Pakistan and Afghanistan exchanged cross-border attacks overnight in a dramatic escalation of tensions that led Pakistan’s defense minister to say on Friday that the two countries are in a state of “open war.”
Afghanistan launched a cross-border attack on Pakistan late Thursday, saying it was in retaliation for deadly Pakistani airstrikes on Afghan border areas Sunday. Pakistan then carried…
PARIS — Europe will likely need until the early 2030s to develop some of the critical defense enablers needed to deter or defeat Russia without the United States, according to security researchers and experts surveyed by Defense News.
Establishing robust air and missile…
US soldiers earn French medal for 2023 Iraq rescue
February 27, 2026
Heavy rotor blades cut through the Iraqi night as American aviators raced towards a firefight unfolding below.
In August 2023, French special operations forces had come under attack from Islamic State militants near Hawija and a New York Army National Guard crew was sent to…
Once-reluctant Germany goes big on one-way attack drones
February 27, 2026
COLOGNE, Germany — The German government plans to equip its military forces with one-way attack drones, setting up three domestic manufacturers for deals that could reach billions of euros.
Lawmakers on the parliamentary budget committee on Feb. 25 approved contracts worth €268 million ($316 million) each for startups Stark Defence and Helsing to supply the Virtus and HX-2 loitering munitions…
Leonardo to set up aerostructures joint venture by mid-year
February 27, 2026
ROME — Italian defense giant Leonardo aims to set up its long planned aerostructures joint venture with an unnamed partner by June, CEO Roberto Cingolani has said, promising the new firm will be one of the world’s top three of its kind.
“Our partner is both financial…
US Army revamping its electronic warfare acquisition system
February 26, 2026
As the U.S. Army embarks on a massive reorganization of its acquisition agencies, it’s also changing the ways it acquires electronic warfare and signals intelligence systems.
The problem is that “the Army lacks the ability to sense, locate, attack, and protect” across…
FORT STEWART, Ga. — Spc. Lathan Thomley enlisted in the Army to become a cavalry scout. Now, he spends hours practicing on a laptop simulator before piloting drones over Fort Stewart’s training area.
Thomley is part of 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team’s Transformation in Contact initiative, or TIC, where junior soldiers on the ground are at the forefront of experimenting with new drone…
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A Ukrainian delegation will meet with U.S. President Donald Trump’s envoys in the run-up to another round of trilateral talks with Russia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Wednesday.
Rustem Umerov, secretary of Ukraine’s National…
Iranians worry over American military buildup as last-chance round of talks with US nears
February 25, 2026
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — As the United States assembles its greatest military firepower in decades in the Middle East, Iranians are warily awaiting the next round of talks with the U.S. in Geneva this week — negotiations that many see as a last chance for their…
Russia’s defense-spending surge tapers off in 2025, analysts find
February 25, 2026
PARIS — Russia’s defense spending in 2025 rose at the slowest pace since the start of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine four years ago, impacted by financial reforms at the Ministry of Defence and a struggling economy in the face of Western sanctions, according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies.
Defense spending by Russia rose by 3% last year in real terms, after a 57% jump…
