DefenceTalkNorth Korea stepped up its rhetoric against the South Wednesday, warning that its neighbor would face a “most miserable end” if it joined the US in “a war of aggression” against Pyongyang. The threat follows a series of North Korean missile tests, reflecting escalating military tensions on the divided peninsula ahead of large-scale US-South Korea […]https://www.defencetalk.com/north-korea-warns-south-of-most-miserable-end-62928/

DefenceTalkSyria will not allow foreign ground troops on its territory to fight the Islamic State group, Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem said on Monday. Speaking at a news conference in Damascus, Muallem also said Jordan had not responded to a Syrian request to coordinate efforts against IS after the group killed a captured Jordanian pilot. “So […]https://www.defencetalk.com/syria-rejects-foreign-ground-troops-to-fight-is-62858/

DefenceTalkJordan announced Sunday it conducted dozens of air strikes on the Islamic State group that murdered one of its pilots, as part of an international assault Washington says is beginning to bite. Air Force chief Major General Mansour al-Jobour said the kingdom had launched 56 air raids on IS since Thursday. “On the first day […]https://www.defencetalk.com/jordan-pounds-is-as-air-war-begins-to-bite-62779/

DefenceTalkPakistan’s military said it killed 25 militants in air strikes on tribal regions near the Afghan border Wednesday as part of a major offensive against the Taliban and other insurgents. The strikes took place in the Sanzila area of South Waziristan and Tirah in Khyber, the military said in a statement. “In precise aerial strikes, […]https://www.defencetalk.com/pakistan-military-says-25-militants-killed-in-air-strikes-62652/

DefenceTalkAt least 19 people, including 13 Ukrainian troops, have been killed in fighting with pro-Russian separatists in the east of the country over the last 24 hours, officials and rebels said Sunday. At least 20 Ukrainian troops were also wounded, said Ukrainian defence official Volodymyr Poliovyi, as separatists pushed their offensive around key transport hub […]https://www.defencetalk.com/19-die-in-east-ukraine-fighting-in-24-hours-62488/

DefenceTalkUkrainian troops are struggling to counter artillery fire and electronic jamming by pro-Russian militants, who are flying drones to target the Kiev government forces, a top US general said Thursday. The Ukrainian army’s communications are hampered by the electronic warfare carried out by the separatists and they lack equipment and training to thwart artillery barrages, […]https://www.defencetalk.com/ukrainian-forces-face-drones-electronic-jamming-us-62350/

DefenceTalkA recent report from the Congressional Research Service, which examines the cost of Iraq, Afghanistan, and other global “War on Terror” operations since 9/11, calculates a cumulative (fiscal year 2001 through fiscal year 2014) nominal price tag of $1.6 trillion. Adding the war funding for fiscal year 2015 that was passed in December pushes the […]https://www.defencetalk.com/wars-in-the-middle-east-have-cost-taxpayers-almost-1-7-trillion-62208/

DefenceTalkUkrainian forces on Thursday abandoned their defense of a long-disputed airport in the country’s separatist east and vowed a response to Russia’s escalating “aggression” in one of the deadliest days of the nine-month war. In a graphic illustration of the worsening conflict, pro-Russian rebels also paraded some 20 captured Ukrainian soldiers through the city of […]https://www.defencetalk.com/ukraine-troops-abandon-airport-in-bloody-day-of-conflict-62092/

DefenceTalkSix Hezbollah fighters were killed Sunday in an Israeli air strike on the Syrian side of the Golan, including the son of assassinated senior commander Imad Mughniyeh. The deaths were announced after an Israeli security source told AFP that an Israeli helicopter conducted a strike against “terrorists” near Quneitra, on the Syrian side of the […]https://www.defencetalk.com/six-hezbollah-fighters-killed-in-israeli-strike-62022/

DefenceTalkIslamic State jihadists are having to spend more effort defending key supply lines in Iraq due to US-led air strikes and pressure from local forces, the Pentagon said Friday. The IS group’s supply routes into Iraq from neighboring Syria have become a central focus of combat, with Iraqi government and Kurdish forces — along with […]https://www.defencetalk.com/is-forced-to-defend-supply-lines-in-iraq-us-61841/