The U.S. Senate has allocated $7.1 billion to finance a the Compacts of Free Association (Cofa) — an agreement that provides the US with exclusive military access to Palau, the Marshall Islands and Micronesia in exchange for economic support for a period of 20 years. The Financial Times newspaper reported on the Senate's decision. The…
The EU Presents First Ever Defence Industrial Strategy
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell presented the first-ever European Defence Industrial Strategy. The strategy is designed to strengthen the European defense industry in modern realities. During the presentation, Borrell noted that the member states of the European Union (EU) have increased defense production by 50% since 2022. According to Borrel, the sharp increase in the…
Global defence orders keep growing
The number of orders from the world's largest defenсe companies is close to a record high after an increase of 10% over the past two years amid an aggravation of the geopolitical situation. This is reported by the Financial Times (FT). The FT reports that the combined order backlogs of the 15 largest arms…
The NATO military budget for 2024 increases by 12%
The North Atlantic Council announced an increase in the civil and military budgets. Thus, the civil budget will amount to €438.1 million, while the military budget is set at €2.03 billion. These amounts are 18.2% and 12% higher than the budgets for the current year. The alliance's press release says that the NATO common…
Japan will not adjust defense purchases due to the weak yen
During a meeting of the budget commission in the upper house of parliament Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida stated that the country's authorities do not intend to make adjustments to plans to increase defense purchases due to the weakening of the yen. Kishida stated that the sum of 43.5 trillion yen approved by the…
Germany to expand the geography of arms supplies
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius announced the country's intentions to support allies in the Indo-Pacific region and increase the presence and supply of weapons to the countries of the region. At the same time, the head of the German defense ministry assured that Germany is not seeking to establish itself as a military power there.…
SIPRI: Multilateral peace operations in 2022
According to data collected by Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, the number of multilateral peace operations conducted in 2022 reached 64. They were held in 38 countries/territories around the world. This was more operations than were conducted in any year during the past decade. As in previous years, the UN led the largest number of…
The EU updates its PESCO security programs
The Council of the EU has adopted the fifth wave of collaborative projects within the framework of the Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO). In total there are 11 new projects with 15 Member states participating. The projects cover six military domains and include critical capabilities. The updated list of projects under PESCO now stands at 68.…
SIPRI: World’s military expenditure reaches a new record
Analysts from SIPRI presented a report, saying that the world’s military expenditure in 2022 increased by 3.7% and reached $2240 billion, which is a historical record. These figures turned out to be a result of the largest and the most intensive increase in military spending in Europe in the last 30 years. However, the leaders…
Nordic Nations Agree to Jointly Operate Fighter Jet Fleet
Nordic states are taking steps to deepen cooperation to protect regional airspace. An initiative to create joint fighter jet fleet of 250 aircraft is being discussed against the background of persisting tension in the region, caused by the armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine, which poses threat to security of Scandinavian countries. Measures to deepen…