Global defense news, analysis and opinion

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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Pakistan Taliban says deputy chief killed in US drone strike

The deputy chief of the Pakistani Taliban has been killed in a US drone strike, the militant group said in a statement, as Washington continues to intensify attacks along the Afghan border region.

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Latvia to buy Israeli Spike guided missiles for CVR-T vehicles for €108 million

Latvia is to buy Israel-made Spike anti-tank guided missiles for it CVR-T armored vehicle fleet for €108 million ($132 million)

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Iraq jails Turkish woman, Syrian man for life over ISIS ties

An Iraqi court on Monday sentenced a Turkish woman and a Syrian man to life in jail over ties to Islamic State, a judicial spokesman said.

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