US to boost missile defenses against N. Korea The US Friday said it would bolster defenses against a possible North Korean missile strike a week after Pyongyang threatened a "pre-emptive" nuclear attack against its arch-foe.
18 March 2013
Afghan leader alleges US-Taliban collusion President Hamid Karzai has accused the United States of colluding with the Taliban to justify its presence in Afghanistan, dumbfounding US officials during a problematic visit by the new Pentagon chief.
11 March 2013
Suicide bomb in Kabul during Hagel visit: officials A large suicide bomb exploded near the defence ministry in central Kabul during a visit to the Afghan capital on Saturday by new US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel.
09 March 2013
Hagel confirmed as next US secretary of defense The US Senate confirmed Chuck Hagel to be secretary of defense Tuesday, ending a long and acrimonious nomination process and handing President Barack Obama a boost as he fills his second-term cabinet.
27 February 2013
In India, French president pushes $12bn jet deal French President Francois Hollande made a fresh push Thursday to clinch the world's biggest defence deal, the $12 billion sale of 126 warplanes to India, during his first visit to Asia since taking office.
14 February 2013
S. Korea warns North against nuclear test South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak held an emergency security meeting Thursday that warned North Korea of "serious consequences" if it went through with an expected nuclear test.
US military to lift ban on women in combat US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta will lift a ban on women serving in combat, officials said Wednesday -- a ground-breaking move after a decade of war that saw female troops thrust onto the battlefield.
26 January 2013
France says military goal is 'total reconquest of Mali' French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said Sunday the end goal of France's military action in Mali was to retake control of the whole country from Islamist militants who have seized the north.
22 January 2013
White House, Pentagon disagree over Mali: report The White House and the US Defense Department are at odds over the danger posed by radical Islamic groups that have taken control of parts of Mali and are stirring up trouble in other parts of West Africa.
Russian army vows to outlaw foot cloths by year end Russia's defence minister expressed horror on Monday that soldiers were still wrapping cloths around their feet instead of wearing socks, and vowed the historic practice must end this year.
15 January 2013
Pentagon nominee vows 'total support' for Israel Chuck Hagel, bracing for a bruising Senate confirmation as the next US defense secretary, pledged "total support" for Israel on Monday after lawmakers criticized his Middle East views.
Japan scrambles jets to head off China plane Japan scrambled fighter jets Saturday to head off a Chinese state-owned plane that flew near islands at the centre of a dispute between Tokyo and Beijing.
06 January 2013
Obama signs sweeping US defense spending bill President Barack Obama has signed into law a $633 billion US defense spending bill that funds the war in Afghanistan and boosts security at US missions worldwide.
03 January 2013
Seoul says has other drone options than Global Hawks South Korea is not necessarily committed to buying US Global Hawk surveillance drones, a spokesman said Wednesday, after the Pentagon requested congressional permission for such a sale.