• ‘Digital fog of war’ around Iranian cyberattacks

    DefenceTalkHostilities on the digital front have intensified since the outbreak of war between the US, Israel and Iran, with many cyberattacks claimed by Iranian groups, as more advanced actors move in the shadows. Companies, infrastructure and surveillance cameras have suffered cyberattacks since the end of February. Pro-Iranian group Handala claimed to have snatched 50,000 emails […]https://www.defencetalk.com/digital-fog-of-war-around-iranian-cyberattacks-80775/
  • US military says aircraft crash in Iraq killed 4 crew members

    DefenceTalkA US KC?135 aerial refueling aircraft crashed in western Iraq killing four crew members, the military said Friday, adding that the incident was not caused by “hostile fire.” A second plane involved in the incident, which the military said occurred at 2:00 pm Eastern Time (1900 GMT) Thursday, landed safely. “Four of six crew members […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-military-says-aircraft-crash-in-iraq-killed-4-crew-members-80770/
  • Northrop Grumman moves to boost B-21 Raider output

    DefenceTalkNorthrop Grumman and the U.S. Air Force are ramping up production capacity for the B-21 Raider to field the new bomber more quickly. The company describes the program as a demonstration of its performance on complex aerospace projects and its commitment to delivering advanced capabilities at what it calls the speed of need. Northrop Grumman […]https://www.defencetalk.com/northrop-grumman-moves-to-boost-b-21-raider-output-80765/
  • US military ‘not ready’ to escort tankers through Hormuz Strait

    DefenceTalkThe US military is currently “not ready” to escort tankers through the critical Strait of Hormuz because all its assets are focused on striking Iran, Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Thursday. Wright’s comments came as an attack on two oil tankers off Iraq killed at least one person, and oil prices briefly soared past $100. […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-military-not-ready-to-escort-tankers-through-hormuz-strait-80761/
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  • US says Iran campaign cost $11 billion in six days

    DefenceTalkThe opening week of the war against Iran cost the United States more than $11.3 billion, lawmakers were told in a Pentagon briefing, according to a New York Times report underscoring the pace at which the conflict is consuming weapons and resources. The Times, citing unnamed sources familiar with Tuesday’s closed-door briefing, said members of […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-says-iran-campaign-cost-11-billion-in-six-days-80757/
  • Cyberattack Disrupts Operations at MedTech Giant Stryker

    DefenceTalkA cybersecurity incident affecting Stryker Corporation—one of the world’s largest manufacturers of medical devices—has drawn renewed attention to the growing cyber risks facing healthcare suppliers and critical medical technology providers. While the full scope of the breach is still being investigated, the event highlights the potential consequences when cyberattacks intersect with the healthcare supply chain. […]https://www.defencetalk.com/cyberattack-disrup
  • Israel strikes central Beirut as Lebanon death toll tops 630

    DefenceTalkIsrael carried out a strike in the heart of Beirut on Wednesday for a second time since Lebanon was dragged into the Middle East war, as the death toll in the country climbed past 630. In New York, around 30 countries backing the UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon voiced concern over the fighting in the […]https://www.defencetalk.com/israel-strikes-central-beirut-as-lebanon-death-toll-tops-630-80749/
  • Patriot missile defense system deployed in central Turkey

    DefenceTalkTurkey said Tuesday a Patriot missile defence system was being deployed in the centre of the country, a day after NATO intercepted a second ballistic missile fired from Iran in Turkish airspace. The move was announced after a phone call between Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Iran’s Masoud Pezeshkian, with the Iranian president denying […]https://www.defencetalk.com/patriot-missile-defense-system-deployed-in-central-turkey-80734/
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  • Iran says missile attacks to continue, US talks ‘not on agenda’

    DefenceTalkIran’s foreign minister said Tuesday that talks with the United States were not on the agenda as their war entered its 11th day. “I don’t think talking with the Americans would be on our agenda anymore,” Abbas Araghchi told PBS News, saying Tehran had a “very bitter experience” during previous negotiations with the US. On […]https://www.defencetalk.com/iran-says-missile-attacks-to-continue-us-talks-not-on-agenda-80730/
  • OpenAI robotics manager resigns over Pentagon deal

    DefenceTalkA robotics manager at OpenAI said Saturday that she had resigned over the artificial intelligence giant’s deal with the US government to allow its technology’s deployment for war and domestic surveillance. The company behind ChatGPT secured a defense contract with the Pentagon last month, hours after rival Anthropic refused to agree to unconditional military use […]https://www.defencetalk.com/openai-robotics-manager-resigns-over-pentagon-deal-80743/
  • Anthropic takes Trump administration to court over Pentagon row

    DefenceTalkAnthropic filed suit Monday against the Trump administration, alleging the US government retaliated against the AI company for refusing to let its Claude AI model be used for autonomous lethal warfare and mass surveillance of Americans. In the 48-page complaint, filed in federal court in San Francisco, Anthropic seeks to have its designation as a […]https://www.defencetalk.com/anthropic-takes-trump-administration-to-court-over-pentagon-row-80738/
  • Sikorsky Ramps Up Production of New Variant S-92 Helicopter

    DefenceTalkSikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company (NYSE: LMT) is preparing to build the first production batch of S-92A+™ helicopters, the latest variant of its flagship commercial heavy-lifter. A+ model aircraft will be manufactured and assembled in Stratford and Owego, New York, for a new head-of-state transport customer, and anticipated orders from Head of State and offshore-energy […]https://www.defencetalk.com/sikorsky-ramps-up-production-of-new-variant-s-92-helicopter-80716/
  • Qatar arrests 313 people for sharing attacks footage, ‘rumors’

    DefenceTalkQatari authorities have arrested more than 300 people for sharing images and what they described as “misleading information” during days of attacks by Iran, the interior ministry said on Monday. The arrests echo measures across the Gulf as Iran targets airports, military bases, energy installations and residential areas with daily drones and missiles. Those arrested […]https://www.defencetalk.com/qatar-arrests-313-people-for-sharing-attacks-footage-rumors-80707/
  • Japan to deploy counter-strike missiles closer to China

    DefenceTalkJapan will deploy a batch of long-range, counter-strike missiles in a southwest region near China by the end of March, officials said Monday. The Ground Self-Defense Force plans to position its Type 12 surface-to-ship missiles, with a reported range of 1,000 kilometres (620 miles), in Kumamoto, Kyushu region, Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara told a […]https://www.defencetalk.com/japan-to-deploy-counter-strike-missiles-closer-to-china-80702/
  • Global arms exports soar on European demand: study

    DefenceTalkGlobal weapons flows grew by almost 10 percent in the past five years, with Europe more than tripling imports, a report showed on Monday. The surge in European countries can be explained, in part at least, by the fact they are buying in weapons to supply to Ukraine and because they are seeking to boost […]https://www.defencetalk.com/global-arms-exports-soar-on-european-demand-study-80726/
  • Kremlin says nuclear weapons in Finland would threaten Russia

    DefenceTalkRussia said on Friday it saw Finland’s move to lift restrictions on hosting nuclear weapons as a potential threat and vowed to respond if Helsinki followed through with the plan. A Russia neighbor and NATO member since 2023, Finland said on Thursday it planned to lift restrictions prohibiting nuclear weapons on its soil, in order […]https://www.defencetalk.com/kremlin-says-nuclear-weapons-in-finland-would-threaten-russia-80712/
  • North Korea’s Kim oversees naval destroyer, cruise missile test

    DefenceTalkNorth Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw tests this week of his country’s naval destroyer, claiming Pyongyang is in the process of “arming the Navy with nuclear weapons”, state media reported Thursday. The tests, including a launch of a sea-to-surface cruise missile, come shortly after Kim led a major once-in-five-years Party Congress, at which he […]https://www.defencetalk.com/north-koreas-kim-oversees-naval-destroyer-cruise-missile-test-80697/
  • Northrop Grumman Expands Aircraft Protection to Germany

    DefenceTalkFor the first time, Northrop Grumman (NYSE: NOC) is providing its Common Infrared Countermeasures (CIRCM) system to Germany, reinforcing the company’s position as a leading developer of advanced aircraft survivability systems, with a broadening presence in Europe. CIRCM, a U.S. Army program of record, acts as a high-tech shield when installed on the outside of […]https://www.defencetalk.com/northrop-grumman-expands-aircraft-protection-to-germany-80721/
  • Finland to allow nuclear weapons on its soil: government

    DefenceTalkFinland said Thursday it planned to lift restrictions prohibiting nuclear weapons on its soil, in order to bring the country in line with NATO’s deterrence policy after joining the alliance in 2023. “The government proposal would make it possible in future to bring a nuclear weapon into Finland, or to transport, deliver or possess one […]https://www.defencetalk.com/finland-to-allow-nuclear-weapons-on-its-soil-government-80693/
  • US says it has sunk more than 30 Iranian ships

    DefenceTalkThe United States has sunk more than 30 Iranian ships during the ongoing war, while ballistic missile and drone attacks by Tehran’s forces are down substantially, a top US military officer said Thursday. “We’re now up over 30 ships (sunk), and in just the last few hours, we hit an Iranian drone carrier ship, roughly […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-says-it-has-sunk-more-than-30-iranian-ships-80689/
  • Middle East war enters seventh day as Israel strikes Beirut

    DefenceTalkThe raging Iran war, which has spread across the Middle East and beyond, entered its seventh day Friday after Israeli forces announced a “next phase” in the conflict and bombed Beirut’s southern suburbs. The Israeli military had earlier issued an unprecedented evacuation warning for the entire area — “save your lives and evacuate your residences […]https://www.defencetalk.com/middle-east-war-enters-seventh-day-as-israel-strikes-beirut-80685/
  • Ex-minister adds to UK calls for ban on political donations in cryptocurrency

    Exclusive: Labour’s Rushanara Ali plans to intervene in elections bill amid warnings of foreign interferenceA former Labour minister has added her voice to those of a growing list of experts and senior MPs calling for a ban on political donations in cryptocurrency as concerns grow over foreign interference in British elections.Rushanara Ali, the Labour MP who helped draft the elections bill when she was a minister in the communities department, called for the government to strengthen the l
  • How an undercover cop foiled an IS plot to massacre Britain’s Jews – podcast

    The Guardian’s community affairs correspondent, Chris Osuh, reports on the plot by two IS terrorists to massacre Jews in Manchester, and how it was thwarted by an undercover stingWalid Saadaoui had once worked as a holiday entertainer, organising dance shows and quizzes at a resort in his native Tunisia. After moving to the UK and marrying a British woman, he became a restaurateur and an avid keeper of birds.All the while, however – as the Guardian’s community affairs correspon
  • Owen Jones on Palestine Action high court win | The Latest

    The co-founder of Palestine Action has won a legal challenge to the home secretary’s decision to ban the group under anti-terrorism laws. Palestine Action was the first direct action protest group to be proscribed. The decision was widely condemned and was defied by a civil disobedience campaign, during which more than 2,000 people have been arrested. From July last year, being a member of – or showing support for – the group became an offence punishable by up to 14 years in pr
  • Two men jailed for life over plot to attack Greater Manchester’s Jewish community

    An undercover operative stopped the pair from carrying out what could have been UK’s deadliest terrorist attackTwo men have been jailed for life after attempting to stage one of the UK’s deadliest terrorist attacks before it was thwarted by an undercover operative.Walid Saadaoui, 38, and Amar Hussein, 52, who had sworn allegiance to Islamic State (IS), planned a marauding firearms attack targeting Greater Manchester’s Jewish community. Continue reading...
  • Opponents of Palestine Action ban celebrate court ruling that proscription is unlawful – video

    People opposed to the UK ban on Palestine Action celebrated after the group won a legal challenge to the home secretary’s decision to proscribe it under anti-terrorism laws. Palestine Action was the first direct action protest group to be proscribed under anti-terrorism law, which categorised it alongside the likes of Islamic State. The government decision attracted widespread condemnation as well as a civil disobedience campaign defying the ban, during which more than 2,000 people have be
  • Who would want to lead the ‘British FBI’? | Letter

    The proposed National Police Service, encompassing counter-terrorism and regional crime units along with the duties of the National Crime Agency, will be unmanageable, writes Peter SommerThe National Police Service (NPS) is the fourth or fifth iteration of a “British FBI”, not the third (What is Shabana Mahmood proposing in ‘biggest ever’ policing reforms? 26 January). Before the Serious And Organised Crime Agency and the National Crime Agency, we had a National Crime Squ
  • Mother of man jailed in Syria for Islamic State links calls for his repatriation to UK or Canada

    Sally Lane fears son Jack Letts, who left UK aged 18, may face death penalty if airlifted to Iraq under US operationThe mother of a British-born man detained for nearly nine years without trial in Syria has called for his repatriation to the UK or Canada as the US plans to airlift 7,000 Islamic State-linked prisoners from Syria to Iraq.Sally Lane, the mother of Jack Letts, 30, said she was “frantically trying to find out as much as possible” and that it was unclear if he would face t
  • Three men charged after ‘highly targeted attacks’ against Pakistani dissidents

    Alleged attacks took place in Cambridgeshire and Buckinghamshire against two prominent supporters of jailed former Pakistani prime minister Imran KhanThree men have been charged after a series of “highly targeted” attacks against two Pakistani dissidents living in Britain.Police carried out a series of seven raids and arrests this week in London, Essex and the Midlands after four attacks, which began on Christmas Eve. Continue reading...
  • Counter-terrorism police investigating ‘highly targeted’ attacks on Pakistani dissidents in UK

    Exclusive: victims in hiding after attacks involving physical assault, attempted arson and the use of firearms Scotland Yard’s counter-terrorism command is investigating a series of “highly targeted” attacks on two Pakistani dissidents living in Britain which may bear the hallmarks of states using criminal proxies to silence their critics.One person has been arrested after a series of four attacks which began on Christmas Eve. One of the attacks involved a firearm. Continue rea
  • UK approves Chinese ‘mega embassy’ in London after reassurances from spy chiefs

    Critics expected to mount legal challenge to plans for vast complex at Royal Mint Court amid security concernsThe communities secretary, Steve Reed, has given permission for China to build a vast new embassy near the Tower of London after spy chiefs told him that the risks to UK national security could be controlled and dealt with.The decision paves the way for Keir Starmer to visit Beijing in the coming weeks – though local residents plan to legally challenge the decision, potentially del
  • ‘There can be no exclusions’: how Hillsborough law hit a roadblock

    What was meant to be a triumph for Keir Starmer has become mired in disagreement with victims’ familiesIt was meant to be a triumphant moment. After almost 16 months of briefing from Whitehall sources that Keir Starmer would never be able to keep his promise to introduce the Hillsborough law, the prime minister was introduced at the Labour conference by Margaret Aspinall.Aspinall, whose son James, 18, was one of the 97 people killed in the 1989 Hillsborough disaster, has with other bereave
  • Royal Mint Court residents plan legal challenge if Chinese ‘mega embassy’ in London approved

    Claims of ‘government interference’ in decision on plans for vast outpost near Tower of LondonResidents of Royal Mint Court plan to mount a legal challenge within weeks if Steve Reed, the local government secretary, approves China’s plans to build a vast new embassy at the site by the Tower of London on Tuesday.Mark Nygate, the treasurer of the local Royal Mint Court Residents’ Association, said people living near the proposed development had concerns about “governm
  • UK arresting Palestine Action supporters is censoring free speech, says US official

    Sarah Rogers says prosecuting people for ‘merely’ expressing support ‘does more harm than good’Arresting supporters of Palestine Action is “censoring” their free speech and “does more harm than good”, a Trump administration official has said.Sarah Rogers, the US undersecretary for public diplomacy, was asked in an interview with the news platform Semafor whether the British government should allow supporters of the proscribed terror group to protes
  • Withdraw Hillsborough law amendment, urge Liverpool and Manchester mayors

    Draft creates ‘too broad an opt-out’ for intelligence chiefs to decide what information is released after major incidentThe mayors of Liverpool and Manchester have said an amendment to the Hillsborough law should be withdrawn, saying it does not do enough to prevent future cover-ups.The Liverpool city region mayor, Steve Rotheram, and the Greater Manchester mayor, Andy Burnham, said the amendment “creates too broad an opt-out” by allowing intelligence officials to decide
  • Hillsborough law to be delayed over security services concerns

    Ministers hope to reach compromise after MPs and families said bill went too far in shielding intelligence officersThe government is to delay the progress of the Hillsborough law while ministers thrash out a compromise, amid concerns from MPs and families over how it will apply to serving intelligence officers.The bill will enforce a duty of candour on public officials and contractors to tell the truth in the aftermath of disasters. But concerns were raised by campaigners that it went too far in
  • UK ministers should explain compensation payment to Guantánamo detainee, Dominic Grieve says

    Former attorney general urges more clarity on British spy agencies’ role in Abu Zubaydah’s torture by CIAMinisters should explain why the UK has paid compensation to a Palestinian man who was tortured by the CIA and is still being held in Guantánamo Bay, according to a former attorney general.Abu Zubaydah, the first man subjected to CIA waterboarding, was reported by the BBC to have been awarded a payment that may amount to hundreds of thousands of pounds because of the role o
  • Slowly but surely, a state can repress its people. Why is the UK channelling Viktor Orbán’s Hungary? | Lydia Gall

    I know enough about the erosion of civil rights to fear what I now see in the UKLydia Gall is a senior Europe researcher at Human Rights WatchRight to protest is under attack in England and Wales, reports warnI saw, at first hand, the slow erosion of the rule of law in Hungary. It began not with a single shocking act but with quiet legal changes that narrowed space for dissent; each step justified as reasonable or necessary, until suddenly, democracy itself felt like a performance rather than a
  • Families affected by Manchester Arena attack say MI5 must be more open to scrutiny

    In a letter to Keir Starmer, they say MI5 failed them and the Security Service must be included in a law to stop cover-upsFamilies affected by the Manchester Arena bombing have said MI5 failed them and must be more open to scrutiny.In a letter sent to the prime minister seen by the BBC, the families demanded the Security Service be fully included in a new law designed to stop cover-ups in public life. Continue reading...
  • Ministers cannot go on ignoring the Shamima Begum case, for two important reasons

    The fate of the woman who left the UK at 15 in search of Islamic State raises wider questions about citizenshipWhile many aspects of UK political polling have shifted drastically since 2019, the public’s view on Shamima Begum has remained largely fixed: a big majority do not want the now 26-year-old woman back in the UK.In 2019, Sajid Javid, then home secretary, stripped the Londoner of her UK citizenship on the grounds that she was a security threat, having travelled as a schoolgirl with
  • European human rights court questions UK decision to strip Shamima Begum of citizenship

    Begum’s lawyers argue she was child trafficking victim when she travelled to live under IS in Syria in 2015The European court of human rights has questioned the UK government over its 2019 decision to remove Shamima Begum’s British citizenship.Lawyers in Europe have asked how Begum’s treatment complies with the UK’s responsibilities to victims of trafficking. Continue reading...
  • ‘We refuse to be afraid’: solidarity and vigilance in British Jewish community targeted by IS plot

    Life goes on in a vibrant Greater Manchester neighbourhood after a plan for an attack was thwarted“They tried to kill us. They failed. Let’s eat,” Andrew Walters said.It is an old Jewish joke that’s as relevant as ever in Greater Manchester in the face of today’s threats. Continue reading...
  • A heavy moral burden as Palestine Action hunger strikers risk death | Letters

    Dr David Nicholl and Dr John Kalk discuss medical ethics in relation to the care of prisoners on hunger strike, and Dr Jonathan Fluxman calls on Labour to act now before the worst happensWe are not involved in the medical management of the Palestine Action hunger strikers, though we have experience of previous such protests (Families of Palestine Action hunger strikers seek urgent meeting with Lammy, 22 December). The ethical issues are well established: respect for consent, confidentiality, ass
  • ‘My blood is boiling, brother’: the foiled plot to massacre Jews on streets of Greater Manchester

    Walid Saadaoui and Amar Hussein thought ‘zero hour’ had finally arrived until undercover operative thwarted themWhen Walid Saadaoui recruited Amar Hussein to join him in a pogrom on the streets of Greater Manchester, Hussein wept with joy.For years, the two men had been sleeper agents for the Islamic State terrorist group. Each had lived quietly in Britain for years, waiting for the right moment to stage an attack, and for the right person to give them the support to make it happen.
  • UK aid cuts take 40% from funds to counter Russian threat in western Balkans

    Funding to tackle misinformation and cyber-attacks, and boost democracy, cut from £40m to £24mKeir Starmer’s raid on overseas aid has led to a 40% cut in funds for countering Russian aggression and misinformation in a region of Europe described by the prime minister as vital to the UK’s national security.British funding committed to bolstering the western Balkans, where Russia has been accused of sowing division and creating destabilisation, has been cut from £40m l
  • How far must UK go to fend off threat of foreign interference in its elections?

    Closing funding loopholes and re-empowering the watchdog would go some way to tackling an urgent issueUK to hold inquiry into foreign financial interference in domestic politicsRussia has been attempting to meddle with western democracy for years, but successive governments led by Boris Johnson and others have insisted that the UK’s electoral system can withstand its influence.That argument was recently blown apart by the conviction of former Reform politician Nathan Gill, jailed for 10 ye
  • UK spying laws could result in overreach and real harm, says review

    Jonathan Hall KC warns of people being wrongly investigated and of impact on journalists and thinktanksEspionage offences in the UK’s new National Security Act are so broadly defined that they “will result in cases of real harm” with people wrongly investigated, according to the first review of state threats legislation.Jonathan Hall KC, an independent reviewer appointed by the home secretary, said the 2023 law had to be monitored against “misuse and overreach” beca
  • Europe ready to lead ‘multinational force’ in Ukraine as part of US peace plan

    Proposal is part of new package of security guarantees, backed by the White House, that could mark breakthrough in reaching agreementEurope is ready to lead a “multinational force” in Ukraine as part of a US proposal for a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine, European leaders have said.In a statement, the leaders of the UK, France, Germany and eight other European countries said troops from a “coalition of the willing” with US support could “assist in the reg
  • Britain caught in ‘space between peace and war’, says new head of MI6

    Blaise Metreweli says world ‘more dangerous and contested now than for decades’ as AI and new technologies emergeBritain is caught in “a space between peace and war” complicated by the rise of artificial intelligence and other technologies dominated by powerful individuals and corporations, according to the new head of MI6.Blaise Metreweli, giving her first speech in the job, accused Russia of being insincere about Ukraine peace negotiations but made minimal reference to
  • ‘The frontline is everywhere’: new MI6 head to warn of growing Russian threat

    Blaise Metreweli expected to say UK faces new ‘age of uncertainty’ in speech identifying Kremlin as key threatAssassination plots, sabotage, cyber-attacks and the manipulation of information by Russia and other hostile states mean that “the frontline is everywhere”, the new head of MI6 will warn on Monday.Blaise Metreweli, giving her first speech in the job, is expected to say the UK faces a new “age of uncertainty” where the rules of conflict are being rewrit
19 Jun 2026

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