Russia announced June 6 that it will keep a fleet of about dozen navy ships in the Mediterranean Sea, a move President Vladimir Putin said is needed to protect his country’s national security. Putin said the plan should not be seen as saber rattling, but it comes as Moscow is serving as a key ally…

NATO defense ministerial meetings June 4 and 5helped to cement the allianceís commitment to a ìtrain, advise and assistî mission that will begin after the International Security Assistance Force disbands at the end of 2014, NATOís senior civilian leader said June 5. The end of 2014 will mark the end of our combat mission, but…

The United States could leave Patriot anti-missile batteries and F-16 fighter jets in Jordan following the end of Exercise Eager Lion, a Pentagon spokesman said June 5. Jordan has requested the batteries, but Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has not yet reviewed it, Army Col. Steve Warren told reporters. Hagel is returning from NATO meetings in…

Russia’s top military officer May 22 voiced skepticism about deeper nuclear arms cuts, saying they should require parallel reductions in non-nuclear precision weapons. The statement by chief of Russia’s military General Staff, Gen. Valery Gerasimov, appeared to signal the Kremlin’s reluctance to negotiate a new nuclear arms deal with Washington. President Barack Obama, who signed…

Britain’s Ministry of Defence has taken an over-optimistic approach to its equipment budget, an influential committee of lawmakers warned May 14, expressing doubts that the department plagued by cost overruns and late delivery of projects has properly planned for potential pitfalls over the next decade. Britain’s military is shrinking from 102,000 troops to around 80,000…

Three members of the International Space Station Expedition 35 crew undocked from the orbiting laboratory and returned safely to Earth May 13, wrapping up a mission lasting almost five months. The departure marks the beginning of Expedition 36. Space station Commander Chris Hadfield of the Canadian Space Agency, Soyuz Commander Roman Romanenko of the Russian…

Afghan President Hamid Karzai, who has irked Washington with his frequent criticism of American military operations in his country, said May 9 that his government is now ready to let the U.S. have nine bases across Afghanistan after most foreign troops withdraw in 2014. A border spat with Pakistan and a desire to test public…

Taking one more step to becoming Ministry of Defense accredited, Afghan air force leaders at Pohantoon-e-Hawayee “Air University” signed six newly developed training decrees May 4 at Kabul International Airport here. The implementation of these decrees marks the first time†the†school had†standard operating procedures for the teaching of the students. “I have been waiting for this…

Australia said May 3 it would buy 12 Boeing EA-18G Growler advanced electronic warfare technology aircraft because it can’t risk delivery delays in their replacement, the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighters. The government announced last year that its air force will equip 12 of Australia’s F/A-18 Super Hornet jet fighters with Growler radar-jamming equipment…

– NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen warned May 6 that further cuts in defense spending by European nations risk reducing the continent’s defense and security to “hot air,” turning the alliance into what he called a “global spectator” rather than a real force on the world stage. “The only way to avoid this is…