, intelligence and security services […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-france-to-strengthen-intelligence-sharing-65864/

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/