Europe
Steadfast Duel 26 ends: NATO command exercise has Estonia rehearsing its own war plan
NATO's Steadfast Duel 26 command post exercise ended on 15 October with all 32 allies taking part. Estonia says it…
Desk
Europe
News from the European Union, NATO and European capitals on security, defense and politics.
Europe
Challenger 3: 2,000 kilometres and more than 200 rounds fired in trials – a new, tougher phase from November
Britain’s new Challenger 3 main battle tank has covered 2,000 kilometres in trials and fired more than 200 rounds from…
Europe
Mitsotakis on Patriots for Ukraine: “Whatever is possible, without undermining Greece’s defence capability”
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis neither confirmed nor ruled out handing Patriot air-defence missiles from Greek stocks to Ukraine, saying Greece…
Defense Industry
Naval Group and Sweden’s Marine Technology Center sign naval research agreement in Stockholm
Naval Group and the Marine Technology Center of Sweden signed a memorandum on 12 October covering communications, autonomous systems, seabed…
Europe
EU-backed Central Asia talks in Ashgabat focus on skills for the Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor
Officials from five Central Asian states met in Ashgabat on 13 and 14 October under the EU-funded DARYA initiative to…
Air Force
France goes it alone on the Rafale’s successor – after the FCAS collapse comes the “ACF”
France will develop the successor to the Rafale at national level after the collapse of the Franco-German-Spanish FCAS programme. The…
Europe
UN Fourth Committee backs Russian-led text saying colonialism persists, 85 to 49, and approves Gibraltar decision 161 to 2
The UN General Assembly’s Fourth Committee approved a Russian-led draft on contemporary colonialism by 85 votes to 49 and a…
Europe
EU tells UN First Committee the NPT is the ‘cornerstone’ of non-proliferation, warns on New START expiry and Russian nuclear rhetoric
Speaking for the EU and its member states, Klemen Polak urged the US and Russia to keep New START limits,…
Europe
Germany’s Bundestag opens debate on a reserve law that ends “double voluntariness” and targets 200,000 reservists by 2033
The Reserve Strengthening Act would let the Bundeswehr require reservists to serve, with a target of at least 200,000 by…
Balkans
European Council calls enlargement a “geostrategic investment” and backs work on Montenegro’s accession treaty
In conclusions adopted in Brussels on 16 October, EU leaders say enlargement is a geostrategic investment, keep the process merit-based…
Europe
Trump calls Ukraine’s refinery strikes a “disgrace”; Zelensky, in Brussels, answers: “Yesterday we had a thousand drones” – and asks the EU for €70 billion and 300 Patriot missiles
Trump said Ukraine’s renewed strikes on Russian refineries only raise oil prices and that Zelensky is harder to deal with…
Europe
Germany approves net-launcher counter-drone systems and new Patriot units to replace those sent to Ukraine
The Bundestag budget committee approved counter-drone net launchers, replacement Patriot fire units and repair containers, and new NH90 radios for…