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STRATCOM’s ‘Global Thunder 26’ nuclear command-and-control drill under way
U.S. Strategic Command (STRATCOM) has begun its annual nuclear command-and-control exercise, Global Thunder, with this year’s iteration—Global Thunder 26—having commenced on 21 October 2025. The long-planned drill tests the procedures, communications links and decision-making that underpin U.S. nuclear deterrence, and…
Russian Su-30 and Il-78 briefly enter Lithuanian airspace; NATO jets scrambled
Two Russian military aircraft briefly violated Lithuanian airspace on Thursday evening, prompting a rapid response from NATO’s Baltic Air Policing mission, the Lithuanian Armed Forces said. The incursion occurred at about 18:00 local time on 23 October near the town…
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Sweden Plans Ukraine Jet Deal
Sweden, long admired for its cautious diplomacy and understated pragmatism, is now moving decisively onto the European security stage. Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson confirmed on Wednesday that Sweden is in talks to sell between 100 and 150 Saab-made JAS Gripen…
Sweden Stakes Its Air Power on Saab’s Next-Generation Fighter
Sweden has made a clear statement about its strategic priorities, awarding Saab a SEK 2.6 billion (£193 million) contract to advance research into a next-generation fighter aircraft. The deal, announced on 14th October by the Defence Materiel Administration (FMV), runs…
NATO launches annual ‘Steadfast Noon’ nuclear-deterrence drill
NATO on Monday, 13 October, opened its annual nuclear-deterrence exercise, Steadfast Noon 2025, a two-week training activity hosted by the Netherlands and conducted largely over the North Sea. The Alliance said the exercise is routine, long-planned and unrelated to current…
NATO to launch annual ‘Steadfast Noon’ nuclear deterrence exercise on 13 October
NATO will begin its annual nuclear deterrence exercise, Steadfast Noon, on Monday, 13 October, the Alliance’s Secretary General Mark Rutte confirmed on Friday, 10 October. He said the drills are designed to ensure that NATO’s nuclear forces remain “credible, safe,…
Germany’s Fighter Jet Spree Is a Wake-Up Call for Europe’s Complacent Defence
For years, Germany has been Europe’s strategic sleepwalker — wealthy, influential, but militarily timid. That era may finally be drawing to a close. Berlin’s decision to approve an €8 billion defence spending package, centred on 20 new Eurofighter jets, is…
Hungarian Gripens intercept five Russian aircraft near Latvian airspace
NATO’s Allied Air Command said two Hungarian JAS-39 Gripen fighters scrambled from Šiauliai Air Base, Lithuania, on 25 September to intercept five Russian military aircraft flying over the Baltic Sea close to Latvian airspace. The aircraft identified were a Su-30,…
NATO weighs rules of engagement after Russian sorties near Alaska and over Estonia
U.S. and Canadian aircraft were scrambled overnight on 24–25 September after radar tracked two Russian Tu-95 bombers accompanied by two Su-35 fighters operating inside the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ). North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) said the aircraft…
Poland moves to let its forces shoot down Russian drones over Ukraine without NATO sign-off
Poland is advancing legislative changes that would allow its armed forces to intercept Russian drones and missiles over Ukrainian territory without prior approval from NATO or the European Union. The proposal, first drafted by the Ministry of National Defence in…