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IMF puts defence spending and conflict economics at centre of April outlook release
The IMF released analytical chapters on 8 April examining the macroeconomics of defence spending, conflict and recovery, placing security-driven fiscal pressures at the centre of its spring outlook cycle. The International Monetary Fund placed defence spending, conflict and post-war recovery…
Rutte in Washington for Trump meeting as NATO burden-sharing pressure returns
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte is in Washington on 8 April for talks with Donald Trump and senior US officials as pressure builds over burden-sharing, defence spending and the political direction of the alliance. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte is…
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…
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From Cyprus to the Falkland Islands: Britain’s Defence Failures Are Slowly Mounting
The rhetoric coming out of Buenos Aires this past week should not be dismissed as mere posturing. When Javier Milei stands before his nation and reasserts Argentina’s claim to the Falkland Islands—while pledging to rebuild his country’s armed forces and…
Trump’s NATO threat sharpens focus on Europe’s role as Rutte heads to Washington
Donald Trump’s statement that he is considering taking the United States out of NATO has pushed Europe’s burden-sharing debate into a more immediate phase, despite fresh alliance data showing a sharp rise in European and Canadian defence spending. Donald Trump’s…
NATO says European allies and Canada sharply increased defence spending in 2025
NATO’s latest annual report says European allies and Canada increased defence spending by 20 per cent in real terms in 2025, with all 32 allies now at or above the alliance’s long-standing 2 per cent benchmark. European allies and Canada…
NATO weighs eastward fuel pipeline expansion as alliance focuses on logistics shortfalls
A senior NATO official has called for the alliance’s Cold War-era fuel pipeline network to be extended further east, underlining growing concern over whether NATO can sustain large-scale operations on its eastern flank in a future conflict with Russia. NATO…
UK, Finland and the Netherlands explore joint defence financing and procurement mechanism
The United Kingdom, Finland and the Netherlands say they are exploring a new mechanism by 2027 to finance joint defence investment and procurement, in an effort to increase munitions availability, strengthen industrial capacity and improve military interoperability. The United Kingdom,…
European defence build-up gathers pace as missile shields and spending targets move centre stage
Europe’s defence debate is no longer centred on whether to spend more, but on how quickly governments can convert political commitments into deployable capability. Across the continent, missile defence, drone interception, ammunition output and cross-border procurement have moved to the…
The End of Europe’s Peace Dividend
For much of the post-Cold War era, Europe indulged the belief that war had become a distant memory. Defence budgets shrank, arsenals aged, and the continent grew comfortable under the long shadow of American protection. That illusion is now dissolving…