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Europe’s gunpowder bottleneck: how cotton supply chains became a defence issue
Europe’s drive to expand artillery production has exposed a constraint that sits well upstream of the factory floor: access to nitrocellulose, the key chemical used in modern propellants. Nitrocellulose is produced by nitrating cellulose, and in the defence sector it…
March launch for EU SAFE defence lending, with early tranche planned
The European Union is preparing to make the first payments under its Security Action for Europe (SAFE) defence loans in March 2026, in what officials describe as an attempt to accelerate joint procurement and address shortages in key military capabilities.…
After the Paris Declaration: Can Europe Deploy Troops in Ukraine?
Europe’s discussion of a multinational military presence in Ukraine has intensified after a meeting of the Coalition of the Willing in Paris on 6 January produced a “Paris Declaration” on security guarantees for Ukraine. Issued by France, the declaration sketches…
A missile message to Europe: what Russia’s Oreshnik strike was meant to signal
For a second time in a little over a year, Russia has used its Oreshnik missile against Ukraine, and for a second time the political message has been louder than the physical results. The latest launch was recorded overnight on…
Small Missile, Serious Message: How Babcock Plans to Beat the Drone Swarm
In an era when the drone has become both sword and scourge on modern battlefields, a new pact between British defence stalwart Babcock and a nimble Estonian start-up could mark a decisive shift in Europe’s maritime air-defence posture. The memorandum…
How France’s SCORPION Vehicles Are Being Transformed to Fight the Drone Menace
In the evolving theatre of modern war, one threat has proven both ubiquitous and vexing: the small, agile drone. From the deserts of the Middle East to the plains of Eastern Europe, unmanned aerial systems (UAS) have become indispensable to…
Europe’s Defence Illusion: “Readiness 2030” Will Not Deter Anyone
On paper, Readiness 2030 is the European Union’s bold answer to a deteriorating global security landscape. The initiative, quietly rebranded from its bluntly honest predecessor, ReArm Europe, promises to channel as much as €800 billion into defence spending through loans,…
Latvia Acts Swiftly as Baltic Cable Damage Tests Europe’s Resolve
When news broke that an optical fibre cable beneath the Baltic Sea had been damaged off Latvia’s coast, the reaction in Riga was swift, measured and — crucially — decisive. In an age when hesitation can invite speculation and ambiguity…
U.S.A.F. Strategic Airlift Delivers Special Forces to UK Air Bases
According to flight tracking data and aerospace observers, a cluster of U.S. Air Force strategic airlift flights has been arriving at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire and RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk. These are not the routine rotations of personnel and materiel…
Germany’s Ukraine Drone Factory Changes the Rules
Germany’s decision to host a production line for Ukrainian military drones may look, at first glance, like a technical footnote in a long and grinding war. In truth, it marks something more consequential: a subtle but unmistakable recalibration of how…