Daily News Roundup

Estonia erects first of 600-strong Baltic bunker wall on Russia border

The timeline for completion remains uncertain amid procurement and coordination snags.

Belgium doubles down on drone defenses following mystery flights

The ramp-up is part of the country’s €50 million ($59 million) anti-drone plan in the wake of a recent surge in illegal drone overflights.

House passes defense policy bill that pushes boat strike video release

The NDAA would withhold 25% of Defense Sec. Pete Hegseth's travel budget until he sends lawmakers videos of controversial strikes on alleged drug boats.

Croatia buys German Leopard tanks using EU loans

Deliveries of the tanks to the Croatian land forces are to take place between 2028 and 2030.

Trump-Erdogan ties are propelling F-35 talks with once-banned partner

During Donald Trump’s first term, the U.S. removed NATO ally Turkey from the fighter program after Turkey purchased an air defense system from Russia.

US Air Force instructor pilots have first T-7 in training milestone

Now that Air Education and Training Command has its first T-7, the 99th Flying Training Squadron's instructor pilots will start getting familiar with it.

Bangladesh signs up for Eurofighters in first pick of Western warplane

Earlier this year, a group from the Bangladesh Air Force visited Leonardo’s facility in Turin, Italy, to test-fly the Eurofighter.

Kongsberg, Helsing team up for European satellite-intel constellation

The cooperation will include setting up local satellite production in Germany to create “a self-reliant European defense capability,” the companies said.

In Estonia, Europe’s last road through Russia has closed for good

Across the snowy and muddy forests of eastern Estonia, NATO and Russia are locked in a staring match.

US Air Force wants AI to power high-speed wargaming

The Air Force wants a cloud-based, AI-powered “digital sandbox” as a hub to generate and run wargames at speeds of up 10,000 times faster than real time.

Pentagon taps Google Gemini, launches new site to boost AI use

Hegseth said the U.S. must stay ahead of adversaries who are working to take advantage of rapid technology advancements, like the development of AI.

Italy’s sudden defense-spending uptick lacks details, economist finds

NATO is satisfied with Rome's proclaimed budget boost in line with alliance targets, despite questions over the internal mathematics.

The British Army’s faulty Ajax vehicles come back to rattle Parliament

The armored vehicles had been declared fully functioning after nine years of delays to the $8 billion program and repeated problems with vibrations.

US Navy wants new railroad car to transport unarmed ballistic missiles

Existing railcars are almost 50 years old and will soon be retired. But the Navy still has a need to transport Active Inert Missiles.

Proposed defense bill would fund Golden Dome, next-gen fighters

The proposed NDAA would authorize $900.6 billion in discretionary defense spending in fiscal 2026, an $8 billion increase over DOD's budget request.

Opinion

Don’t let Trump let Putin miscalculate on Europe

Taken together, Trump’s policies towards Europe have an isolationist flavor with lack of clarity about U.S. commitments