Archive: News & Articles

Donald Trump was far from the only US president to admonish NATO for low defence spending to little avail, but the belligerent actions of Russian President Putin have galvanised NATO in a way the Russian leader did not foresee. On 25 May 2017 Donald Trump attended his first NATO summit in Brussels as US president, […]

The need to deploy the capacity to secure the underwater domain is becoming an increased area of focus for navies across the globe. MDM discussed recent trends in the sector with Chris Tucker from Systems Engineering and Assessment Ltd (SEA), a subsidiary of British defence technology company, Cohort Plc MDM: The importance of being able […]

A major element of the trilateral AUKUS defence security partnership between Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States that was first announced in September 2021 is to support the acquisition of conventionally-armed, nuclear-powered attack submarines (SSNs) for the Royal Australian Navy. Subsequently, in March 2023, a pathway to the achievement of this capability was […]

UUVs bring underwater sensing quantity – and quality – to the naval fight. The Euro-Atlantic maritime theatre is a significant geographic space. Across it, from the High North to the Eastern Mediterranean, are key maritime straits and choke points. Given the current contested nature of the Euro-Atlantic maritime battlespace – something evident even before conventional […]

An ambitious plan by the Brazilian Army to modernise its armoured cavalry brigades is soon scheduled to reach a significant milestone with the arrival of the first two Centauro II 8×8 wheeled fire support armoured vehicles.  The Brazilian Army (Exército Brasileiro) counts 2,244 armoured vehicles in its six independent mechanised cavalry regiments, two armoured brigades, […]

Despite decisions made during the 2023 NATO Summit in Vilnius, Europe’s eastern flank remains threatened, and the Russians continue their hostile actions. If the Kremlin achieves its military plans, the situation will become even more challenging. There is noticeable unease and uncertainty on NATO’s East European flank. This arises from several fundamental reasons. Firstly, despite […]

While Germany has signalled a change of approach toward its armed forces, a number of challenges remain to be overcome before the Bundeswehr reaches a sufficient level of capability and readiness. “As the most populous nation with the greatest economic power and a country in the middle of the continent, our army must become the […]

In 2022, the EU launched its first ever Space Strategy for Security and Defence. The document confirms that the EU has understood the military significance of space. However, the question remains whether Brussels will be able to achieve its goals. The space policy constitutes one element of the EU’s broader policy having earlier been included […]

In 2023, the Army initiated a vast transformation plan toward ‘a war fighting Army.’ This transformation is the answer to the deep evolutions of the strategic context. The objective is to produce more power through better organisation, for increased responsiveness. Due to its operational contract, the Army must be capable of deploying a two-brigade division […]

If you declare war on something, industry will make goods to sell to the warriors. This has been the case since antiquity. The so-called ‘War on Drugs’ is no exception. A variety of techniques and technologies have come into use in the worldwide struggle against smuggling, manufacturing, and sale of dangerous drugs. The substances of […]

Tanks provide a vital form of fire support in Ukraine, which means that both sides rely extensively on high explosive (HE) and guided ammunition natures. If you watch enough videos and read enough reports, you will get a sense of the vast scale of Ukraine. It is more easily appreciated by driving; even the relatively […]

The Portuguese Military Programming Law 2023–2034 – approved in July 2023 – seeks to provide a comprehensive boost to the modernisation of the country’s depleted armed forces by acquiring new equipment worth EUR 5.57 billion. This amount, the largest ever, foresees the acquisition of land, naval, air, cyber security, space capabilities, as well as emerging […]

The United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) is forging ahead with an important overhaul of its strategic high-frequency communications. To some, it may seem an insignificant milestone, but on 9 July 2023, the UK’s Defence High Frequency Communications Service (DHFCS) celebrated its 21st birthday. The DHFCS provides a nationwide and international high frequency (HF) strategic […]

Dominated by fighter types produced by Western manufacturers, the air forces of the Gulf region remain a viable market for future fighter sales. While some Gulf states – effectively Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates – have made significant moves in recent years to indigenise defence production, in the aerospace sector these efforts have […]

Military commanders have always been concerned about supplying their forces on the ground. Determining stock levels, providing, distributing, and replenishing constitute the supply function. This article focuses on combat supply operations in a NATO environment from a French perspective. Supplying armies in the field has always been a concern for military leaders – supplies include […]

On 9 August 2022, the Biden administration signed the CHIPS and Science Act into law. The act was intended to boost semiconductor manufacturing in the US, decreasing its reliance on foreign suppliers. Since then, the global competition for semiconductor production and the supply of rare earth metals has only heated up. During President Xi Jin […]

The task of building and breaching battlefield obstacles has come sharply back into the spotlight following Ukraine’s difficulties breaking through Russian lines during their summer 2023 counter-offensive. It therefore bears examining Russia’s approach to defensive fighting, as well as the particular difficulties faced by Ukraine in overcoming the many obstacles in their path. Russia’s defences […]

The ongoing conflict in Ukraine has very clearly demonstrated the continued importance of artillery – both tube and rocket – on the modern battlefield. It has also supplied real world data on what artillery can achieve today and what it needs to achieve to meet the conditions expected in the conflicts of tomorrow. Developers of […]

The capture of Avdiivka on 17 February 2024 marked a tactical and symbolic victory for Russia. Yet far more significant than the capture of the town itself was that the offensive heralded the deeply troubling trend of the return of Russian air power. As this column warned back in ESD’s January edition (see ‘Breaking the […]

The British Royal Navy is in the middle of a significant programme of fleet renewal. Two major projects are currently underway that will ultimately see the commissioning of eight Type 26 anti-submarine warfare and five Type 31 general purpose frigates. Together, they will replace over two thirds of the navy’s major surface combatants. Responsible for […]

The NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) is NATO’s lead organisation for multinational acquisition, support, and sustainment. We strive to obtain the best capabilities across all military domains at the best value – for NATO and Allied Nations – generating economies of scale while leveraging emerging and advanced technology. The Agency also provides equipment and […]