DefenseNews

UK’s Starmer unveils $20 billion defense boost in long-delayed investment plan

LONDON — Prime Minister Keir Starmer pledged on Tuesday to spend an extra £15 billion ($20 billion) to modernize Britain’s depleted armed forces in a long-delayed investment plan that is designed to prepare for the wars of the future and mark his legacy. In what is most likely his last major policy announcement, Starmer said the increased spending over the next four years went further than a…
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DefenseNews

US Army wants up to 100 drone boats to fill watercraft gap in Pacific

As the Army contends with a shortage of ships to carry troops and supplies in the Pacific, it’s pressing contract vessels into service – and looking to a future in which dozens of heavy-duty autonomous watercraft take on a significant portion of the task. The Army’s little-known fleet of watercraft included about 70 Pacific-based vessels in 2024, down from 134 in 2018. According to a…
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DefenseNews

Hegseth announces review of US troops in Europe, scorns some allies

BRUSSELS — U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced a new review of America’s troop deployments in Europe on Thursday and threatened to withhold some U.S. dues to NATO if “free riding” allies did not meet their defense spending commitments. Hegseth, addressing defense ministers at NATO headquarters in Brussels, said the U.S. review would last for up to six months and include…
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DefenseNews

Size matters: KNDS pitches long-barreled artillery for 60-kilometer base range

PARIS — KNDS, the French-German maker of the Leopard tank and the Caesar truck-mounted gun, pitched a new howitzer with a barrel longer than any NATO production artillery, which the company said gives the weapon a range of up to 60 kilometers (37 miles) with standard high-explosive shells. The howitzer uses KNDS Germany’s Artillery Gun Module mounted on a tracked Boxer chassis and fitted with…
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