Tag: defence

Delays on NORAD Modernization Leave North America ‘Vulnerable’ to China, Russia Threats: Commander

The commander of the Canadian-American defence alliance NORAD is warning Canadian officials that delays in modernizing the North American Aerospace Defense Command’s early-warning system leave the continent vulnerable to threats from China and Russia as the regimes develop new military technologies to attack the region. U.S. Gen. Glen VanHerck made the comment to reporters on…


Australia Safer Today Thanks To the Sacrifice of Veterans: PM

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has thanked the 102,000 defence force veterans who gave their lives in service to make Australia a safer country today than it was in years past. Speaking at the Doncaster Returned Soldiers League (RSL) on Nov. 11, Morrison said Australians came together on Remembrance Day to honour the lives of those…


Britain Wasting Billions on Defence, Says Spending Watchdog

Billions of pounds of taxpayers’ money have been wasted as the Ministry of Defence continually fails to learn from its mistakes, the Commons spending watchdog has said. The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has published a highly critical report accusing the department of having a “broken” system for procuring military equipment. The cross-party committee said it…


Deutsche Bank Vows Vigorous Defence in Lawsuit by Spanish Hotel Group

FRANKFURT—Deutsche Bank said on Wednesday that it would vigorously defend itself against a lawsuit by a Spanish hotel group claiming losses on derivatives products. The statement is in response to a lawsuit by Palladium Hotel Group, which according to a report in the Financial Times on Wednesday is suing Deutsche for 500 million euros ($577.45…


Defence Policy’s Much-Needed Revamp Unlikely to Take Place Post Election, Says Expert

Canada only thinks about revamping its defence policy when there’s a catastrophe, and it’s basically a non-issue in federal elections


Kabul Evacuation: ‘Planes Never Leave Empty’ Says UK Defence Minister

British military planes never leave Kabul empty, according to the British defence minister, in response to reports of some flights leaving without any evacuees on board. The UK was “absolutely ploughing through the numbers,” Defence Secretary Ben Wallace told the BBC on Aug. 19, following stories of Taliban checkpoints at the airport hampering the movement…


Defence Chief’s Notes Reveal Debate Over Due Process, Optics on Fortin Allegation

VANCOUVER—An extraordinary set of handwritten notes by Canada’s acting defence chief appear to reveal a behind−the−scenes struggle between due process, political optics and support for the complainant after a sexual misconduct allegation emerged against Maj.−Gen. Dany Fortin. More than 100 pages of heavily redacted documents, including notes mostly written in bullet−point form by Lt.−Gen. Wayne…


Future Soldiers Could Arm Themselves Against Bioweapons with a Common Parasite

In the future military units could rely on parasites to protect them from enemy weapons after the United States government gave two of Australia’s leading researchers almost $US2.5 million ($A3.4 million) to research the potential of worms and other parasitic organisms to help combat chemical and biological weapons. Prof. Alex Loukas and Dr. Paul Giacomin…


British Defence Minister Says UK Will Work With Taliban Should They Come to Power

Britain will work with the Taliban should they enter the government in Afghanistan, British Defence Minister Ben Wallace told The Daily Telegraph in an interview published on Tuesday. “Whatever the government of the day is, provided it adheres to certain international norms, the UK government will engage with it,” he was quoted as saying in…


Singaporean Troops to Train Alongside Aussies in Queensland

Up to 14,000 Singaporean troops will train alongside Australian forces in North and Central Queensland after the state government struck a deal to develop state-of-the-art military training facilities. Complex leasing arrangements for land at Greenvale and Shoalwater Bay were finalised for the multimillion-dollar defence industry effort that will subsidise jobs in the region. “Our defence…