Tag Archives: defence

Strasbourg, France | AFP | German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Tuesday made a clear call for a future European army, in an apparent rebuke to US President Donald Trump who has called such proposals “very insulting”. Addressing European MEPs on her vision for the future of Europe, Merkel also called …

Byneset, Norway | AFP | Russia plans to test missiles off Norway this week in an area where NATO is carrying out its biggest military exercises since the end of the Cold War, NATO’s chief said Tuesday, downplaying the situation. “We were notified last week about the planned Russian missile …

Oslo, Norway | AFP | Norway hosts NATO’s biggest exercises since the end of the Cold War from Thursday, to remind Russia the Alliance stands united despite seeds of doubt planted by US President Donald Trump. Some 50,000 soldiers, 10,000 vehicles, 65 ships and 250 aircraft from 31 countries are …

Kigali, Rwanda | AFP |  Rwandan President Paul Kagame carried out a major ministerial reshuffle on Thursday, following the voluntary departure of foreign minister Louise Mushikiwabo, notably removing his influential defence minister from the post. The resignation of Mushikiwabo, who was last week chosen to head the world organisation of French-speaking …

Brussels, Belgium | AFP | With its futuristic curved roof, gleaming walls of glass and steel and host of eco-friendly features, NATO’s new billion-euro Brussels headquarters is a world away from the drab, low-slung warren of offices reeking of Cold War intrigue that it replaces. The alliance is almost halfway through …

Hatzor Air Base, Israel | AFP | US and Israeli commanders overseeing a major joint air defence exercise spoke Thursday of preparing for evolving threats in the Middle East during the month-long drill. The Juniper Cobra exercise, held every two years since 2001, comes as Israel is increasingly concerned by …

Moscow, Russia | AFP | The Kremlin on Friday said Russia will not be part of a new arms race as the United States and NATO voiced concern over Vladimir Putin’s boasts of new “invincible” weapons. Putin stunned the West — and many in Russia — on Thursday by using …

Washington, United States | AFP | The United States has accused Moscow of openly breaching Cold War-era treaties by developing what Russian President Vladimir Putin called a new generation of “invincible” hypersonic weapons and submarines. Putin unveiled the new arsenal Thursday in a state of the nation address, challenging Washington …

Brussels, Belgium | AFP | NATO defence ministers gathered for talks Wednesday amid US concerns over the EU’s landmark defence cooperation pact and increasingly strained relations between Washington and Turkey. Washington and Ankara, two of the transatlantic alliance’s most important members, are at loggerheads over Turkey’s military offensive in northern …

Paris, France | AFP | France is planning a 37-billion-euro revamp of its nuclear arsenal over the next seven years, part of a sharp increase in defence spending aimed at allowing France to “hold its own” as a key power in Europe, the country’s defence chief said Thursday. The upgrades …