Australia
(Gordon Arthur – Defense News) On March 4, when a U.S. Navy submarine torpedoed an enemy combatant for the first time since World War II, three Australian submariners were aboard. This was a contentious point for Canberra, as it is not a party to military actions against Iran. Two days later, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed the presence of Royal Australian Navy (RAN) sailors aboard the U.S. submarine when the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena was sunk. – Australian submariners have a brush with Iran war
Europe
(Tim Martin – Breaking Defense) Europe bought 33 percent of global arms imports over the last five years, making it the largest defense importer by region on the globe, according to a report from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Ukraine, Poland and the United Kingdom were the three biggest European weapon system importers between 2021 and 2025, said SIPRI, with close to half of all supplies in the region, as a whole, coming from the US. “Threat perceptions concerning Russia, compounded by uncertainties over the USA’s commitment to defending its European allies, have boosted demand for arms among European member states of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO),” added the report. “The 29 current European NATO members’ combined arms imports grew by 143 percent between 2016–20 and 2021–25.” SIPRI compares five-year stretches for this annual report in order to avoid one-off large weapon procurements skewing the trend lines. – Europe leads global arms imports market as demand surges: SIPRI report – Breaking Defense
Indian Ocean
(Anjana Pasricha – Defense News) Two Iranian warships have docked in India and Sri Lanka after a U.S. submarine torpedoed an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean just off Sri Lanka’s coast last week. The sinking of the Iris Dena on March 4th was the first military strike outside the Middle East since the war began, and analysts say it raised concerns that the U.S.-Israeli military campaign against Iran could widen beyond the Persian Gulf if it drags on. It also became a diplomatic embarrassment for New Delhi, which had hosted the sunken vessel for peacetime multilateral naval drills. All three Iranian ships — the two vessels that are now in India and Sri Lanka as well as the torpedoed ship — were sailing in the Indian Ocean after participating in the exercises along India’s east coast. The South Asian countries have called their decision to permit the ships to enter their ports a “humanitarian” gesture. – Two Iranian warships take sanctuary in India and Sri Lanka
Iran, Middle East, Gulf, and beyond
(Reuters/Al Arabiya) Israel is not seeking an endless war with Iran and will coordinate with the United States on when to end the fighting, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said on Tuesday, declining to publicly state a timeline for when the conflict could end. The US-Israeli war with Iran, now in its 11th day, has engulfed the Middle East, with Iranian strikes hitting neighboring states and Israel fighting Hezbollah in Lebanon as well as striking Iran. – Israel says it is not seeking an endless war with Iran
(AFP/Al Arabiya) Fresh Israeli strikes hit Beirut’s southern suburbs and south Lebanon on Tuesday after the Israeli army warned people to evacuate and the United Nations said 100,000 people had been displaced in a single day. Lebanon was drawn into the Middle East war last week when Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah attacked Israel in response to the killing of Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei in US-Israeli strikes. – Fresh Israeli strikes hit Lebanon after evacuation warnings
(Al Arabiya) Qatar wants to strengthen its defense partnership with the United States in the wake of Iranian air strikes on Qatari territory, the foreign ministry spokesperson said on Tuesday, even as it sees the existing deal as an important deterrent. Iran launched missile and drone attacks on its oil-producing Gulf neighbors after US-Israeli strikes that killed its top leaders. The conflict disrupted output in the region and sent oil prices surging. Qatar hosts the biggest US base in the Middle East, al-Udeid Air Base, which was attacked by Iran during the war that erupted on February 28. – Qatar wants to bolster security partnership with US after Iran’s strikes
(AFP/Al Arabiya) German Chancellor Friedrich Merz voiced concern Tuesday that the United States and Israel appear to have “no common plan” for bringing the war against Iran “to a swift and convincing end.”. “The United States and Israel have been waging war against Iran for over a week. We share many of the goals, but with each day of the war, more questions arise,” Merz said. – Germany’s Merz sees ‘no common plan’ to quickly end Iran war
(AFP/Al Arabiya) The Dutch foreign minister announced Tuesday that staff for the Netherlands embassy in Iran will be moved to Azerbaijan. “Due to the growing security risks for our employees, it has been decided to temporarily transfer the activities of the Dutch embassy in Iran to Baku, Azerbaijan,” Foreign Minister Tom Berendsen said on X. – Dutch embassy staff in Tehran to move to Azerbaijan
(AFP/Al Arabiya) The Lebanese and Syrian presidents agreed Tuesday on the need to step up control over their shared frontier following a pair of incidents involving cross-border fire. Lebanon’s Joseph Aoun and Syria’s Ahmad al-Sharaa agreed during a phone call that “the current sensitive situation requires enhancing coordination and consultation… especially with regard to the necessity of controlling the border,” a Lebanese presidency statement said. – Lebanese, Syrian presidents agree on tightening border control
(Reuters/Al Arabiya) Syria’s defense ministry said on Tuesday that Sipan Hamo, commander of the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), had been appointed deputy defense minister for the country’s eastern territories. – Syria appoints Kurdish YPG commander deputy defense minister
(Seth J. Frantzman – Breaking Defense) Israel is now embroiled in a multi-front war, one week after it launched airstrikes alongside the United States targeting Iran. The Israel Defense Forces have been carrying out airstrikes on Iran as well as striking at Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed militant group in Lebanon. But experts and analysts consulted by Breaking Defense believe that the IDF should be able to handle both the Iran and Lebanese campaigns, as Israel has long labored under the assumption that a multi-front conflict was inevitable. “The understanding in the IDF always was that in a war with Iran, Hezbollah would be involved,” says Yaakov Katz, author of “Shadow Strike,” a book about Israel’s raid on Syria’s nuclear program, and a fellow at the Jewish People Policy Institute. “This has long been drilled and prepared for and is playing out now.” – A two-front war should be no problem for Israel, analysts say – Breaking Defense
NATO – Arctic
(Jonas Olsson – Breaking Defense) It’s harsh here, with blustery winds at the Icelandic air station that the US shut down two decades ago. The gray, hardened aircraft shelters in concrete give a true sense of Cold War 2.0. The six Swedish JAS 39 Gripen C fighters deployed here for Arctic air policing were grounded for two days when Breaking Defense visited the air station with a group of other media. The decision not to fly wasn’t about the aircraft. It was for pilot survivability in case of ejection: “Hanging in a parachute and crashing into the ground in 45-knot gusting winds — I wouldn’t recommend that,” Lt. Col. Robin Arvidsson, fighter pilot and squadron commander in the Swedish Air Force, told Breaking Defense. Keflavík Air Station was constructed during World War II and served as a US military base until 2006. Since 2008, it has infrequently hosted NATO air policing missions on a rotational basis. But the Swedish Air Force’s Skaraborg Wing (F7) now has its fighter jets deployed at the base, with over 100 personnel. Some of the jets themselves carry IRIS-T short-range infrared-seeking air-to-air missiles. Sweden holds primary responsibility for securing Arctic airspace for two months as part of NATO’s Arctic Sentry mission. It is the first time ever that the Swedish Air Force leads this mission. – On the flightline with Swedish fighter jets in Iceland, in Cold War 2.0 – Breaking Defense
US
(Nilanthi Samaranayake – Defense News) Criticism by both U.S. President Donald Trump and U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer about using the Diego Garcia military base for U.S. military operations against Iran has elevated attention to the often-underexamined topic of U.S. security interests in the bustling Indian Ocean region. Vital container, hydrocarbon and bulk shipping transits this body of water, which connects hotspots like the South China Sea and the Middle East. Unfortunately, many analyses of the topic present an incomplete picture of a critical national security priority — how to guarantee access to Diego Garcia. Unlike in most oceans, the U.S. does not have territory in the Indian Ocean. Therefore, it relies on the U.K. to provide access to Diego Garcia, a centrally located base for military operations both westward to the Middle East and eastward to the Pacific. Mauritius, a small-state former British colony, has waged a longstanding diplomatic and legal campaign contesting the U.K.’s sovereignty over the Chagos Islands, which include Diego Garcia. – Diego Garcia base access: Getting past the misinformation
(Carley Welch – Breaking Defense) Robinson Helicopter today announced a new company branch dubbed Robinson Unmanned, where the helo company will partner with subsidiary Ascent AeroSystems to provide what it called a “full suite” of remotely piloted and autonomous drones for commercial and military partners. Robinson Unmanned will provide Group 1 through Group 4 drones, excluding only the largest Group 5 category. Currently Ascent produces the Group 1 and 2 drones, including systems involved in the Pentagon’s Drone Dominance program. But with the new arrangement, all drones will fall under Robinson Unmanned. The Group 3 and 4 drones will be derived from R44 and R66 model helos, much like how Lockheed Martin’s Sikorsky is turning some of its Black Hawks into Group 4 unmanned platforms with its UHawk program. – Robinson Helicopter launches unmanned division, envisions next-gen helo drones – Breaking Defense
(Michael Marrow – Breaking Defense) The Department of the Air Force needs more juice. Or, more accurately, the missions the DAF envisions in the future are going to need far more energy storage than current batteries allow, or will need greater bursts of energy or high-powered advanced weapons, or will need lighter alternatives for a host of unmanned systems, or will just need them to work for longer. Looking to the next generation of air and space missions, current batteries can amount to, a spokesperson for Eglin Air Force Base told Breaking Defense, “key limitations for Air Force applications” where military systems often demand exquisite performance. – Powering up: Air Force eyes ‘broad reaching’ battery, energy storage research – Breaking Defense
(Diana Stancy – Breaking Defense) The Navy and the Marine Corps are zeroing in on amphibious warship readiness as a new board that aims to expedite progress and eliminate obstacles gets underway, according to the director of the Marine Corps’ operation division. “We’re going to be identifying barriers to readiness, figuring out what levers we can pull to improve that readiness and make sure that we are managing and keeping an eye on the right metrics to make sure that we are increasing amphibious readiness,” Maj. Gen. Jason Morris said in an interview with Breaking Defense. While amphibious warships and their readiness have proven a thorny topic for service leaders and lawmakers in recent years, with combat surge readiness lagging, the Navy and the Marine Corps say they are working in tandem to address a readiness shortfall that is gradually improving. – Navy, Marine Corps amphibious readiness board launches as services put issue on ‘front burner’ – Breaking Defense
