DefenceTalkDefenceTalkChina accused the US of becoming “the biggest driver of militarization” in the contested South China Sea, as tensions between Washington and Beijing look set to swamp a regional Asian summit. US-China rivalry is expected to dominate discussion at this year’s ASEAN conference, which comes just days after Beijing launched ballistic missiles in the flashpoint […]https://www.defencetalk.com/china-says-us-biggest-threat-to-peace-in-south-china-sea-76310/

DefenceTalkDefenceTalkUS President Donald Trump was expected to announce further troop withdrawals Wednesday from Afghanistan and from Iraq, where several thousand US troops hunting down jihadist sleeper cells have faced increasing attacks blamed on pro-Iran factions. The deadly bomb and rocket attacks have put additional pressure on Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi, who has pledged to […]https://www.defencetalk.com/trump-to-announce-us-troop-withdrawals-from-iraq-afghanistan-76290/

DefenceTalkDefenceTalkUS-China rivalry is set to dominate discussions as the foreign ministers of 10 Southeast Asian countries begin an online summit Wednesday, with Washington’s top diplomat ready to take aim at Beijing’s “bullying” in the South China Sea. The summit comes just days after China launched ballistic missiles in the flashpoint waters as part of live-fire […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-china-tensions-set-to-dominate-southeast-asia-summit-76293/

DefenceTalkDefenceTalkThe Special Forces are getting ready to participate in the multinational task force Takuba, part of the French-led Operation Barkhane, at the turn of the year 2020/2021. The expansion of armed terrorist groups in the region is detrimental to peace, security and development. The task force is charged with counselling, supporting and escorting parts of […]https://www.defencetalk.com/swedish-special-forces-prepare-to-deploy-to-mali-76286/

DefenceTalkDefenceTalkChina on Tuesday said its troops were forced to take “countermeasures” after Indian soldiers crossed their tense Himalayan border and opened fire. The relationship between the two nuclear-armed neighbours has deteriorated since a clash in the Ladakh region on June 15 in which 20 Indian troops were killed. Beijing’s defence ministry accused India of “severe […]https://www.defencetalk.com/china-says-forced-to-take-countermeasures-against-india-at-tense-border-76278/

DefenceTalkDefenceTalkTurkey on Friday accused Greece of shunning dialogue and lying by denying it had signed up to NATO-brokered talks aimed at avoiding accidents between their navies in the eastern Mediterranean. NATO allies Turkey and Greece are at loggerheads over energy riches, with overlapping maritime border claims and escalating tensions. A Greek frigate collided with a […]https://www.defencetalk.com/turkey-accuses-greece-of-shunning-east-med-talks-76256/

DefenceTalkDefenceTalkThe tiny Pacific nation of Palau has urged the United States military to build bases on its territory — which lies in a region where Washington is pushing back against growing Chinese influence. US Defense Secretary Mark Esper visited the island nation last week and accused Beijing of “ongoing destabilising activities” in the Pacific. Palau […]https://www.defencetalk.com/palau-invites-us-military-to-build-bases-as-china-seeks-regional-clout-76253/

DefenceTalkDefenceTalkRussian military vehicles and attack helicopters surrounded two US armored cars in a tense confrontation in northeastern Syria Wednesday, leaving US troops injured, according to the White House. Videos of the confrontation that were shared on Twitter, apparently taken by bystanders and the Russians themselves, appear to show the Russian troop carriers and helicopters trying […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-troops-injured-in-tense-confrontation-with-russians-in-syria-76211/

DefenceTalkDefenceTalkThe United States is counting on further military withdrawal from Afghanistan to potentially fewer than 5,000 troops as inter-Afghan peace talks progress, the Pentagon said Monday. “Over the next four months, the United States will continue to drawdown its force levels in Afghanistan based on conditions in-country,” the Department of Defense said in a statement. […]https://www.defencetalk.com/pentagon-aims-5000-us-troops-in-afghanistan-76154/

DefenceTalkDefenceTalkThe Army’s chief of staff discussed how to win in great power competition within the Indo-Pacific region Friday after he traveled there earlier this month to meet with military leaders. Indo-Pacific is currently the U.S. military’s highest-priority theater, where near-peer adversaries, China and Russia, have significant influence. “The last thing that anybody wants is some […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-army-eyes-joint-force-solution-closer-allies-to-win-in-indo-pacific-76129/