Canadian Defence Minister Bill Blair said his German counterpart approached him about joining the German-Norwegian submarine package.
By Aaron Mehta and Justin KatzNATO has established eight different capability coalitions designed to get critical systems or ammo into Ukrainian hands quickly. Here’s a deep dive into how they’re all faring.
By Tim MartinHelsinki had considered the “wise” move of storing some equipment out of Moscow’s reach for years, but NATO membership cut through red tape, Finnish officials told Breaking Defense.
By Lee FerranIn a clear reference to Russian aggression, the Swedish government committee warned in a statement of the “deteriorating security situation.”
By Tim MartinGen. Eirik Kristoffersen, Norway’s Chief of Defense, talks to Breaking Defense about his plans for spending on new frigates and subs, the challenges of upgrading Norway’s “digital backbone” and refilling the military’s stocks.
By Aaron Mehta“I have more sense of urgency in 2024 than I had in 2023” about how quickly Russia can rearm its military, Norway’s Chief of Defense, Gen. Eirik Kristoffersen, told Breaking Defense.
By Aaron Mehta“We need to increase spending in simple systems that we need a huge volume of that can, basically, counter very low-tech drones that could pose a threat,” Norway’s top officer told Breaking Defense, “so we don’t end up using the most sophisticated missile systems against something that is very cheap to buy.”
By Aaron Mehta“On their aircraft and their ground units, they’ll be able to talk directly to us with Link 16 to our Tranche 0 satellites that are on orbit now,” Derek Tournear said at the 2024 Space Symposium.
By Michael MarrowWith emphasis on frigates and subs, the plan “represents a historic boost in defence spending, and involves a significant strengthening of all branches of the Armed Forces,” said Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre.
By Tim MartinThe service is also crafting a plan and working the diplomatic channels to gain new agreements for Army prepositioned stock sites in the Indo-Pacific region, said AMC’s Lt. Gen. Christopher Mohan.
By Ashley Roque“This [coalition support] will be long term to help Ukraine transform its navy, making it more compatible with western allies, more interoperable with NATO, and bolstering security in the Black Sea,” said the UK Ministry of Defence.
By Tim Martin“This is a vision for the future, so there is currently no process of acquiring aircraft to replace the F-16s,” a spokesperson from the office of Portugal’s defense minister Helena Carreiras, told Breaking Defense.
By Tim MartinBjørn Arild Gram, Norway’s minister of defense said the agreement “lays the foundation” for developing NASAMS against future threats, although no details have been released about how the system will be matured specifically.
By Tim Martin“What we’re seeing now is that the current war in Ukraine illustrates that we need to be capable of staying in the fight for a longer duration and that requires volume,” Lars Lervik, chief of staff of the Norwegian Army, told Breaking Defense.
By Tim Martin