Germany has extended its arms export moratorium on Saudi Arabia by 6 months. If parliament agrees, cabinet also plans to extend a Bundeswehr training mission in Iraq and reconnaissance flights tracking IS in Syria. Germany’s freeze on arms deliveries to Saudi Arabia begun last October andformalized in March would remain in place until March 2020, […]

An envoy of U.S. President Donald Trump suggested on Friday that Chancellor Angela Merkel’s unwillingness to boost defense spending might give the United States no choice but to move American troops stationed in Germany to Poland. The comments by Richard Grenell, the U.S. ambassador to Germany, signal Trump’s impatience with Merkel’s failure to raise defense […]

DefenceTalkBERLIN: Berlin said on Monday (July 8) it had no plans to send ground troops to Syria, refusing a US request for Germany to ramp up its military involvement in the fight against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) militants. “When I say that the government intends to continue with its ongoing measures in […]https://www.defencetalk.com/germany-says-no-to-us-request-for-ground-troops-in-syria-72374/

DefenceTalkOn 17 June 2019, the F125 “Baden-Württemberg” was officially commissioned in a ceremony in the presence of German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen. The German Navy now has in service the most modern and powerful frigate which was ever built in Germany. “Baden-Württemberg” was built by ARGE F125 with ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems as lead […]https://www.defencetalk.com/germany-commissions-first-f125-frigate-72336/

DefenceTalkGermany on Wednesday extended a temporary, disputed ban on arms exports to Saudi Arabia, but only until the end of the month. In October, Berlin froze sales of military equipment to countries involved in war on Yemen following the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. It has since faced protests by EU partners because the […]https://www.defencetalk.com/germany-extends-saudi-arms-export-freeze-till-end-march-72187/

DefenceTalkThe French Economy Minister has demanded German relax its arms exports restrictions. The call comes after a German gun maker was fined for weapons exports to Mexico. Activists stand in front of a tank and hold up signs reading stop exports of weapons to protest against plans of German military technology group Rheinmetall to built […]https://www.defencetalk.com/france-urges-germany-to-ease-arms-exports-rules-report-72130/

DefenceTalkGermany said Wednesday it would hold firm on its decision to halt weapons exports to Saudi Arabia, shrugging off British warnings that the embargo could hurt European credibility and efforts to bring peace in Yemen. “The stance of the government is that we won’t deliver weapons to Saudi Arabia at the moment,” Foreign Minister Heiko […]https://www.defencetalk.com/germany-firm-on-saudi-arms-ban-despite-british-warning-72121/

DefenceTalkA German court Thursday fined gunmaker Heckler & Koch 3.7 million euros (USD4.2 million) and gave suspended jail terms to two of its ex-employees for illegally exporting thousands of rifles to violence-torn Mexican states. A former worker was given a suspended sentence of 17 months in prison and ordered to do 250 hours of social […]https://www.defencetalk.com/gunmaker-hk-convicted-for-illegal-arms-exports-to-mexico-72118/

DefenceTalkGermany will invest 110 million euros (US$127 million) in military infrastructure in Lithuania until 2021, its defence minister said Monday, on a visit to mark two years since NATO installed battalions in the Baltic region to ward off Russia. In 2017, NATO deployed four multinational battalions to Poland and the Baltic states as a counter […]https://www.defencetalk.com/germany-ups-investment-in-nato-battalion-in-lithuania-72113/

DefenceTalkThe leaders of France and Germany on Tuesday laid out their commitment to a future joint European Army, an idea that has sparked angry reactions from US President Donald Trump. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said closer defence ties agreed in a new friendship treaty aim to build a Franco-German “common military culture” and “contribute to […]https://www.defencetalk.com/franco-german-treaty-a-step-toward-european-army-merkel-72073/