Global defense news, analysis and opinion

Book Review: Losing an Enemy: Obama, Iran, and the Triumph of Diplomacy

Review: The book “Losing an Enemy” by Trita Parsi provides a definitive historical narrative to the JCPOA and an understanding of what is at stake in the struggle for the agreement’s survival

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Record number of Afghan civilian casualties in attacks in 2017, UN says

Nearly 2,300 civilians were killed or wounded in suicide bombings and attacks in Afghanistan in 2017, more than any previous year of the conflict on record, a UN report said

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UK submits final offer for 34 Eurofighter Typhoons to Belgium

The UK Ministry of Defence submitted to Belgium its final offer for 34 Eurofighter Typhoon swing-role combat aircraft plus support, training and cooperation on cyber capabilities in the competition to replace Belgium’s F-16s

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Trump’s nuclear posture destabilizes, while disrespecting legacies of environmental injustice

Trump's 2018 Nuclear Posture Review is destabilizing and affects native and other American communities that were environmentally damaged for uranium production

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US concerns over EU PESCO defense pact cloud NATO talks

Brussels (AFP) – NATO defence ministers met in Brussels on Wednesday to discuss Washington’s concerns over the European Union’s new plans to deepen defense ties between its members, and increasingly strained U.S.-Turkey relations. Washington and Ankara, two of the transatlantic alliance’s most important members, are at loggerheads over Turkey’s military offensive in northern Syria. U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Tuesday warned it was detracting from the fight against the Islamic State group. The two-day meeting at NATO headquarters in Brussels is expected to approve changes to the alliance’s command structure. It aims to meet the challenges of warfare in the 21st century, particularly cyber attacks and other novel “hybrid warfare” tactics, as fears grow about Russian assertiveness. But a working dinner with E.U. diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini later Wednesday has taken on greater significance after senior US officials voiced fears about the impact the bloc’s new landmark defence pact could have on the balance of power in NATO. The E.U.’s so-called permanent structured cooperation on defence agreement, known as PESCO, has projects in view already to develop new military equipment and improve cooperation and decision-making. But on Sunday a senior official working with U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis …

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India to procure more than 745,000 rifles and machine guns

India's Defence Acquisition Council approved the purchase of more than 745,000 small arms along with torpedo decoy systems, in procurements valued at approximately 159 billion rupees (almost $2.5 billion)

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The Manbij Conundrum

The collapse, or eviction by military force, of the SDF from Manbij would have dire consequences for the stability of the SDF, and by extension, the entire US mission to build stability in the wake of the Islamic State in Syria.

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NATO chief signals new training mission in Iraq

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg defense ministers will likely begin planning for a training mission in Iraq when they meet in Belgium this week.

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70 children released by South Sudan armed groups remain in interim care center

Most of 300 children released by armed groups in South Sudan on Wednesday have been reunited with their families.

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SDF claims it shot down a Turkish Bayraktar drone that crashed in Efrin

The Syrian Democratic Forces claimed its fighters shot down a Turkish Bayraktar Tactical drone that crashed near Quda, a small town in the Rajo district of Efrin near the Syria-Turkey border.

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