DefenceTalkJapan will begin offering aid to the militaries of “like-minded countries” under new rules announced Wednesday, as Tokyo builds a more proactive defence strategy to address growing regional threats. The new framework will be separate from other types of aid offered by Japan, and will specifically target “enhancing the security and deterrence capabilities of like-minded […]https://www.defencetalk.com/japan-changes-rules-to-allow-aid-to-foreign-militaries-80010/

DefenceTalkThe 2022 China Military Power Report lays out the challenges facing the United States military as it works to manage relations with the emerging superpower. The report, released today, calls the Peoples’ Republic of China “the most consequential and systemic challenge to our national security and to a free and open international system.” A senior […]https://www.defencetalk.com/china-military-power-report-examines-changes-in-beijings-strategy-79635/

DefenceTalkThe threat of violent extremists attacking the United States or allies from Afghanistan has been greatly reduced over the past 20 years, and any remaining threat emanating from the country can be addressed without a persistent U.S. military presence there, DOD officials told the House Armed Services Committee today. President Joe Biden announced April 14 […]

DefenceTalkDefenceTalkThe NATO alliance should seek a more political role as the lynchpin of the West, ministers will hear this week, despite disputes about its strategy. Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg will present foreign ministers with a report from an outside expert panel, arguing the case for NATO as a policy hub. “I will then develop my […]https://www.defencetalk.com/nato-seeks-more-political-role-despite-divisions-76572/

DefenceTalkSpecial operations forces will remain an integral part of the nation’s solutions to top strategic problems, but they will change, the commander of U.S. Special Operations Command said. At a virtual conference last week sponsored by the National Defense Industrial Association, Army Gen. Richard D. Clarke said USSOCOM is involved in three wars moving forward: […]https://www.defencetalk.com/special-ops-will-remain-integral-to-strategy-ussocom-commander-says-75585/

It is all too tempting to focus on the current crisis in Iraq: The Iranian-sponsored attacks by Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces on U.S. forces and facilities, the U.S. retaliatory attacks, and the well-organized demonstrations and attacks on the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad. At the same time, focusing on the current crisis has led to consistent […]

DefenceTalkBased on military progress in the campaign to defeat the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, U.S. Central Command is undertaking an operational alignment and rebalancing effort to achieve three specific goals, CENTCOM commander Army Gen. Joseph L. Votel told the House Armed Services Committee yesterday. However, the commander said, “We remain very clear-eyed regarding […]https://www.defencetalk.com/centcom-undertaking-realignment-to-meet-defeat-future-threats-71521/

DefenceTalkThe Pentagon on Monday unveiled a mammoth budget proposal for fiscal 2019 that would see a more than 10 percent boost in spending and add thousands of more troops across the US military services. The $686 billion spending plan — up from $612 billion in 2018 — is framed in the context of the Pentagon’s […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-budget-outline-calls-huge-pentagon-increase-cuts-state-71451/

DefenceTalkChina has denounced the United States government for its Cold War and zero-sum mentality as reflected in its new national defense strategy. The 2018 US National Defense Strategy (NDS) unveiled on Friday named China and Russia as top threats to the US, just like the US National Security Strategy did last month. “We face growing […]https://www.defencetalk.com/china-blasts-new-us-defense-strategy-71130/

DefenceTalkThe Mosul offensive is a critical test for the Pentagon’s strategy against the Islamic State group, which relies on local forces and keeping as many Americans as possible away from combat. After IS overran large parts of Iraq and Syria in early 2014, the United States formed a coalition that launched an air campaign to […]https://www.defencetalk.com/battle-for-mosul-a-key-test-for-us-military-strategy-68408/