Today's headlines

UK defies calls from partners to make £1bn Eurofighter payment
Gordon Brown yesterday defied calls to make a £1bn payment for Eurofighter Typhoon jets as European leaders rounded on the prime minister for holding up the defence project.
Financial Times

Defence no longer a no-go area for cuts, says George Osborne
George Osborne is studying proposals to scrap two large defence procurement projects as he begins to draw up an incoming Conservative administration's hitlist of public spending.
The Times

Army gives green light to lighter armour

The Pentagon says it is expediting the process of issuing new, lighter-weight body armor to U.S. troops scheduled to deploy to Afghanistan.

UPI

Future Lynx helicopter becomes Lynx Wildcat

At a ceremony at AgustaWestland in Yeovil, it was announced that the Future Lynx aircraft is now to be known formally as the AW159 Lynx Wildcat. The Lynx Wildcat programme will deliver a fleet of 62 new light helicopters for the Army and Royal Navy from 2014 and 2015 respectively.

Royal Navy Press Release

Gurkha policy still excludes many

The government will allow some Gurkha veterans to settle in the UK but not all of them, under new rules published by the Home Office.

Defence Management

No licence requirement for private military

Private military companies that operate in war zones on behalf of the government will not require a formal British license, the Foreign Office announced on Friday, in a move that drew anger from non-governmental organisations.

Financial Times

SAS to expand in army shake-up

Britain's special forces are to be dramatically increased under plans being drawn up by the government. John Hutton, the defence secretary, will this week signal radical reform of the armed forces in response to "lessons learnt" from the war in Afghanistan, where specialised units are seen to be playing a vital role.

The Times

Cutting the nuclear arsenals

Russian and American negotiators began work at the weekend on their ambitious plans to rid the world of nuclear weapons. The talks are intended to produce a new agreement to replace the 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (Start) that expires in December.

The Times