NATIONAL FORCES
Share
European defence spending jumps as governments respond to prolonged insecurity
Newly published data show global military expenditure reached $2.887 trillion in 2025, with Europe recording a 14 per cent rise as NATO members, Russia and Ukraine continued to expand defence budgets. Global military expenditure rose again in 2025, with Europe…
French-Polish Nuclear Exercises Would Mark Significant Shift in Europe’s Deterrence Debate
France and Poland are moving towards a more explicit form of strategic defence cooperation, with nuclear deterrence now entering discussions that until recently would have remained largely confined to national doctrine and NATO’s established nuclear framework. France and Poland are…
Germany publishes first military strategy as Berlin sets out force-growth and reserve plans
Germany has published a new strategic framework for the Bundeswehr, combining its first military strategy with a force-growth plan, a revised reserve model and an administrative reform agenda, in what Berlin presents as a response to the deteriorating European security…
Denmark confirms SAMP/T NG purchase in first export deal for European air-defence system
Denmark has moved ahead with the SAMP/T NG air-defence system, giving the Franco-Italian programme its first export success and reinforcing a wider European push to strengthen high-end air and missile defence capacity. Denmark has confirmed its move to acquire the…
Keir Starmer Under Fire as Defence Doubts Grow
A senior Labour grandee has delivered one of the most pointed critiques yet of Sir Keir Starmer’s approach to defence, raising not only questions about funding, but about the coherence—and, in some quarters, the competence—of the government’s wider security posture.…
Ankara presses case for inclusion in Europe’s defence projects
Turkey is pressing for a wider role in Europe’s defence architecture as NATO allies reassess capability, industrial resilience and the future balance of responsibility between Europe and the United States. The issue has gained renewed relevance because of Ankara’s position…
France Signals Strategic Shift with €36 Billion Defence Surge
France is preparing a major expansion of its defence posture, unveiling plans to inject an additional €36 billion into its armed forces by the end of the decade. The move, outlined in a revised military programming law, reflects a rapidly…
Germany moves to clarify overseas-travel rules for military-age men
Germany is trying to contain political and public criticism after attention focused on a provision in its updated military service framework requiring men aged 17 to 45 to seek permission before spending more than three months abroad. The issue moved…
Byadmin
Romania’s delayed Watchkeeper X programme moves back into delivery phase
Romania’s troubled Watchkeeper X drone programme has moved back into a delivery phase after months of delay and public pressure from Bucharest, giving the country a badly needed procurement reset on NATO’s eastern flank. The immediate news peg came on…
Sweden Commits $916 Million to Strengthen Air Defence Shield
Sweden is accelerating its military modernisation with a fresh multi-billion-krona investment in air defence, underlining how profoundly Europe’s security landscape has shifted since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Stockholm announced on Thursday that it will procure air defence and anti-drone systems…