Europe

British military feels out industry for helicopter buy worth over $1 billion

The New Medium Helicopter competition will likely be colored by the question of which company can generate jobs and skills for the country.

Here are the high-end weapons Zelenskyy hopes the new Ukraine aid bill will provide

The Senate has passed a $40 billion aid package for Ukraine that will enable the Biden administration to transfer more advanced, high-end weapons systems in order to counter Russia.

Russia claims its Zadira laser weapon destroyed a drone in Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Wednesday that the claim reflects Moscow’s desire to find an alternative to missiles.

Ukrainian troops training with US electronic jamming kit

The comments Wednesday come roughly two weeks after the Department of Defense announced it would send electronic warfare gear to Eastern Europe as part of a $150 million security assistance package.

Swedish, Finnish NATO bids raise the prospect of a beefier Baltic Sea posture

With Sweden and Finland in NATO, the alliance would be able to recalibrate its force posture in the Baltic Sea to a level capable of evening out the regional deterrence balance with Russia, according to Swedish Defense Minister Peter Hultqvist.

NATO launches AI initiative to ensure tech advantage

NATO defense ministers in October adopted the alliance’s first-ever artificial intelligence strategy, a summary of which described the capability as “changing the global defence and security environment.”

Polish pick MBDA’s Brimstone missile for their new fleet of tank-busting vehicles

Brimstone has been in the news in the last few days after it emerged that Ukrainian troops had been using the British-supplied weapon to destroy Russian armor.

Once neutral Sweden seeks NATO membership in historic shift

Sweden will follow neighboring Finland and apply for NATO membership because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, ending more than 200 years of military nonalignment in the Nordic nation.

Commentary

A prolonged ceasefire may be the likely endgame in Ukraine

Shifting war aims and the prospect of protracted war could lead to a potential dilemma for Ukraine.

Troops sent to bolster NATO begin turnover as US mulls larger footprint in Europe

“The deployments are one-for-one unit replacements, which will leave our overall force posture in the region — approximately 100,000 — unchanged,” the Pentagon's spokesman said.

Turkish drones arouse desire, dispute in Central Asia

One reported deal in the region appears to have stirred political kerfuffle between the Turkish government and two rival Turkic republics.

US poised to bite into Russia’s global defense market share

A senior U.S. State Department official said Thursday that a massive Ukraine aid package ― which contains $4 billion in grants for allies to buy American-made military hardware ― is partly aimed at eroding Russia’s share of the global defense market.

Turkey’s leader opposes letting Finland, Sweden join NATO

The Turkish leader explained his opposition by alleging that Sweden and other Scandinavian countries support Kurdish militants and others whom Turkey considers to be terrorists. He also accused Greece of using the alliance against Turkey.

Here’s what US Army leaders are learning from the Russia-Ukraine war

Counter-drone tech, long-range fires, and translating battlefield intel to high-impact strikes are key areas Army leaders are pulling lessons from.

Finland’s top leaders press for rapid NATO membership

The push can be expected to have an influential impact on Sweden’s own decision-making process regarding NATO membership.

Greece to extend base access deal with US military

The agreement will grant the U.S. military continued access to three bases in mainland Greece along with its naval presence on the island of Crete.

US leads exercise in North Macedonia, NATO’s newest member

Nearly 10,000 soldiers from 19 nations are taking part in NATO’s planned “Swift Response” exercises as Russia’s war in Ukraine continues for a 12th week.

UK defense chief flags iffy weapon stocks for Ukraine war

Britain's defense secretary doesn’t believe Russian leaders view Western weapons support to Ukraine as a game changer in their escalation calculus.

Pentagon pitches law changes to enable US-EU defense cooperation

The push essentially lays the domestic groundwork for Washington to have a hand in the European Union’s emerging capability-development mechanics, though the jury is still out on their effectiveness.

From howitzers to suicide drones: Pentagon seeks right ‘balance’ on training Ukrainians on new arms

As the war in Ukraine drags into its third month, the United States is trying to figure out the best way – and the best pace – to train Ukrainian troops on how to use the Western arms flooding into the besieged nation.

Tanks, missiles and dogs: See what Russia brought to its Victory Day parade

Missiles, tanks and other armored vehicles rumbled over the cobblestones in the annual military parade, and thousands of troops marched in tight formation as President Vladimir Putin watched with other dignitaries.

Ukraine to get a dozen howitzers from Germany and the Netherlands

The decision comes after much hand-wringing in Berlin about the extent of Germany’s military support to Ukraine.

Serbia shows off new Chinese anti-aircraft missile system

ICYMI: We have images from Serbia's recent military drill, including the HQ-22 surface-to-air system.

First LCS deploys to European waters in 6th Fleet

The Florida-based Freedom-variant LCSs have only operated in local waters and in Central and South America until now, two years after an LCS was originally planned to deploy to 6th Fleet for the first time.

French military receives initial batch of new Serval armored vehicles

The upgrades are part of France's multibillion-euro Scorpion program, which aims to field a new set of combat and transport vehicles to the armed forces.