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…
MILAN — The prospect of a conflict in the Arctic is rising, Denmark’s Arctic commander has warned, with the expectation of Russia turning its attention to the High North if and when the Ukraine war ends.
“My expectation is that when the war in Ukraine is over, Russia…
The Pentagon’s watchdog found that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth put U.S. personnel and their mission at risk when he used the Signal messaging app to convey sensitive information about a military strike against Houthi militants in Yemen, two people familiar with the…
PARIS — Military units will start using drone swarms within the next two years as the underlying technology matures, according to the colonel in charge of exploring new defense technology and tactics for the French Army, as well as the Thales executive in charge of drone warfare.
“Within two years, we’ll indeed have real use cases deployed in certain units, and widespread adoption will…
MILAN — Canada has become the first non-EU country to join the bloc’s flagship rearmament program, Security Action for Europe (SAFE), whose funds could support Ottawa’s fighter jet and submarine procurement.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced this week that…
The U.S. Marine Corps activated three new companies last month as part of the service’s Force Design 2030 recalibration toward agile logistics across the contested island chains of the Indo-Pacific.
Combat Logistics Battalion 4 officially stood up its Headquarters, Alpha…
Moving between damp basements and muddy dugouts to fend off constant Russian attacks in the nearly 4-year-old war, exhausted Ukrainian soldiers say their motivation is fortified by knowing they’re fighting for higher cause: the defense of their homeland.
But as negotiators try to hammer out a peace deal, the troops also believe that Russia remains determined to conquer Ukraine — either now, or…
