The United Kingdom has pledged about $310.6 million to strengthen its artillery supply chains in support of Ukraine. The U.K. Ministry of Defence said the new funding will be spent over the coming months to boost Kyiv’s artillery ammunition reserves. The funding package was announced to mark the second anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine...
Category: Geopolitical Issues
UK to Boost Industry Partnerships to Accelerate Drone Development
The United Kingdom seeks to strengthen its partnership with the unmanned aerial system industry as part of its new strategy to provide its armed forces with drone capabilities in an accelerated manner. Under the U.K. Defence Drone Strategy, the British government will invest $5.71 billion over the next decade to speed up the experimentation, testing...
Rheinmetall to Produce Ammunition for Ukraine Under New Joint Venture
A Ukrainian company has signed a memorandum of agreement with German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall to establish a joint venture that will produce and supply ammunition to Ukraine. Called Ukrainian Competence Center for Ammunition, the new company will manufacture a six-digit number of 155 mm caliber bullets annually in an artillery ammunition plant Rheinmetall will build...
Sweden Eyes Expansion of Military Training Assistance to Ukraine
The Swedish Armed Forces is expected to train more than 18,000 Ukrainian military personnel in 2024 under a Swedish government mandate to continue previous training support, with the possibility of expanding the assistance to other training activities. The new training package, which Stockholm announced on Thursday, was developed from 2023 activities and assessments of additional...
NATO Deputy Secretary General Calls for Collaboration With Commercial Space Industry
Mircea Geoana, deputy secretary general of NATO, has emphasized the role the commercial space industry plays in the alliance’s security. At NATO’s first space reverse industry day, the Romanian leader talked to attendees about the importance of cooperation. “This is not a job for NATO alone. It is something we must do together,” he said. The...
Westinghouse Signs Contract to Evaluate AP1000 Reactors in the Netherlands
Westinghouse will conduct a technical feasibility study on two AP1000 nuclear reactors at the Borssele Nuclear Power Station in the Netherlands in support of the Dutch government’s nuclear new-build strategy. The company signed a contract with the Dutch government to assess the deployment of the Generation III+ reactors at the only operational nuclear power plant in...
Inspector General Presses Pentagon on Sustainment Plan for US Weapons in Ukraine
The Office of Inspector General within the Department of Defense has urged the agency to implement a sustainment plan for each of the weapon and air defense systems it provided to Ukraine. In support of Ukraine’s fight against Russian attacks, the United States has supplied the European country with Bradley, Stryker and Abrams armored weapon...
Canada Acquires SkyRanger UAS Fleet From Teledyne FLIR to Support Ukraine Fight Against Russia
The government of Canada is set to donate SkyRanger R70 unmanned aerial systems to Ukraine. According to Teledyne FLIR Defense, Canada’s Department of National Defence will acquire 800 SkyRanger drones worth approximately $70 million to aid in the eastern European country’s fight against Russia. The R70 UAS is a multi-mission equipped with advanced thermal and daytime...
US Sanctions Procurement Network for Facilitating Export of Restricted Items to Iran
The United States has sanctioned a procurement network for facilitating the export of restricted items to end users in Iran. According to the Department of the Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control, the sanctions target three individuals and four entities linked with the transfer of U.S. technology to the Central Bank of Iran, which the...
UN Experts Probe North Korea’s Alleged $3B Cyberattacks, Sanction Violations
A panel of experts from the United Nations said they are investigating 58 suspected cyberattacks by North Korea with an estimated value of $3 billion. The cyber operations were reportedly used to advance Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons program, according to the Associated Press, citing a summary of the UN panel’s report. The UN panel, which monitors...