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UK tightens ties with Baku and Yerevan as Defence Minister’s visit signals new era in South Caucasus
In a move that underlines the United Kingdom’s renewed strategic interest in the South Caucasus, Defence Minister Lord Vernon Coaker has completed a landmark visit to Azerbaijan and Armenia this week — a tour that officials say will “boost regional…
From Talk to Action: UK and Japan Advance Defence Pact
The sight of British and Japanese soldiers exercising shoulder-to-shoulder will strike many observers as one of the quietly encouraging defence stories of the year. At a moment when the global security picture is far from reassuring, the partnership taking shape…
Delayed, Underfunded and Unprepared: Whitehall’s Failure to Protect Britain’s Lifelines at Sea
For all the heat generated by the unveiling of Atlantic Bastion this month, one can’t escape the uncomfortable question: why has it taken so long — and why did Whitehall allow the UK’s under-sea vulnerability to fester so dangerously before…
UK steps up ‘Atlantic Bastion’ drive to shield seabed infrastructure from Russia
The United Kingdom is accelerating work on a new undersea defence network, codenamed ‘Atlantic Bastion’, in response to increased Russian activity around critical subsea infrastructure, including the recent presence of the Russian intelligence-gathering vessel Yantar near British waters. The programme…
Île Longue: Europe’s Nuclear Deterrent Shaken as Drones Breach Top-Secret French Sub Base — and Brussels Stares On
As if we needed to be reminded of the vulnerabilities that now haunt Europe’s strategic military infrastructure, five unidentified drones flew over the Île Longue submarine base on the night of 4–5th December, prompting French marines to open fire. The…
What the President of Finland keeps silent about and what Ukraine must shout about
Western faith in multilateralism and “value-based realism” conceals a deeper strategic crisis, Hanna Hopko argues, as Ukraine and other “in-between” states become the decisive battleground in an emerging global confrontation. Finnish President Alexander Stubb wrote an article for Foreign Affairs…
“We Do Not Give Up Our Territory”: Syrskyi Sets Red Lines for Any Peace Deal
Ukraine’s Commander-in-Chief, General Oleksandr Syrskyi, has given a detailed account of the current state of the war with Russia, describing a critical battle around Pokrovsk, a transformed battlefield dominated by drones, and a strategic reliance on deep strikes inside Russia…
Danger on the edge of the Pacific: Tokyo protests after Chinese fighter jets lock radar on Japanese fighters
In a sharp escalation of regional tensions, Tokyo has formally protested after People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) fighter jets allegedly directed fire-control radar at aircraft of Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) in two “dangerous” incidents near the southern island of…
Pentagon Sets 2027 Deadline for Europe to Lead NATO’s Conventional Defence
The United States has privately told European NATO allies that it expects them to assume the bulk of the Alliance’s conventional defence in Europe by 2027 and is prepared to step back from key planning roles if that does not…
India’s Lease of Russian Nuclear Submarine Bratsk: Modernisation, Missiles and Sanctions Risk
India is expected to receive a leased Russian nuclear-powered attack submarine, K-391 Bratsk, in 2028 under a contract first agreed in 2019 and now formally acknowledged in Moscow. The 36-year-old Project 971 “Shchuka-B” (NATO: Akula-class) boat is to serve with…