Defense

Japan’s Cabinet on Friday approved a record defense budget plan exceeding 9 trillion yen ($58 billion) for the coming year, aiming to fortify its strike-back capability and coastal defense with cruise missiles and unmanned arsenals as tensions rise in the region. The draft budget for fiscal 2026, beginning April, is up 9.4% from 2025 and marks the fourth year of Japan’s ongoing five-year…

Maj. Gen. Jonas Wikman has served as commander of the Swedish Air Force since December 2022, overseeing a major modernization program for new combat capabilities while shaping the country’s new NATO membership. He leads more than 2,700 military personnel and a growing fleet of Gripen fighter jets, with a goal to operate 120 in total in the long-term, mixing older C/D models with new E variants.

MONTREAL — Sweden will soon have the capability to conduct deep strikes far behind enemy lines, as the Gripen will be integrated with the German-made Taurus cruise missile earlier than planned, the Swedish air chief said. “We have reprioritized and done work to ensure that our industry, FMV, and the Air Force’s work on this overlaps as much as possible, resulting in the original timeline…

BERLIN — Ukrainian, European and U.S. negotiators have wrapped up two days of talks here with what officials describe as the most substantial movement yet toward a political framework to end Russia’s full‑scale invasion, even as core territorial questions remain unresolved. Meanwhile, Ukraine on Tuesday predicted the total costs for its defense at $120 billion for 2026, of which half would…