DefenseNews

US tells Europe, Canada to boost NATO air and naval forces

BRUSSELS — The U.S. expects European NATO allies and Canada to swiftly increase the number of manned and unmanned aircraft and ships they contribute to the alliance’s defense plans as Washington steps back in these areas, a top U.S. general said on Wednesday. The statement by U.S. Air Force General Alexus Grynkewich, NATO’s top commander and the head of U.S. forces in Europe, followed a…
Read more
DefenseNews

Gulf tensions escalate as Iran hits Kuwait, US strikes near Hormuz

Gulf hostilities flared again on Wednesday as Iranian attacks on Kuwait damaged its airport and injured dozens while the U.S. military carried out strikes near the Strait of Hormuz, with diplomacy to halt the war showing little sign of progress. The attacks are the latest to test a shaky ceasefire, sending oil prices up more than 2%, as the strait remains largely closed more than three months…
Read more
DefenseNews

US, NATO allies to launch scaled-back Baltic Sea drills

ROSTOCK, Germany — The U.S. and NATO allies will launch scaled-back drills in the Baltic Sea this week, as conflicts in other regions draw ships away, though the exercise will still send a message of unity and strength to Russia, a senior German military official said. The annual exercise, held for more than five decades since 1971, brings together some 20 vessels from 15 nations with around…
Read more
DefenseNews

US Navy selects companies for at-sea MUSV prototype testing

May the best Unmanned Surface Vessel win. The U.S. Navy announced Friday that it selected seven companies to compete for the service’s Medium Unmanned Surface Vessel contract. At-sea testing of the vessels is slated to begin next month, with companies whose MUSVs…
DefenseNews

Army vet supports her Navy sister in tough hospital journey

“I went to Japan and I was ready to spend the next 20 years there,” Kayla Saska said, a former sailor describing her first duty station. “I loved it, the people, the culture.” Kayla, a high school athlete who scored well on the military entrance exams, excelled in…
DefenseNews

Poland spends $16.5 billion in EU-backed loans on heavy army weapons

WARSAW, Poland — The Polish Ministry of National Defence has awarded contracts worth around 60 billion zloty ($16.5 billion) to buy infantry fighting vehicles, self-propelled howitzers, military vehicles, and self-propelled wheeled mortars, among other weapons, to a group of local defense companies. The purchases will be bankrolled by the European Union’s Security Action for Europe (SAFE)…
Read more