The European Defense Agency has commenced the second phase of its Hybrid Drive Train Demonstrator program. The organization held a kickoff meeting with representatives from participating nations such as Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Poland. The HybriDT program aims to design wheeled and tracked demonstrators with hybrid drive trains to improve defense mobility. Phase 2...
Author: Elodie Collins (Elodie Collins)
Switzerland Hosts Industrial Security Working Group Conference in Zurich
Switzerland hosted the 2023 plenary meeting of the Multinational Industrial Security Working Group as chair of the collaborative body. The event in Zurich from Sept. 11 to 15 saw more than a hundred participants from over 30 countries. The United States attended the plenary through representatives from the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency’s Industrial Security Directorate, including...
Australia Outlines Six ‘Cyber Shields’ Strategy Against Digital Threats
Australia has introduced its first national strategy to address the increasing number of cyberattacks targeting individuals and organizations across the nation. Clare O’Neil, the nation’s first cabinet minister for cybersecurity, unveiled the plan during the Australian Financial Review’s 2023 Cyber Summit on Monday. According to O’Neil, who is also the minister for home affairs, the strategy...
Germany Joins Artemis Accords for Sustainable Space Exploration
Germany has become the latest signatory country to NASA’s Artemis Accords, an international agreement to promote sustainable space exploration. Walter Pelzer, director general for the German Aerospace Center, signed the accords during a ceremony held Thursday at the Washington residence of German Ambassador Andreas Michaelis. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson and U.S. National Space Council Executive Secretary Chirag...
US, Saudi Arabia Conclude 3-Day Red Sands Counter-UAS Drill in Riyadh
The United States and Saudi Arabia have conducted the second iteration of Red Sands, a joint military exercise that aims to demonstrate counter-unmanned aerial system technologies. The three-day drill, held at the Red Sands Integrated Experimentation Center in Riyadh, builds on the insights gained from the first Red Sands. The latest development sprint tested nine systems...
Thales Conducts Mine Countermeasure Drone Sea Trials for UK, French Navies
Thales has demonstrated the capabilities of its drone-based mine countermeasure system to find and neutralize submerged threats remotely. During a trial conducted in France, the company remotely deployed its unmanned, underwater vessel to identify sea mines and install exercise charges to complete the neutralization cycle. A Thales team in a facility in Brest, France, served as...
Expert: Europe Needs to Strengthen Defense Industrial Sector
The European Union needs a new operational program that will strengthen its defense industrial sector and prepare for future conflicts, according to Christian Moelling, head of the Center for Security and Defense at the German Council on Foreign Relations. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has shown weaknesses in Europe’s capacity to produce military goods as allies scramble...
Thousands of NATO Personnel Join Baltic Sea Maritime Exercises
Northern Coasts, an annual maritime exercise hosted by the German navy, has commenced in the Baltic Sea. About 30 warships and 3,200 personnel from 14 nations, including the United States and NATO member states, will participate in activities designed to build skills in amphibious operations, air defense, sea-to-land strikes and securing sea lanes. The latest iteration...
Estonian Defense Secretary: Ukraine Needs More Ammo to Win Against Russia
Supplying Ukraine with more ammunition will allow the Eastern European nation to win its war against Russia, according to Kusti Salm, permanent secretary at the Estonian Ministry of Defence. The United States and allies in Europe have committed to ensuring that Ukrainian military forces are well-armed, donating over a million shells from their own stockpiles. However, consumption...
Iceye Looks to Enhance Australia’s Disaster Response With Flood, Bushfire Data
Australia’s federal government will continue to purchase flood and bushfire data from natural catastrophe services company Iceye. Under the agreement with Iceye, the federal government, states and territories can access the Finland-based company’s Flood Insights and Bushfire Insights products, to be made available to agencies via Esri’s ArcGIS software. Using a combination of synthetic aperture...