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The 48-Hour Problem: NATO’s Response Under Pressure in a Baltic Drill
In the days leading up to the Munich Security Conference on 13–15 February 2026, European media carried a run of scenario-based reporting on how a future security shock might unfold on NATO’s eastern flank. Several of the most widely circulated…
Munich: Rubio Reminds the West That Confidence, Not Apology, Keeps the Peace
The Munich Security Conference has long been a gathering devoted to reassurance. Diplomats reassure allies, allies reassure one another, and collectively the West reassures itself that stability can be preserved largely by good intentions and the careful management of tensions.…
New START expiry puts nuclear limits back on agenda as Washington and Moscow reopen channels
The expiry of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) this week has returned nuclear arms control to the centre of US–Russia diplomacy, as officials in Washington and Moscow explore whether any form of restraint can be preserved after…
US to host hemispheric defence chiefs meeting Feb 11
The United States will host chiefs of defence and senior military representatives from 34 Western Hemisphere nations on 11 February for what the Pentagon has described as the inaugural Western Hemisphere Chiefs of Defence Conference. The meeting will be chaired…
US defence strategy shifts focus to homeland and Indo-Pacific, with reduced support for allies
The Pentagon has published its National Defense Strategy (NDS) for 2026, setting out a shift in priorities that places homeland defence and the Indo-Pacific at the centre of US military planning, while signalling that allies in Europe and other regions…
Trump cools tariff threat after NATO talks on Greenland, but terms remain unclear
Donald Trump has stepped back from a threat to impose new tariffs on several European countries after meeting NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte at the World Economic Forum in Davos, in what the US president described as a “framework” for…
Ukraine prepares foreign-investment screening for defence sector amid Fire Point deal reports
Ukraine is drafting legislation to screen foreign investment in strategic sectors, including the defence-industrial complex, as the government seeks to attract capital for weapons production while increasing oversight of who takes stakes in sensitive assets. Hanna Hvozdyar, a deputy minister…
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…
Neutral, Rich, and Defenceless: Switzerland’s Strategic Failure
In the cloistered corridors of Switzerland’s defence circles, a blunt admission this weekend by the outgoing head of the armed forces should have echoed far beyond the country’s mountains and lakes. Lieutenant-General Thomas Süssli — a soldier accustomed to discretion…