Australia – Japan
(Gordon Arthur – Defense News) Australia has moved to reverse a decline in the number of warships, as its surface combatant fleet stands to fall to its smallest size since World War II. Under Project Sea 3000, Australia and Japan inked a deal to buy three upgraded Mogami-class frigates for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). The contract was signed by the two countries’ defense ministers aboard JS Kumano in Melbourne earlier this month. – Massive frigate buy from Japan jolts Australian warship program
Europe
(Eliza Gkritsi – Politico) National capitals are skeptical and even downright dismissive of a new application created by the European Commission to check the age of internet users, government ministers and officials told POLITICO. The EU executive on Wednesday will recommend that countries use an app it designed to protect kids from online harms, as governments roll out age checks for illegal content such as pornography, alcohol — and, likely soon, social media. But government officials from eight member countries told POLITICO they are unsure, reluctant and even unwilling to adopt the EU app. Many said they preferred their own national solutions instead. – Capitals cool on Brussels age-check app – POLITICO
(Max Griera – Politico) Europe’s Socialists have spent years scolding the center-right for cutting deals with the far right. Now they are facing the same charge. When Romania’s Social Democrats (PSD) on Monday teamed up with the far-right Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) to topple Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan and the centrist coalition government they had previously backed, lawmakers in Brussels said the center left is doing what exactly what it has long accused the center-right European People’s Party of: enabling the forces it has vowed to isolate. If PSD topples the government and strikes a coalition with AUR, “they would be crossing a red line they themselves have set in Europe: refusing political cooperation with extremist forces,” Vula Tsetsi, chair of the European Green Party, said. – Europe’s Socialists face far-right reckoning after Romania deal – POLITICO
Germany
(Tim Martin – Breaking Defense) European manufacturer Rheinmetall said today that it has received a €1.04 billion ($1.2 billion) “call-off order” from Germany’s federal office of armed forces equipment, information technology and support (BAAINBw), covering additional Infantry Soldier of the Future — Enhanced System (IdZ-ES) kit. The call-off order — a legally binding pact between a buyer and contractor — falls under a wider framework agreement and includes delivery of 237 more platoon systems along with modernization of current ones, a statement from the Dusseldorf-based firm reads. Deliveries are planned to run between 2027 and the end of 2029. “In total, the German Bundestag has approved €1.3 billion for the project a few days ago, so further call-offs are expected,” the statement added. – Rheinmetall lands $1.2 billion German future soldier contract – Breaking Defense
Iran and beyond
(Al Arabiya) Iran Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Tuesday he welcomed Russia’s support for diplomacy and praised the strength of ties between the two countries, after meeting with President Vladimir Putin on Monday, saying recent events had demonstrated the depth of their strategic partnership. – Iranian foreign minister praises Russia ties, welcomes Moscow’s support for diplomacy
(Reuters/Al Arabiya) US President Donald Trump is unhappy with the latest Iranian proposal on resolving the two-month war, a US official said, dampening hopes for a resolution to the conflict that has disrupted energy supplies, fueled inflation, and killed thousands. Iran’s latest proposal would set aside discussion of Iran’s nuclear program until the war is ended and disputes over shipping from the Gulf are resolved – Trump not happy with latest Iran proposal to end the war, US official says
NATO
(Victor Jack – Politico) NATO has stayed out of the U.S.-Israeli war in Iran, but the conflict has nevertheless exposed cracks in the alliance’s defenses that would see it struggle if Russia attacks. “The wars in Ukraine and the Middle East are not separate phenomena; there is much to learn from both in thinking about the wars of tomorrow,” Gen. Dominique Tardif, France’s deputy air force chief, said. “These combined lessons should lead us to a better understanding of how to direct capability development.”. European military officials have warned Moscow could be in a position to attack an alliance member by 2029, highlighting the urgent need for battle readiness and political cohesion across the alliance. – 5 ways the Iran war shows NATO is not ready to fight Russia – POLITICO
US
(Diana Stancy – Breaking Defense) A production representative MQ-25 Stingray unmanned aerial system completed its first test flight on Saturday — paving the way for the aircraft to move toward conducting aircraft carrier operations. The aircraft took off from Boeing’s facility at MidAmerica Airport in Mascoutah, Ill., on Saturday for an approximately two-hour flight, where it demonstrated its ability to autonomously taxi, take off, fly, land, and respond to ground control station commands, according to Boeing. “The MQ-25A is not just an aircraft: it’s the first step in integrating unmanned aerial refueling onto the carrier deck, directly enabling our manned fighters to fly further and faster,” Rear Adm. Tony Rossi, who oversees the Program Executive Office for Unmanned Aviation and Strike Weapons, said in a Navy news release. “This capability is vital to the future of naval aviation.” – Navy’s MQ-25 Stingray carrier drone completes first test flight – Breaking Defense
(Frank Konkel – Defense One) Users of the Pentagon’s enterprise-wide generative-AI platform now have access to Google Cloud’s latest and most advanced commercial AI model, Gemini 3.1 Pro, after several weeks of using the software in preview mode. The software is available to defense users through the GenAI.mil platform and will also be available for all Gemini for Government users across the federal government. “Gemini 3.1 Pro is Google’s most sophisticated model yet, and it really represents the frontier of American AI,” Pentagon Chief Data Officer Gavin Kliger said in an interview Thursday. “And so the department is working with our engineering team together to make sure we can have this capability available across the department.” – Pentagon adds Google’s latest model to GenAI.mil as usage soars – Defense One
(Jared Keller – Defense News) The cruise missile-killing high-energy laser weapon the U.S. Defense Department envisions as part of its “Golden Dome for America” domestic missile defense shield is beginning to take shape. The new Joint Laser Weapon System — a collaboration between the U.S. Army and U.S. Navy that Laser Wars first reported about in June 2025 — will initially consist of a containerized 150-kilowatt system with the potential to scale to at least 300kw to defeat incoming cruise missile threats, according to the Navy’s fiscal 2027 budget request. The system will also include a Joint Beam Control System “capable of supporting” a 300-500kw laser weapon, the documents say. The JLWS effort will leverage research and development lessons from the Navy’s 60kw High Energy Laser with Integrated Optical-Dazzler and Surveillance (HELIOS) system, which is currently installed on the Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Preble, and the Army’s 300 kw Indirect Fire Protection Capability-High Energy Laser (IFPC-HEL) system, the first prototype of which the service plans on taking delivery of later this year. – What we know about the US military’s new joint laser weapon system
US – Europe
(Tim Ross, Nahal Toosi, Stefanie Bolzen – Politico) Depending on who you ask, she’s either just another MAGA troll meddling in European democracy, or the best hope of saving it. What Sarah Rogers, the U.S. undersecretary of State for public diplomacy, can never be accused of is speaking in diplomatic niceties. With hundreds of millions of dollars at her disposal, she has positioned herself as the point person for U.S. President Donald Trump’s campaign to save Europe from what the White House has called “civilizational erasure.”. For Rogers, that means backing MAGA-aligned movements against mass migration, attacking political elites across Europe and waging an unapologetic campaign against laws policing online speech — often in eye-wateringly direct terms.“ – Trump’s Voice of America: The free-speech crusader pushing MAGA on Europe – POLITICO
Global Military Spending
(Linus Höller – Defense News) Global military spending reached a new record of almost $2.9 trillion in 2025 − the 11th consecutive year of growth − even as the United States recorded its sharpest single-year decline in decades, according to new data published Monday by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. The main engine of growth was Europe, where expenditure surged 14% to $864 billion − the highest level SIPRI has ever recorded for the continent and, among NATO’s European members, the fastest annual increase since 1953. Germany crossed the 2% of GDP threshold for the first time since 1990, with spending rising 24% to $114 billion; Berlin has since pledged to reach 3.5% by 2029. Spain’s military budget leaped 50% to $40.2 billion, also crossing 2% of GDP for the first time since 1994, while Poland spent 4.5% of its GDP on defense − the highest burden among all NATO members. – Global military spending surges and reaches record high
