News

For months, European waters were quiet. A year earlier, several undersea cables had been damaged by cargo ships, but after the rapid launch of NATO’s Baltic Sentry mission, incidents declined quickly. NATO cautiously marked its successes, and calm appeared to be returning. Until the final day of the year. That day the Finnish Navy detained a ship and its crew after a cable between Finland and Estonia was damaged.Follow us...

The Swedish CV90 armoured vehicle is gaining ground across Europe. Last week, three countries announced major new orders with manufacturer BAE Systems. Estonia and Lithuania each confirmed the purchase of 100 vehicles, while the Netherlands said it will invest between €1 billion and €2.5 billion in additional CV90's. Follow us on: Telegram (new), Bluesky, X or Linkedin The orders are being placed through the so-called Nordic Initiative, a cooperation between Sweden, Norway, Finland, Lithuania,...

The Netherlands and Japan have signed a new agreement that will allow their armed forces to exchange goods and services more quickly. The deal is known as an Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement (ACSA) and covers logistical support between the two countries’ militaries. Follow us on: Bluesky, X or Linkedin The agreement was formally signed on Wednesday by Dutch Defence Minister Ruben Brekelmans and Japan’s ambassador to the Netherlands, Rokuichiro Michii. It is designed to...

Austria has signed a contract with Italian defence company Leonardo for the supply of 12 M-346 F Block20 aircraft for its air force. The agreement marks a significant investment in Austria’s defence and pilot training capabilities. The aircraft will be delivered from 2028 and are intended to strengthen Austria’s ability to protect its national airspace and territory. The contract covers not only the jets themselves, but also pilot and maintenance...

Unknown drones continue to cause disruption at airports and military bases across Europe. This weekend, Dutch authorities reported several drone sightings above Volkel Air Base and the military-civil airport in Eindhoven. At Eindhoven, the drones forced flights to divert and led to several cancellations. None of the drones were intercepted. Follow us on: Bluesky, X or Linkedin On Friday evening, multiple drones were spotted above Volkel Air Base. The location is highly sensitive: it...

Imagine driving from the port of Rotterdam to Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast. A route planner will tell you it takes about 26 hours if you keep going and hit no traffic. Piece of cake. But once that journey involves a tracked vehicle or other heavy military equipment, the trip can suddenly take up to six weeks. Follow us on: Bluesky, X or Linkedin The proposed route crosses seven countries. For EU citizens, open borders...

Poland is deploying ten thousand soldiers to protect key infrastructure across the country. Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz announced the decision on Wednesday. It follows last weekend’s sabotage of a railway line using explosives. Poland has pointed to Russia as the actor behind the attack. Follow us on: Bluesky, X or Linkedin The attack forced rail traffic to a halt. Poland is a major transit country for NATO supplies going to Ukraine, with a large...

Poland suspended operations at two airports overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday as a precaution after a large and deadly Russian airstrike hit western Ukraine, only a few dozen kilometres from the Polish border. In the hours leading up to the attack, Western aircraft were placed on the highest level of readiness. Follow us on: Bluesky, X or Linkedin In Ukraine, the strikes killed nine people, President Zelensky said. Russia launched 470 drones and 47...

Several NATO countries, including the Netherlands, have decided to stop their joint plan to buy the Boeing E-7 Wedgetail as a replacement for the ageing AWACS aircraft. The Dutch Ministry of Defence confirmed the move after months of uncertainty surrounding the programme. The plan fell apart when the United States withdrew from the project earlier this year. Washington had been a major partner, and its exit left the remaining countries...

Several European navies have spent the past week escorting Russian vessels as they travelled through the North Sea. One of the ships, the Yantar, is known for its intelligence-gathering capabilities and is suspected of mapping undersea cables and infrastructure. According to the Dutch Ministry of Defence, at least four Russian ships were accompanied as they passed through international waters. These included the research ship Yantar, the oil tanker Yelnya, and...