Global defense news, analysis and opinion

Australia to Boost Defense Spending as China Tensions Rise

Australia will announce a substantial increase in defense spending and focus on projecting military power in the Indo-Pacific amid escalating tensions with China.

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New Libya Mass Grave After Haftar’s Fighters Withdrew: Govt Forces

Nine bodies have been found in another mass grave in the Libyan town of Tarhuna after fighters loyal to eastern strongman Khalifa Haftar withdrew, pro-government forces said Monday.

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Blasts at Afghan Market in Helmand Kill 23 Civilians, Wound 15: Officials

Multiple explosions tore through a busy market in southern Afghanistan on Monday, killing at least 23 civilians, officials said, blaming the Taliban for the carnage.

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Jihadists in NE Nigeria Kill 11, Others Missing: Security Sources

At least nine Nigerian soldiers and two members of a civil defense militia were killed in a jihadist attack on a civilian convoy in northeast Borno state.

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UN Warns of ‘Intensified Fighting’ in Myanmar’s Rakhine State

The United Nations called for 'urgent measures to spare civilians' in Myanmar's conflict-wracked northwest on Sunday, saying fighting has intensified between the army and insurgents.

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Turkish Soldier Dies in Clashes with Kurdish Rebels

A Turkish soldier died on Sunday in clashes with "terrorists" from the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party during an offensive in northern Iraq, the defense ministry said in a statement.

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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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Hamas Says West Bank Annexation Would Be ‘Declaration of War’

Israel's planned annexation of parts of the occupied West Bank would be a 'declaration of war,' Gaza rulers Hamas said.

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One Dead, Six Wounded in Turkish Raid on Northern Iraq

A Turkish air strike on Iraqi Kurdistan killed one person and wounded six others Thursday, a local official said, as Ankara pushed an assault on the north of the country.

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Jihadists Abduct 10 Aid Workers in Niger: NGO

Armed jihadists abducted 10 humanitarian workers as they were distributing food in a village in southwestern Niger, their NGO said.

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