President Donald Trump on Wednesday proposed setting U.S. military spending at $1.5 trillion in 2027, citing “troubled and dangerous times.”
Trump called for the massive surge in spending days after he ordered a U.S. military operation to capture Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and spirit him out of the country to face drug trafficking charges in the United States. U.S. forces continue to…
PARIS — British defense firm Babcock plans to develop a containerized launch system for low-cost missiles manufactured by Estonian startup Frankenburg Technologies, with the goal of providing cheap maritime defenses against one-way attack drones.
Babcock and Frankenburg…
Ukraine’s allies praise major progress on defense guarantees
January 8, 2026
PARIS (AP) — Ukraine’s allies said they made major progress Tuesday toward agreeing on how to defend the country if a peace deal is struck with Russia, saying they were ready to provide international guarantees to deter Moscow from attacking its neighbor again.
Plans…
Location, location, location. Greenland’s position above the Arctic Circle makes the world’s largest island a key part of security strategy. But for whom?
Increasing international tensions, global warming and the changing world economy have put Greenland at the heart of the debate over global trade and security, and U.S. President Donald Trump wants to make sure his country controls this…
India boosts Southeast Asia military ties, Indo-Pacific role
January 7, 2026
NEW DELHI — India is tightening military ties with Southeast Asian countries with deals to sell advanced missiles and enhancing security cooperation in a region where several countries are involved in maritime disputes with China in the South China Sea.
Analysts say New…
PARIS — Following the United States capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in a strike over the weekend, and renewed comments by U.S. President Donald Trump claiming Greenland, Defense News asked analysts in Europe and elsewhere to comment on the impact on the…
Thailand’s tilt toward China tests treaty alliance with US
January 6, 2026
BANGKOK — On paper, the U.S. security alliance with Thailand is one of the strongest in Asia, dating back seven decades and backed up by military exercises each year with thousands of troops from both countries and many others.
Thailand’s drift toward China over the past decade, though, is turning the alliance into more of a paper tiger, some analysts say, with military and strategic…
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Navy is exploring ways to monitor subsea cables as part of larger efforts to protect underwater infrastructure from sabotage and spying.
Numerous submarine cables crisscross the Philippines’ underwater domain, including cables that…
COLOGNE, Germany — As European governments grapple to understand the implications of a proclaimed U.S. takeover of Venezuela over the weekend, renewed fears here swirl around President Donald Trump’s threats to make the Danish territory of Greenland part of the United…
Venezuela’s Maduro never escaped his predecessor’s shadow
January 5, 2026
Nicolás Maduro, who rose from unionized bus driver to Venezuelan president and oversaw his country’s democratic undoing and economic collapse, was captured Saturday during an attack by U.S. forces on his capital.
U.S. President Donald Trump, in an early morning social media post, announced Maduro’s capture. Venezuela’s vice president, Delcy Rodríguez, later announced that the whereabouts…
