DefenceTalkBrigadier Duncan Capps has recently completed a tour of duty in Afghanistan where he was Commander Joint Force Support (JFS). He briefed media representatives in MOD Main Building in London about the progress being made processing and redeploying kit and equipment in theatre in readiness for the drawdown of troops in 2014. Redeployment As UK […]https://www.defencetalk.com/redeployment-of-kit-from-afghanistan-48216/

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/

DefenceTalkRaytheon Company’s jam-resistant, battlefield radio recently transmitted data securely over the air to more than 30 Stryker combat vehicles, proving that it could meet the U.S. Army’s need for a tactical wireless Internet via a vehicle-mounted mobile radio system. The EXF1915, an upgraded version of Enhanced Position Location Reporting System (EPLRS) radios, completed several months […]https://www.defencetalk.com/raytheon-demos-radio-based-network-in-afghanistan-48112/

DefenceTalkSome 27 months into the conflict raging in Syria and with over 90,000 dead, the United States has vowed for the first time to send military aid to the rebels battling to oust President Bashar al-Assad. But with the White House staying tight-lipped over what kind of weapons it might provide and lacking any public […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-military-aid-to-rebels-unlikely-to-tip-balance-in-syria-48118/

DefenceTalkRussian President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday that Moscow has held back on delivering sophisticated S-300 missiles to the Syrian regime, while UN investigators said they have “reasonable grounds” to believe both sides in the conflict have used chemical weapons. Putin, a key backer of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, said Russia has so far refrained from […]https://www.defencetalk.com/putin-holds-back-on-syria-missile-delivery-48044/

DefenceTalkFourteen Afghan air force members of the Kabul Air Wing Quick Reaction Force Company graduated from Ground Combat Skills Course in a ceremony May 29 at Kabul International Airport here. The graduation marked the completion of 50 hours of advanced upgrade training for the newest members of the QRF Company. The graduation and continued advancements […]https://www.defencetalk.com/elite-afghan-soldiers-complete-training-48000/

DefenceTalkThe European Union’s decision to lift its arms embargo on the Syrian opposition has provided Russia with a new defence of its controversial weapons deliveries to President Bashar al-Assad’s regime. Russia reacted with fury to the EU’s decision Monday — advocated primarily by Britain and France — to lift its arms embargo on the rebels […]https://www.defencetalk.com/eu-embargo-move-boosts-russia-plan-to-arm-syria-47961/

DefenceTalkA week after President Barack Obama cracked the lid of secrecy on his drone war, the United States refused Wednesday to confirm it had killed a top Pakistani Taliban leader in an airborne attack. Pakistani security and intelligence sources said that Waliur Rehman, deputy leader of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) had perished in an American […]https://www.defencetalk.com/after-vowing-transparency-us-silent-on-drone-killing-47949/

DefenceTalkRussia insisted Tuesday it would deliver anti-aircraft missiles to Syria despite international criticism, as fears of spillover from the conflict grew after three Lebanese soldiers were killed in a border-area attack. Israel warned Russia it would “know what to do” if the delivery went ahead, and Syria’s top rebel commander gave Hezbollah, the powerful Lebanese […]https://www.defencetalk.com/russia-to-send-syria-missiles-as-spillover-fears-grow-47958/

DefenceTalkDozens of Afghan National Army soldiers, Afghan Uniformed Police, and a smattering of U.S. Army Soldiers serving as mission advisors, sat by their heavy packs on the gravel, talking and laughing in quiet anticipation, waiting for a sound. After several hours of checks and double-checks, roll calls and final updates from the command center, the […]https://www.defencetalk.com/air-assault-the-afghan-way-47946/