Rudy Ruitenberg
Rudy Ruitenberg is a Europe correspondent for Defense News. He started his career at Bloomberg News and has experience reporting on technology, commodity markets and politics.
All Stories By Rudy
France to test its own AI-powered battlefield command in June NATO exercise
The French Army has developed its own large-language model for staff officers, called Berthier, named after Napoleon’s chief of staff.
At a NATO range in Latvia, hits and misses mark Europe’s counter-drone journey
Drone technology is “a couple of steps ahead” of countermeasures, one officer said, with interceptors having to work every time to prevent losses.
France restricts Israeli presence at Europe’s biggest defense show
The restrictions come amid strained relations between Paris and Jerusalem over Israel’s military operations in Lebanon.
Ukraine would gain advantage over Russian glide bombs with Gripen-Meteor combo
Moscow has been launching record numbers of glide bombs in 2026, according to the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence, grinding down frontline positions.
At French Army FPV competition, NATO soldiers race drones and swap tips
“When I put on the mask, I no longer exist in this reality,” Chief Cpl. Clément said after completing the course.
Latvia sends mobile intercept units to Russian border in wake of drone incursions
“The force teams we plan to deploy to the border in the coming days will be equipped with local interceptor drones,” a Latvian military official said.
Peacekeeping troop numbers fall to lowest in at least 25 years, SIPRI says
The U.S. took “significant action” in 2025 to withdraw from, defund or challenge various UN bodies, think tank analysts wrote in the report.
NATO eastern deterrence strategy takes shape around ‘autonomous zone’
“What we see in Ukraine, no vehicle movements are in the gray zone at all,” one Latvian commander said. “Any movement is destroyed.”
