NATO’s North Atlantic Council has approved a new framework providing more flexibility for partner nations to augment the alliance’s forces. The concept, dubbed Partners Augmentation Forces to NATO, was announced at the opening of the Military Strategic Partnership Conference scheduled from April 8 to 12 in Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina, National Defense Magazine reported Tuesday. NATO’s Allied...
Category: Defense Security Cooperation
Canada to Boost Military Spending Under New Defense Policy
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Defence Minister Bill Blair have released an updated defense policy that puts Ottawa on track to meet NATO’s goal of 2 percent military spending-to-GDP ratio, Canada’s Department of National Defence announced on Monday. The new policy, titled “Our North, Strong and Free,” aims for a defense spending of 1.76 percent...
Saab Secures $76M UK MoD Deal for Simulation Systems Support to British Army; James Passmore Quoted
Saab has secured a $76.2 million contract from the U.K. Ministry of Defence to provide the British Army with live simulation systems support. Under the three-year deal, the Swedish company will deploy its Instrumented Live Training capability, which simulates direct and indirect fire effects using laser and geometric pairing technology. The ILT-D tactical engagement system...
US Turns Over First ISR-Capable Beechcraft King Air 350ER to Canadian Government
The United States has delivered the first of three Beechcraft King Air 350ER aircraft to Canada for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operations. The Army Program Executive Office’s Aviation Fixed Wing Project Office turned over the ISR platform on Feb. 22 at L3Harris Technologies’ facility in Greenville, Texas. L3Harris won the contract in November 2020 to...
US Trains With Aussie, New Zealand Counterparts to Neutralize Mine Threats
Mine warfare units from the United States, Australia and New Zealand participated in Exercise Dugong 24, which tested their capabilities to neutralize sea mines. The training ran from March 4 to 22 and involved integration, training and tactical stages, with the latter phase tasking the participants to conduct mine countermeasures and explosive ordnance disposal operations....
Tetra Tech to Assist Ukrainian Government Under $438.7M SPARC Contract
The U.S. Agency for International Development has awarded Tetra Tech a potential $438.7 million contract to support the government of Ukraine. Under the five-year deal, the California-based company will provide Kyiv with strategic technical and procurement assistance to build the reliability and resilience of the European nation’s electricity, natural gas and district heating sectors. USAID’s Securing Power,...
New Zealand’s C-130J Super Hercules Completes Debut Test Flights in US Skies
New Zealand’s first C-130J Super Hercules has completed its initial test flights in the United States. The Lockheed Martin-manufactured aircraft flew for 246 minutes over Georgia and Alabama, achieving an altitude of 10,500 feet and traveling a span of 984 kilometers, Auckland said. Defence Minister Judith Collins described the test flights as a significant milestone...
BAE Systems Selects Airspeed to Supply Critical Component for Hunter-Class Frigate
BAE Systems has selected South Australian company Airspeed to supply a critical component of the U.K. Royal Navy’ Hunter-class frigates. Under the subcontract, Airspeed, provider of composite materials for the aerospace, maritime and energy sectors, will build the replenishment at sea stump masts for the first batch of the upcoming frigates. The stump masts enable the...
Italian Navy Replaces US as Head of International Red Sea Task Force
The Italian Navy has assumed command of Combined Task Force 153, taking over from the U.S. Navy. Italy’s Capt. Roberto Messina formally replaced his American counterpart, Capt. David Cole, during a change of command ceremony at the Combined Maritime Forces headquarters in Manama, Bahrain, on Wednesday. In his address at the event, Messina said he...
Australia Defense Export Catalog Highlights Increasing Business Participation in 2024
Canberra has published the 2024 Australian Defence Export Catalogue, listing more businesses that deliver defense services and capabilities to foreign customers, an increase of 20 percent from the previous iteration. According to Defence Australia, the business growth reflected in the catalog highlights the federal government’s commitment to helping local defense companies access the international market...