The United States has announced a $2 billion direct loan agreement to advance Poland’s defense modernization efforts. The Foreign Military Financing loan will support the country’s upgrade plans for its military forces, according to the Department of State. The deal will also bolster NATO’s defense and deterrence in Europe’s eastern flank, the department said, adding...
Category: Defense Security Cooperation
RAF Wing Commander Completes Course to Qualify as E-7 Wedgetail Operator
The Royal Air Force’s Wing Commander Sarah McDonnell recently completed a qualifying course in Australia to operate the E-7 Wedgetail. Administered by the Royal Australian Air Force and Boeing Australia under the RAF’s E-7 Wedgetail AEW1 Programme, the course provided class-based instruction and simulator training to McDonnell and allowed her to fly Australia’s E-7A. The...
AUKUS Partnership Advances in Artificial Intelligence and Autonomy
Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States are making significant progress in artificial intelligence and autonomy under Pillar 2 of the AUKUS security partnership, according to Tanya Monro, Australia’s chief defense scientist. Media coverage has focused chiefly on Pillar 1 of AUKUS, which involves providing Australia with nuclear-powered submarines, but Pillar 2 activities are...
US Reaffirms Security Cooperation With Central Asia Allies
The United States, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyz Republic reaffirmed their shared commitment to maintaining peace and sovereignty in Central Asia. Leaders of all six nations held the inaugural C5+1 Presidential Summit Tuesday on the sidelines of the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York City. During the meeting, the C5+1...
Australia’s F-35A Jet Fighters Debut at Joint Air Combat Exercise Series With Indonesia
The Royal Australian Air Force’s F-35A Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters participated in the Australia-Indonesia air combat Exercise Elang AUSINDO 23 for the first time from Sept. 18 to 23. According to the Australian Ministry of Defence, six F-35A fighters were assigned to the exercise based in Manado, North Sulawesi. The training joins 150 RAAF...
UK-Israel MOU to Fund Joint Science and Technology Research Projects
The U.K. government said Wednesday that it has signed a memorandum of understanding with Israel on science and technology research projects with potential access to a $2.1 million fund. The science ministers from both sides met in London for the MOU signing in Whitehall, according to a press statement from the Department for Science, Innovation...
NATO Conducts Twin Exercises on Use of Maritime Unmanned Systems in Military Operations
NATO is conducting two exercises in Portugal’s Troia Peninsula to train participants on integrating new maritime technologies into joint military operations and operating autonomous underwater vehicles. The Dynamic Messenger 23 drills commenced training activities on Monday under the joint leadership of NATO’s Allied Command Transformation in the United States and Allied Maritime Command in the...
US-Funded Cyber Defense Center Opens in Bulgaria
Bulgaria has established a Cyber Defense Center with funding from the U.S. Department of State’s Foreign Military Financing program. The new facility, inaugurated on Thursday, is the latest contribution of the United States to the Balkan nation. In the last five years, Washington has provided more than $238 million in security assistance to help the...
European Defense Agency Begins Next Phase of Hybrid Drive Train Program
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...
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...