ROME — Italy has juggled its definition of what constitutes defense spending to beef up its budget by €14 billion ($16.3 billion) this year, but has failed to explain how it did it, one of Italy’s leading economists has complained.
Carlo Cottarelli said that Italy raised its spending, on paper, from around 1.5% of GDP in 2024 to 2% in 2025 “without a clear explanation” of how it did…
ROME — A British government minister has vowed to put an end to the “saga” of dangerous vibrations in the U.K.’s new Ajax armored vehicles, as opposition politicians call for the program to be fixed or scrapped.
Three enquiries are now underway into the noisy…
Proposed defense bill would fund Golden Dome, next-gen fighters
December 9, 2025
Congress’ proposed compromise National Defense Authorization Act would authorize $900.6 billion in discretionary defense spending in fiscal 2026, which would be an $8 billion increase over the Pentagon’s budget request this summer.
The NDAA language, which lawmakers…
CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand — The Australian Army fired an AS9 Huntsman 155mm self-propelled howitzer on home soil for the first time this month, as crews have begun intensive training on the new artillery system before it rolls into service.
The Huntsman will eventually equip the Australian Army’s 3rd Brigade, a formation undergoing a dramatic transformation as a plethora of new equipment is…
The disarming of Hezbollah tests fragile government in Lebanon
December 9, 2025
BEIRUT — One year after Lebanon and Israel signed a ceasefire agreement to end hostilities that had spilled over from Gaza, the Lebanese government is walking a tightrope between disarming Hezbollah and containing local resentment over continued Israeli strikes aimed at…
Autonomous surface vessels to join Pentagon’s global C2 network
December 8, 2025
Autonomous surface vessels will become part of the global command and control network used by the U.S. Navy and other U.S. military services due to a new partnership between HavocAI and SAIC, effectively making the vessels an integrated part of U.S. naval surface power and…
BERLIN — Germany will move to a voluntary conscription model and begin mandatory physical checks for all male citizens coming of age. The country’s parliament approved a draft law to that effect on Friday.
The measure, which is expected to face no serious challenge in the parliament’s Senate-like upper house, is expected to come into force on Jan. 1, 2026.
Under the new legislation, the…
CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand — Once reliant on aging, second-hand vessels from the United States, a steady drumbeat of new warships is beginning to enter Philippine Navy service.
The new capabilities are part of a rapid modernization program there, prompted by aggressive…
Slovenia stalls Patria vehicle purchase amid political wrangling
December 5, 2025
WARSAW, Poland — Slovenia’s government is delaying an envisioned purchase of roughly 100 AMV XP vehicles from Finnish manufacturer Patria during its current term, marking a new twist in the country’s long-running acquisition saga about armored vehicles.
This means…
BERLIN — Germany’s parliamentary budget committee has approved 11 major defense procurement projects worth more than €2.5 billion ($3 billion), bringing the country’s tally on equipment spending for 2025 to over €33 billion across 73 major projects.
The Dec. 3 approval includes a significant expansion of the Bundeswehr’s G95 assault rifle order, additional Joint Strike Missile…
