Analysis

Breaking with the Russian Gauge – Baltic States Set to Remove Old Rails to the East

Analysis

The presidents of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia have agreed in principle that if one Baltic state removes its railway connections to Russia and Belarus, the others will follow suit in unison. Meeting in Riga on December 4, 2025, the three leaders discussed dismantling the old 1,520 mm “Russian gauge” tracks that cross their eastern borders. Unprecedented

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China Weaponises Its Supply‑Chain Dominance: New Magnet and Rare‑Earth Restrictions Expose NATO’s Vulnerabilities

Analysis, Strategy

China has dramatically tightened its grip on global technology supply chains by extending export controls on rare earths, adding five more elements to its list and imposing new licence requirements on semiconductor users, just weeks before Presidents Trump and Xi meet. Beijing dominates the sector, accounting for about 70 % of global mining and roughly 90 %

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Trackfire Remote Weapon Station by SAAB.

Drone Wars Rewrite the Rules of Armour and Air Defence

Analysis

Drones have gone from gimmick to game-changer. In Ukraine, swarms of cheap UAVs now stalk everything from tanks to individual soldiers. Saab’s answer is a stripped-down drone killer designed for the battlefield’s new reality. The race is on: as RUSI observes, Russia today boasts “the most formidable counter-UAS capabilities on earth”. These cheap uncrewed systems—often

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• K9 artillery guns from Battery Piraya in the Artillery Battalion, Brigade Nord, stand gathered under the Northern Lights in the Setermoen training area during an exercise in September 2022. (Image: Image: Forsvaret.no)

Norway’s Defence Surge: High North Tensions

Analysis

Norway is undertaking a once-in-a-generation military modernisation. It is also strongly supporting Ukraine in its war against Russia. The hybrid warfare is increasingly probing the Nordic region – from drone disturbances at airports and undersea cable sabotage to relentless GPS jamming – forcing Norway and its neighbours to reassess their defences. Against Russian pressure, Oslo

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Eurofighter Typhoon fighters. Germany’s latest defence budget will fund 20 new Eurofighters among other major procurements (Image: Stefan Petersen/Luftwaffe)

Germany’s Historic Military Expansion €83 Billion Defence Budget for 2026

Analysis, Business

Chancellor Friedrich Merz has secured an exemption for military expenditure from Germany’s strict debt-brake rules, enabling a dramatic boost in the defence budget – and reverberating through Europe’s defence industry. Germany is embarking on its largest military buildup in decades, with plans to spend around €83 billion on defence in 2026 – a jump of €20 billion

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Europe’s New Battleground: Iran’s Criminal Proxy War Comes to the Streets of the West

Analysis, News, Terror

Britain is under sustained attack from Iran—not with armies, but through assassins, cyberweapons, and street-level criminal proxies. In a damning new report, the UK Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) warns that Tehran has become one of the most active and unpredictable hostile actors targeting the United Kingdom today. Iran’s hybrid offensive is a campaign

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Air, Sea and Space – Pushing Boundaries: BAE Systems (Britain) 2024 Performance Review and Growth Outlook

Analysis, Business

BAE Systems delivered robust financial results in 2024, reflecting strong defence sector momentum. Annual sales reached £28.3 billion, a ~14% year-on-year increase in constant currency terms. Underlying EBIT climbed to £3.0 billion, up 14% in constant currency, and operating profit was £2.69 billion, up 4% on a reported basis. Order intake in 2024 was £33.7 billion – slightly lower

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Britain’s Armed Forces at a Crossroads: Re‑Arming for a New Era of Threats

Analysis

The UK has long underinvested in defence, hiding behind percentage-of-GDP metrics while delivering woefully outdated capabilities. The 2025 Strategic Defence Review (SDR) commits to raising defence spending from ~2.3% to 2.5% of GDP by 2027, with ambition to reach 3% “if fiscal conditions allow”. Starmer’s government has adopted all 62 recommendations of Lord Robertson’s review,

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Russian Orthodox Churches in Europe: Espionage Outposts Under the Guise of Faith

Analysis, Strategy

For years, Ukrainian experts have warned that the Moscow Patriarchate’s church network often serves not just religious purposes but strategic ones. This suspicion – long evident in Ukraine – is now gaining traction across Europe, from Sweden and Norway to the Netherlands. In the wake of Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine, many European governments

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