Europe

Trump Approves Cutting 9,500 Troops in Germany: Pentagon

President Donald Trump has approved a plan to slash the US military presence in Germany by 9,500 troops, the Defense Department said.

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Pentagon to Give Trump Options to Reduce Troops in Germany

Defense Secretary Mark Esper will present President Donald Trump with a series of options Monday to withdraw thousands of US troops from Germany, with many moving to eastern Europe, the Pentagon said Saturday. “Secretary Esper met with President Trump on Wednesday to discuss our presence in Europe,” said Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman. “On Monday the Secretary will brief the President at the White House on options for our force posture in Germany.” According to two senior Pentagon officials, the plan calls for cutting the permanent US troop presence in Germany to 25,000, as Trump announced June 15, for a reduction of 9,500 troops. Some of the 9,500 will return to the US, while others will be transferred to former Soviet-bloc countries, the two officials said, speaking on grounds of anonymity. That shift, they added, would be meant as a clear warning to President Vladimir Putin of Russia, whose military ambitions were underscored by the 2014 annexation of the Crimea. The two officials did not say to which European country the troops might be moved, as that is among the options to be presented to the US president. But Trump, meeting at the White House on Wednesday with Polish President Andrzej …

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US, Russia Hold Arms Talks With Little Hope of Accord

The United States and Russia held talks in Vienna Monday on their last major nuclear weapons agreement with little prospect of an imminent agreement as tensions and differences mount over whether they see any value in arms control at all.

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Russia Begins Building First Stealth Bomber: Report

Russia has begun manufacturing the prototype of its first strategic stealth bomber, state news agency TASS reported on Tuesday, as the country presses ahead with the modernization of its military. Quoting defense industry sources, TASS said the state-controlled United Aircraft Corporation was overseeing the project. It said material was being shipped for the project and that work had begun on the cockpit of the bomber, known as the PAK DA. “The final assembly of the entire machine should be complete in 2021,” one of the sources told TASS. Stealth bombers are designed to evade radar detection while carrying large amounts of weaponry. Russian officials have revealed few details of the project, though last year Deputy Defence Minister Alexei Krivoruchko said aircraft maker Tupolev — which is part of United Aircraft Corporation — was in charge. Reached by AFP, United Aircraft Corporation spokesman Sergei Loktionov declined to comment on the report. Tupolev also did not immediately reply to a request for comment. Reports have said the plane will feature a flying wing design similar to U.S. stealth bombers, fly at subsonic speeds and carry strategic cruise missiles and hypersonic weapons. The U.S. Air Force’s B-2 stealth bombers are among the world’s most feared …

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German court tries ISIS suspect over Yazidi genocide

A man believed to have belonged to ISIS is on trial in Germany accused of genocide and murdering a child belonging to the Yazidi minority who he held as a slave

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First Syrian state torture trial begins in Germany

Two alleged former Syrian intelligence officers go on trial in Germany, accused of crimes against humanity in the first court case over state-sponsored torture

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British ISIS foreign fighter arrested in Spain

A British former rapper and notorious Islamic state suspect has been arrested in Spain, judicial sources said

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Germany to purchase 93 Eurofighters, 45 F-18s to replace Tornado bombers, AKK says

Germany is planning to purchase 93 Eurofighters as well as 45 US-made F-18s to replace its aging Tornado bomber-fighter jet fleet, Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer said

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Germany to replace Tornado bombers with Airbus and Boeing fighter jets

Germany confirmed it aims to replace its aging fleet of Tornado fighter-bombers with aircraft from both European manufacturer Airbus and US-based Boeing

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Half of French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle crew test positive for COVID-19

Nearly half of the 2,300 sailors aboard France's aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle and support craft when a coronavirus outbreak occurred tested positive

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