DefenceTalkPresident Donald Trump has boosted the US military’s authority to step up air strikes in the fight against Islamist insurgents in Somalia, the Defense Department said. According to a Pentagon official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, the new leeway accorded to the military will mean they no longer will have to justify a decision […]https://www.defencetalk.com/trump-boosts-us-military-authority-for-somalia-fighting-69629/

DefenceTalkPresident Donald Trump on Friday promised a historic buildup of America’s already vast military, but said he hoped he would never need to use it. We are “putting in a massive budget request for our beloved military and we will be substantially upgrading all of our military,” Trump told the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) […]https://www.defencetalk.com/trump-promises-massive-buildup-of-entire-us-military-69305/

DefenceTalkEuropean leaders were left shaken following U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent comments that NATO is “obsolete.” The organization has formed the bedrock of Europe’s security since World War Two, but some EU leaders say Europe must now take responsibility for its own defense. The continent would face a huge deficit in military capability if the […]https://www.defencetalk.com/trumps-criticism-nato-europe-mulls-building-own-military-force-68931/

DefenceTalkThe greatest threat to most Latin American governments is internal. Even though transitioning to a democracy and using effective counterinsurgency strategies have successfully defeated – or at least defused – several insurgencies, the risk of guerrilla activity remains. This is especially true in Colombia and, to a lesser extent, Peru. In Mexico and Central America, […]https://www.defencetalk.com/crime-and-internal-strife-remain-greatest-drivers-of-military-spending-in-latin-america-68902/

DefenceTalkDonald Trump pledged to massively increase US military spending and swiftly demand a defeat plan of the Islamic State (IS) group if he becomes president, burnishing his defense bona fides Wednesday ahead of a forum with Hillary Clinton. Speaking in Philadelphia, the Republican presidential candidate told supporters that he would ask his generals within the […]https://www.defencetalk.com/trump-seeks-massive-us-military-buildup-is-defeat-plan-68125/

DefenceTalkThe failed coup attempt in Turkey and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s firm crackdown on the alleged plotters have aggravated ties between Washington and Ankara, already poisoned by the war in Syria and human rights issues. Although they are NATO allies and officially partners in the fight against the Islamic State group, the United States and […]https://www.defencetalk.com/failed-turkey-coup-attempt-poisons-relations-with-us-67866/

DefenceTalkNorway’s state of readiness is too poor and the country is not sufficiently prepared for an attack. Those are the conclusions of the Norwegian Armed Forces’ (Forsvaret) annual report for 2015. According to broadcaster NRK, Chief of Defence Haakon Bruun-Hansen delivered a report to Defence Minister Ine Eriksen Søreide on Monday morning that shows that […]https://www.defencetalk.com/norway-not-prepared-for-military-attack-67244/

DefenceTalkXi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, on Sunday highlighted theoretical and technological innovation as the key to upgrade the country’s military and national defense. Speaking to national lawmakers from the military at the ongoing annual parliamentary session, Xi, also Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, said […]https://www.defencetalk.com/chinas-xi-underlines-innovation-reform-in-defense-military-upgrade-67104/

DefenceTalkChina confirmed it has weapons on a disputed island in the South China Sea, state media said Thursday, as criticism grew over Beijing’s increased “militarization” of the strategically vital region. The US and Taiwan both said China had placed missiles on Woody Island, part of the Paracels chain, after Fox News reported the surface-to-air weapons […]https://www.defencetalk.com/china-confirms-weapons-on-disputed-island-66821/

DefenceTalkThe People’s Liberation Army is going through a major reorganization on a scale unseen since the 1950s, which is aimed at creating a modern fighting force to “close the gap with US capabilities,” Wyatt Olson wrote for Stars and Stripes. “Although much remains vague about how the restructuring will take place, China’s civilian and military […]https://www.defencetalk.com/china-military-restructuring-aimed-closing-gap-us-66644/