DefenceTalkThe transatlantic diplomatic rift widened on Tuesday as US President Donald Trump responded to criticism from Chancellor Angela Merkel with a new attack on German trade tactics and defense spending. Trump’s spokesman Sean Spicer insisted that the leaders “get on very well” but — as is often the case — his warm words from the […]https://www.defencetalk.com/new-trump-attack-on-germany-widens-transatlantic-rift-70105/

DefenceTalkTotal world military expenditure rose to $1686 billion in 2016, an increase of 0.4 per cent in real terms from 2015, according to new figures from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Military spending in North America saw its first annual increase since 2010, while spending in Western Europe grew for the second consecutive […]https://www.defencetalk.com/world-military-spending-increases-in-the-usa-and-europe-decreases-in-oil-exporting-countries-69810/

DefenceTalkAccording to the latest report published by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), countries around the world are spending ever more money on weapons. Diplomacy, it seems, is in retreat. Global defense spending has gone up for the first time since 2011. According to the World Military Expenditure Report published by the Stockholm International […]https://www.defencetalk.com/global-defense-spending-increases-69808/

DefenceTalkRussia became the world’s third largest military spender in 2016 despite low oil prices and economic sanctions, as the global expenditure rose for a second consecutive year, a study said on Monday. Russia’s military spending was $69.2 billion (around 64 billion euros) in 2016, a 5.9 percent rise over 2015, the Stockholm International Peace Research […]https://www.defencetalk.com/russia-boosts-military-spending-despite-sanctions-study-69794/

DefenceTalkIn a letter to House Speaker Paul Ryan today, President Donald J. Trump asked for another $30 billion for the Defense Department in this fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30, to rebuild the armed forces and accelerate the campaign to defeat the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. The fiscal 2017 budget amendment provides $24.9 […]https://www.defencetalk.com/trump-seeks-30b-more-in-fiscal-2017-to-rebuild-military-fight-isis-69526/

DefenceTalkNATO chief Jens Stoltenberg on Monday told allies to boost defence spending, as demanded by US President Donald Trump, if they want to preserve crucial transatlantic defence ties. “This is essential for the continued strength of the transatlantic bond on which our alliance is founded,” Stoltenberg said in NATO’s 2016 annual report. “For almost 70 […]https://www.defencetalk.com/nato-head-says-more-defence-spending-essential-to-us-ties-69480/

DefenceTalkPresident Donald J. Trump today promised to rebuild the U.S. military and called for a 12-carrier Navy during a visit to the future USS Gerald R. Ford in Newport News, Virginia. Trump addressed the pre-commissioning unit of the Navy’s newest aircraft carrier on the ship’s hangar deck. He told the crew that if Congress passes […]https://www.defencetalk.com/trump-calls-for-12-carrier-navy-promises-rebuilt-military-69371/

DefenceTalkDefense Secretary Jim Mattis will present a preliminary version of the Pentagon’s new plan to rapidly defeat the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria during a meeting of the White House Principals Committee today, Navy Capt. Jeff Davis said here this morning. The Cabinet-level senior interagency forum, which usually does not include the president, already […]https://www.defencetalk.com/pentagon-spokesman-discusses-isis-preliminary-plan-budget-amendment-69328/

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/

DefenceTalkUS Defence Secretary James Mattis bluntly warned NATO allies Wednesday that Donald Trump’s administration would “moderate its commitment” to the transatlantic alliance unless members met their spending pledges. Mattis’s no-nonsense message to his counterparts in Brussels follows years of calls by Washington for allies to spend at least two percent of their GDP on defence, […]https://www.defencetalk.com/trump-defense-chief-to-nato-pay-up-or-we-reduce-support-69158/