


Europe’s defence industry is often accused of being cautious to the point of paralysis. In the race to deploy next-generation laser weapons, that instinct may now prove actively dangerous. The decision by Australia’s Electro Optic Systems (EOS) to pivot decisively…

There are bad ideas in politics, and then there are ideas so recklessly self-defeating that one wonders whether national interest has been deliberately left out of the room. The UK’s current Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s proposed handover of the Chagos…

The UK government has launched a targeted £20 million initiative designed to unearth and accelerate the country’s next “defence unicorn”. Announced this week by Defence Secretary John Healey, the fund is tailored to fast-track small, innovative British firms into the Ministry…

In Washington’s corridors of power, where rhetoric often alternates between bravado and caution, the announcement this week of a multi-day aerial military exercise in the Middle East has been portrayed by the Pentagon as a routine demonstration of readiness. Yet…

Latvia’s Constitution Protection Bureau (Satversmes aizsardzības birojs, SAB) has warned that Russia is beginning to regard Latvia as it regarded Ukraine before the invasion, even though the service assesses that Moscow does not pose a direct military threat to Latvia.…

Estonia is poised to select a long-range missile defence system by the end of March 2026, a move that marks a major enhancement of its deterrent posture amid rising regional tensions. The decision, which follows years of sustained investment in…

The United States has moved additional naval and air assets towards the Middle East as the White House weighs its options over Iran, where the authorities face a widening domestic challenge and mounting international scrutiny over the handling of nationwide…

China’s Defence Ministry has said it is investigating General Zhang Youxia, one of the People’s Liberation Army’s most senior officers and a vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission, for “serious violations of discipline and law”. General Liu Zhenli, the chief…

When Indonesia’s first Rafale fighter jets touched down at Roesmin Nurjadin Air Base this month, the moment carried significance far beyond Southeast Asia. Three French-built aircraft arriving on the tarmac in Sumatra may appear, at first glance, to be a…

Europe’s military recruitment landscape is in flux. In the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and rising geopolitical tensions worldwide, European states have sought to expand and modernise their armed forces. Despite significant increases in defence spending and…