Global Scans · Military · Weekly Summary

• [New] NATO could face a Soviet-style mass army in the next decade if Russia succeeds in reforming its military. Caliber.az
• [New] Denmark will provide Ukraine with a new military aid package worth 1.1 billion kroner (roughly $172 million), including maritime equipment and funding for training. Critical Threats
• [New] While the United States is vocal on the issue of defence against genome editing, it can be speculated that it might also be active on the offensive side, through its military R&D. PubMed Central (PMC)
• [New] If the current trajectory continues, Russia will have the world's second largest standing army after China, which continues to massively increase its own military capability. Bruegel | The Brussels-based economic think tank
• [New] Denmark will provide Ukraine with a new military aid package worth 1.1 billion kroner ($171 million), including 400 million kroner ($62 million) earmarked for training Ukrainian troops. Ukraine's Arms Monitor
• [New] Norway will allocate 5.9 billion euros (roughly $6.86 billion) of its 2026 national budget for military aid to Ukraine. Ukraine's Arms Monitor
• [New] Earlier in 2025, the Kremlin launched a government plan to train 1.5 million drone operators by 2030, integrating drone use into the fabric of Russia's military, educational, and industrial systems. New Eastern Europe
• [New] Meta, which aims to build the future of human connection, will now be doing so by supporting weapons systems; it has offered a major AI model to military developers, and as it partners with Anduril, it will be creating virtual and mixed reality devices for US military use. UnHerd
• [New] Russia will not shy away from direct military confrontation with NATO if necessary. Newsweek
• [New] Russia could launch a military confrontation with Europe at any time and Germany is its number one target. Newsweek
• [New] Germany's new military procurement plan shows 154 major defence purchases planned through 2026, with only 8% going to U.S. suppliers - a dramatic shift from recent years when Berlin was one of Washington's biggest defence buyers. Courthouse News Service
• [New] American defence contractors, who have dominated European military sales for decades, will largely be shut out of the biggest spending surge since the Cold War. Courthouse News Service
• [New] Denmark will invest 27.4 billion crowns ($4.26 billion) to boost its military presence in the Arctic and plans to buy 16 new F-35 aircraft. FDD
• The annual China military power report published in December stated that China had surpassed 600 operational warheads as of mid-2024 and would have more than 1,000 operational nuclear warheads by 2035. The Washington Times
• North Korea is expected to showcase a new generation of strategic missiles and advanced weapons systems at a massive military parade this week, in what observers say is an attempt to project its growing ability to strike US and South Korean targets. South China Morning Post
• The US military's Africa Command announced earlier this week that part of its Flintlock 2026 counterterrorism exercise will take place in the Libyan city of Sirte and will involve military units aligned with both the western-based and eastern-based Libyan governments. Foreign Exchanges
• Russia plans for military contingencies beyond the current war in Ukraine on the backdrop of its current Phase Zero operations against Europe and that Moscow seeks to project power against NATO. Critical Threats
• The Russian defence industry is implementing long-term efforts to increase T-90 tank production and recreate Russia's pre-war tank reserves, indicating that Russia intends to present a long term military threat to NATO. Critical Threats
• Throughout the ongoing war in Ukraine, Russia has repeatedly used nuclear threats, direct or implied, to deter Western military support for Kiev. IRIA News
• Western officials have long weighed the possibility that Moscow might respond by striking targets on NATO territory - such as the military bases that are used as a staging post for aid to Ukraine. Edge and Odds -
• Exports involving military end users or entities on China's export control / watch lists will generally not be approved. China Briefing News
• A conflict could certainly take place if the PRC makes a military move to invade Taiwan - some national security analysts say that could happen as early as 2027. SOF News

Last updated: 26 October 2025