Iceye has signed a memorandum of cooperation with the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine to ensure that imagery captured in the region is not shared with hostile nations. The Finnish company operates a synthetic aperture radar satellite constellation for Earth observation and provides the Ukrainian government with SAR satellite imaging data to aid its fight...
Category: Defense Security Cooperation
Australian Defence Force to Acquire Switchblade Loitering Munition; Pat Conroy Quoted
Australia expects to receive an order of Switchblade 300 precision loitering munitions in 2024 and deploy the weapon into service in 2025 to boost the Australian Defence Force’s drone warfighting capabilities. The acquisition of the munitions, manufactured by U.S. company AeroVironment, adds to the different drone types in the ADF arsenal that can be armed...
Sweden Unveils First Space Policy for Defense and Security; Pal Jonson Quoted
The Swedish government has set its first policy on space use for Sweden’s defense and security under which the country will undertake national projects and join international activities to achieve its goal. Noting that Sweden has grown increasingly dependent on space as a strategic operational environment, Stockholm said in a statement that the new strategy...
US OKs $2B Loan for Poland’s Defense Modernization Program
The United States has signed an agreement to provide Poland with a $2 billion loan to support the European country’s defense modernization program. The deal will bolster the defense and deterrence of NATO’s eastern flank, the Department of State said on Monday. The Foreign Military Financing direct loan will fund Warsaw’s efforts to beef up...
US Discusses Possible National Security Space Cooperation With France, Italy and Luxembourg
Reps. Mike Rogers, R-Ala., and Adam Smith, D-Wash., led a U.S. delegation on a trip to France, Italy and Luxembourg to discuss cooperation on the National Security Space initiative. In a statement following the trip, the two lawmakers said that with the increasing number of threats targeting the United States, the government needs to collaborate...
US to Send More Powerful Fighter Jets to Japan Bases Amid Increasing Regional Tension
The U.S. Department of Defense will deploy newer fighter jets to Japan as part of a $10 billion modernization plan designed to enhance regional deterrence and maintain stability in the Indo-Pacific. It recently unveiled the capability modernization plan for multiple military installations across Japan. According to DOD, the Air Force will send 36 F-15EX Eagle...
More Arms Contracts Loom With Additional $2.3B US Military Aid to Ukraine; Lloyd Austin Quoted
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has announced that the United States is increasing its military assistance to Ukraine by $2.3 billion, according to an Associated Press report on Austin’s meeting with visiting Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov at the Pentagon on Tuesday. The increased aid will source $150 million from the presidential drawdown authority allowing the...
BAE Books $76M Deal to Upgrade Sting Ray Mod 1 Torpedo for UK MoD
BAE Systems has secured a $76 million contract to develop a Sting Ray Mod 2 lightweight torpedo design for the U.K. Ministry of Defence. In a notice, the ministry said the agreement supports a four-year evaluation effort to update the Sting Ray Mod 1 torpedo system that the British military currently uses. The latest defense...
European Investment Fund, NATO Partner to Improve Regional Defense Sector Investment
The European Investment Fund has launched an initiative to strengthen investments in the continent’s defense and security capabilities. In a memorandum of understanding with the NATO Innovation Fund, the two organizations aim to encourage private capital funds to allocate more of their investments towards the region’s defense and security industry. The MOU includes plans for...
US Military Bases in Europe Raise Security Alert Amid Potential Threats; Sabrina Singh Quoted
Security risks at several forthcoming major events in Europe, such as the Paris Olympics and the European football championship, have prompted the U.S. military bases in the region to raise their alert level, Sabrina Singh, the Department of Defense’s deputy press secretary, announced at a Pentagon briefing Monday. Singh did not specify the new alert...