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Europe’s Defence Illusion: “Readiness 2030” Will Not Deter Anyone
On paper, Readiness 2030 is the European Union’s bold answer to a deteriorating global security landscape. The initiative, quietly rebranded from its bluntly honest predecessor, ReArm Europe, promises to channel as much as €800 billion into defence spending through loans,…
Latvia Acts Swiftly as Baltic Cable Damage Tests Europe’s Resolve
When news broke that an optical fibre cable beneath the Baltic Sea had been damaged off Latvia’s coast, the reaction in Riga was swift, measured and — crucially — decisive. In an age when hesitation can invite speculation and ambiguity…
After the raid: Washington has seized Maduro, but not Venezuela
The United States has removed Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro in a single night of air strikes and a Special Forces raid. The harder question is what, precisely, Washington thinks it has taken control of. Mr Maduro and his wife, Cilia…
U.S.A.F. Strategic Airlift Delivers Special Forces to UK Air Bases
According to flight tracking data and aerospace observers, a cluster of U.S. Air Force strategic airlift flights has been arriving at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire and RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk. These are not the routine rotations of personnel and materiel…
Anglo-French Air Strike Delivers Major Blow to ISIS
British and French forces have successfully carried out a precision air strike against a significant Islamic State (ISIS) arms depot in northern Syria, officials say. The operation, undertaken on Saturday night, marks a noteworthy advance in the continuing campaign against…
Germany’s Ukraine Drone Factory Changes the Rules
Germany’s decision to host a production line for Ukrainian military drones may look, at first glance, like a technical footnote in a long and grinding war. In truth, it marks something more consequential: a subtle but unmistakable recalibration of how…
UAE interest in a Ukrainian defence firm Fire Point: opportunities and risks
Media reports say the UAE defence conglomerate EDGE is in talks to take a minority stake in Fire Point, a Ukrainian manufacturer linked to long-range strike drones and the FP-5 “Flamingo” cruise missile. The coverage describes a proposed acquisition of…
Japan Steps Forward as a Pillar of Pacific Security
For much of the post-war era, Japan defined itself by restraint. Its pacifist constitution, born of defeat and devastation, shaped a national identity rooted in economic strength rather than military power. Yet as we move into 2026, Japan is quietly…
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian Declares Full-Fledged War Against U.S., Israel, Europe
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has declared that the Islamic Republic is in a “full-fledged” or “total” war with the United States, Israel and European powers, framing a complex pattern of military, economic and political pressures as an existential struggle for…
Tactical radars for small drones: the “Valdai” claim and Western alternatives
Small unmanned aerial systems have turned low-altitude air defence into a detection problem as much as an interception problem. Quadcopters and lightweight fixed-wing drones can fly slowly, hover, and exploit clutter from terrain, buildings and vegetation. Their radar cross-section is…