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Romania confirms planned reduction of US troops on NATO’s eastern flank
Romania’s Ministry of National Defence (MApN) has confirmed that the United States will reduce part of its military presence in Europe, including elements assigned to Romania’s Mihail Kogălniceanu Air Base. The ministry said Bucharest and allied capitals had been informed…
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…
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,…
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…
Estonia open to UK nuclear-capable jets as NATO weighs response to Russian airspace breach
Estonia has signalled it is prepared to host British fighter jets capable of carrying nuclear weapons, as NATO members consider their rules of engagement following the breach of Estonian airspace by Russian aircraft last week. Defence minister Hanno Pevkur said…
Polish media: F-16 missile likely damaged house during drone incursion
A house damaged during Russia’s mass drone incursion into Polish airspace on 10 September was likely struck by a malfunctioning air-to-air missile fired from a Polish F-16, rather than by a falling drone, according to a report by the daily…
India sends 65 troops to Russian–Belarusian ‘Zapad-2025’ drills as tariffs row with Washington reshapes regional alignments
India has deployed a 65-strong contingent to Russia’s Mulino training ground for the multilateral military exercise “Zapad-2025”, marking New Delhi’s first participation in the Russian–Belarusian war games and signalling continued defence ties with Moscow amid heightened trade tensions with the…
Trump’s Belarus overture risks confusing NATO at a fraught moment
U.S. military officers’ surprise appearance at Zapad-2025 in Belarus has jarred allies already managing drone incursions and a large Russian–Belarusian drill on NATO’s doorstep. The visit may have been designed as observation under OSCE rules, but its timing and optics…
Poland’s Sikorski questions value of “security guarantees” for Ukraine, urges focus on funding and arms
Poland’s foreign minister, Radosław Sikorski, has questioned the usefulness of proposed “security guarantees” for Ukraine, arguing that such pledges would lack credibility without states willing to fight Russia if deterrence failed. Speaking at the Yalta European Strategy (YES) annual meeting…