Archive: News & Articles

French Navy Admiral Pierre Vandier has succeeded General Philippe Lavigne as Supreme Allied Commander Transformation. The change of command took place on 23 September 2024 in Norfolk, Virginia, at a ceremony presided over by Admiral Rob Bauer, Chair of the NATO Military Committee. Adm Vandier is the ninth Supreme Allied Commander Transformation. After joining the […]

A “historic breakthrough in defence trade” between AUKUS defence pact partners the United Kingdom, United States and Australia was announced by the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) on 15 August 2024 following landmark export control changes between the three countries. The reforms “will enable all three nations to work more closely together to develop next-generation […]

Israel has moved closer to being on the brink of multi-theatre conflict following the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in the early hours of 31 July 2024. That Haniyeh was targeted was not unexpected; in the wake of the Hamas-led terrorist attack on Israel 7 October 2023 Israel vowed it would hunt down […]

The US Department of Defense (DoD) announced on 28 July 2024 that, through a phased approach, it plans to convert US Forces Japan into a joint force headquarters that will report to the commander of US Indo-Pacific Command. The news emerged from a two-plus-two ministerial meeting in Tokyo between US Defense Secretary Lloyd J Austin, […]

Maritime security, for a long time a specialised field solely the responsibility of naval forces, is now omnipresent. While the Ever Given or Freemantle Highway accidents were accidents, the warlike events in the Black and Red Seas threaten the entire maritime industry. Maritime security is now an issue all over the world, and not just […]

The United Kingdom’s new prime minister, Keir Starmer, has commissioned a ‘root and branch’ Strategic Defence Review “to make Britain secure at home and strong abroad for decades to come”, according to a 16 July 2024 press release from the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD). Starmer became UK prime minister on 5 July after a […]

As NATO wrapped up its landmark 75th Anniversary Summit, held in Washington, DC, from 9 to 11 July 2024, key takeaway included closer engagement with partner nations in the Indo-Pacific and EU as well as a steadfast resolve to continue supporting Ukraine in its struggle to repel the Russian invasion of the country. On 11 […]

Following discussions ahead of the 9-11 July 2024 NATO summit in Washington, DC, Germany has agreed to accept the presence of conventionally armed long-range US missiles on its territory. A joint statement issued by the two countries on 10 July read as follows: “The United States will begin episodic deployments of the long-range fires capabilities […]

On 9 July 2024, on the eve of the NATO summit in Washington, DC, defence ministers from 24 NATO allies signed a series of ground-breaking multi-national initiatives at the NATO Summit Defence Industry Forum. The Alliance Persistent Surveillance from Space (APSS) programme marks the largest multi-national investment in space-based capabilities in NATO’s history. The APSS […]

NATO released the Secretary General’s annual Climate Change and Security Impact Assessment on 9 July 2024, which noted that accelerating climate change has “a profound impact on Allied security” and stressed the need for NATO to remain fit for purpose in a rapidly changing environment. The assessment, NATO’s third, is part of an ambitious Action […]

The US Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) has concluded that the US Air Force’s (USAF’s) LGM-35A Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) programme, which is intended to replace the air force’s ageing LGM-30 Minuteman III ICBMs, must continue despite its estimated acquisition cost rising by 81% compared to estimates made in September 2020. The […]

Newly appointed UK Defence Secretary John Healey, who took up his position following the landslide Labour victory in the national election on 4 July 2024, lost no time in visiting Odesa on 7 July, pledging to step up the UK’s support for Ukraine. Following a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and discussions with his counterpart, […]

On 26 June 2024 the North Atlantic Council decided to appoint Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte as the next secretary general of NATO, succeeding Jens Stoltenberg. Ambassadors from the alliance’s 32 members took the decision at a meeting at NATO headquarters in Brussels. Rutte will assume his functions as secretary general from 1 October 2024, […]

At the G7 summit at Borgo Egnazia in Italy’s Puglia region, held from 13-15 June and including the attendance of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the G7 leaders vowed to generate around USD 50 billion (EUR 46.7 billion) in additional funding for Ukraine stemming from the immobilisation of Russian sovereign assets. “We are standing in solidarity to […]

The US Biden Administration has quietly given Ukraine permission to use US-supplied long-range weapons to strike targets within Russian territory, US news outlet Politico reported on 30 May 2024. The use of US weapons against Russian territory is caveated by the restriction that they can currently only be used in the Kharkiv area, where Ukraine’s […]

The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) published its updated quarterly service personnel statistics on 30 May 2024, noting that, as at 1 April 2024, the overall strength of UK forces service personnel stood at 183,230: a decline of 5,590 (3%) since 1 April 2023. The figures showed that full-time trained personnel in the UK armed […]

On 15 May 2024 the EU Chiefs of Staff selected Lieutenant General Seán Clancy, Chief of Staff of the Irish Defence Forces, to succeed the current chairman of the EU Military Committee, Austrian General Robert Brieger. The Irish Air Corps general is expected to take office on 1 June 2025, subject to his appointment being […]

Ottawa-based products and services company Calian Group has renewed a contract worth CAD 10 million (EUR 6.8 million) to provide military training support services for the Canadian Defence Academy (CDA) and Military Personnel Generation Group (MPGG), the company announced on 7 May 2024. Under the contract Calian will deliver comprehensive academic and developmental support, clerical […]

The US Senate passed a long-delayed military aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan on 23 April 2024 that includes USD 60.8 billion (EUR 57 billion) to support Ukraine in its two-year-old battle to repel Russia’s invasion of the country. The Senate vote, which received wide bipartisan support and was passed by 79 votes to […]

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced on 23 April 2024 that the UK will increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2030 in what is being billed as the ‘biggest strengthening of [UK] national defence in a generation’. The move, at the very least, is a solid advance from the UK government’s previous aspiration […]

Polish President Andrzej Duda announced on 22 April 2024 that his country is prepared to host nuclear weapons on its territory if NATO decides to reinforce its strategic forces in Eastern Europe. “Russia is increasingly militarising the Königsberg oblast [Kaliningrad]. Recently, it has been relocating its nuclear weapons to Belarus,” Duda stated in an interview […]