NATO defence ministers’ meeting in Brussels on 15–16 June agreed on a new package of regional defence plans for approval by the alliance’s 11–12 July Vilnius summit. (NATO)
NATO defence ministers’ meeting in Brussels on 15–16 June agreed on a new package of regional defence plans designed to substantially boost allies’ military high readiness and return them, at least partially, to Cold War-era territorial defence assignments. Its final approval will be given by allied leaders during NATO’s 11–12 July Vilnius summit.
Author: Michael
The Indian Army ordered 1,300 Light Specialist Vehicles in 2021. The vehicles are expected to be operated along India’s border with China. (MDSL)
Indian company Mahindra Defence Systems Ltd (MDSL) will deliver the first batch of 4×4 Light Specialist Vehicles (LSVs) known as Armado to the Indian Army by the end of July, MDSL head of sales and marketing for land systems Colonel Manish Kumar (retd) told Janes.
The first batch will comprise 40 Armados, Col Kumar said. MDSL is supplying a total of 1,300 LSVs to the Indian Army under a contract, signed in March 2021, worth INR10.
On 15 June in Brussels, Nato defence ministers discussing deterrence and defence issues in preparation for the upcoming Vilnius Summit in July, confirmed an agreement to strengthen its air defences across Nato’s Eastern Flank.
Ground-based air defence units will start rotations along Nato’s Eastern Flank, in addition to Nato’s long standing air policing mission. “At the moment, the Spanish NASAMS is already deployed to Estonia. With this new model, we can also start making plans for subsequent Allied rotations,” explained Estonia’s Minister of Defence Hanno Pevkur.
The US Department of Defense’s (DoD) Office for the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Policy (OASD (IBP)) has entered into an agreement with Arconic Corporation to increase production of missiles and munitions.
The purpose of the $45.5m agreement with Arconic is to increase production of High Purity Aluminum (HPA) at its facility in Davenport, Iowa. The low-cost production of HPA by foreign smelters has resulted in decreased production of HPA in the US, according to a 16 June release by the DoD.
Greg Lane, RespStatecraft
President Lukashenko’s recent threat to use them if attacked, while troubling, should also remind us of their political utility.
Andrew L. Crabb, Small Wars Journal
In August of 2022, my supervisor at the Joint Special Operations University challenged me with an unusual task.
The Haegeum-3 (Sea Sword 3) USV, developed by LIG Nex1 under a civil-military joint programme, undergoing sea trials. The South Korean MND is encouraging the development of ‘AI-centric systems’ especially those designed to support maritime missions. (LIG Nex1)
The development and application of artificial intelligence (AI) have become priorities for South Korea and Japan as part of wider efforts to strengthen military capabilities amid rising security challenges in the Indo-Pacific.
Japan’s military expenditure is forecast to grow at an unprecedented rate over the coming few years, according to Janes Defence Budgets. (Janes Defence Budgets)
Japan has enacted fiscal reforms to allow the government to collect funds that will be used to support a major increase in defence spending over the coming decade. The Basic Policies for Economic and Fiscal Management were approved by Japan’s parliament on 16 June.
The Heron medium-altitude long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle manufactured by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) is a success story for Israel, with 15 or more countries known to be operating the systems.
Janes
was among the first outlets to be given a demonstration of the Orchestrike concept at the Paris Air Show 2023 on 19 June.
(Janes/Gareth Jennings)
MBDA showcased its new Orchestrike concept for collaborative combat effectors, which the European missile house said will be far more capable than any network-enabled systems in use today.