DefenceTalkJapan is looking into buying US-developed Tomahawk cruise missiles as it seeks to counter growing regional threats, including from North Korea, the government said Friday. The purchase would likely be controversial in a nation whose military is not officially recognized under its post-World War II constitution. The Yomiuri Shimbun daily reported that Tokyo was in […]https://www.defencetalk.com/japan-studying-us-tomahawk-cruise-missile-purchase-79552/

DefenceTalkRussia’s invasion of Ukraine highlights the “acute threat” posed by Moscow, but China is the most consequential challenge for the United States, the Pentagon said Thursday. The dangers are both conventional — Moscow’s aggression toward its neighbors and Beijing’s efforts to gain control of Taiwan — and nuclear, with Russia possessing an extensive arsenal and […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-sees-acute-threat-from-russia-but-says-china-is-main-challenge-79549/

DefenceTalkThe United States intends for its nuclear arsenal to deter “all forms of strategic attack,” including those involving conventional weapons, the Pentagon said in a strategy document released on Thursday. “This includes nuclear employment of any scale, and it includes high-consequence attacks of a strategic nature that use non-nuclear means,” a senior defense official told […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-says-atomic-arms-to-deter-conventional-as-well-as-nuclear-attacks-79546/

DefenceTalkPresident Vladimir Putin said Thursday that the war in Ukraine was part of Russia’s wider struggle against Western domination, and warned that the world is probably entering the “most dangerous” decade since the end of World War II. The Russian leader showed no sign of backpedaling on the eight-month-old invasion of Ukraine, and indeed painted […]https://www.defencetalk.com/putin-russia-battling-western-domination-as-ukraine-war-grinds-on-79562/

DefenceTalkThe UN’s nuclear watchdog will this week carry out an “independent verification” of Russian allegations concerning the production of so-called dirty bombs at two sites in Ukraine, it said on Thursday. Russia has accused Ukraine of preparing to use such a weapon against Moscow’s troops, but Kyiv suspects Russia might itself use a dirty bomb […]https://www.defencetalk.com/iaea-to-conduct-independent-probe-into-ukraine-dirty-bomb-allegations-79559/

DefenceTalkRussia’s Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu on Sunday held rare calls with NATO counterparts in which they discussed Ukraine, the Russian defence ministry said. “The situation in Ukraine, which has a steady tendency towards further, uncontrolled escalation, was discussed,” by Shoigu and French Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu, the ministry said. Later on Sunday, the ministry said […]https://www.defencetalk.com/russia-discusses-ukraine-in-string-of-calls-with-defense-chiefs-79543/

DefenceTalkThe Israeli government on Sunday confirmed Major General Herzi Halevi, a former military intelligence head who led forces along the Gaza border, as the country’s next military chief. Halevi, 54, who serves as deputy to outgoing Chief of General Staff Aviv Kohavi, will take charge of Israel’s armed forces on January 17, Prime Minister Yair […]https://www.defencetalk.com/israel-names-herzi-halevi-as-next-army-chief-79539/

DefenceTalkSpain on Saturday said it would send 14 fighter jets to Bulgaria and Romania to bolster NATO’s eastern flank as the defence alliance strengthens its deterrence capacity following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Madrid will send six Eurofighter jets and 130 soldiers to Bulgaria between mid-November and early December to train local forces, the Spanish defence […]https://www.defencetalk.com/spain-to-bolster-natos-eastern-flank-with-14-fighter-jets-79536/

DefenceTalkThe US military must be ready to respond to a potential invasion of Taiwan as soon as this year, a senior admiral said Wednesday, signaling heightened alarm over Beijing’s intentions towards the island. Admiral Michael Gilday, chief of US naval operations, is the latest senior official in Washington to raise concerns that China’s President Xi […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-must-prepare-now-for-china-invasion-of-taiwan-admiral-79533/

DefenceTalkUS F-16 warplanes intercepted two Russian bombers in international airspace near the state of Alaska, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) said Tuesday. The Tu-95 bombers were intercepted the previous day after “entering and operating within the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone,” NORAD said in a statement. The Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) is […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-fighter-jets-intercept-russian-bombers-near-alaska-79530/