Global Scans · War · Weekly Summary

• [New] Spain will send a small number of Patriot missiles to Ukraine in response to pressure from EU and NATO allies to provide more military aid to Kiev. The Telegraph
• [New] Sweden should increase its military budget by nearly 54 billion kronor ($5 billion) until 2030 to strengthen its air defences and beef up the number of conscripts, a Swedish parliamentary committee recommended Friday. The Washington Post
• [New] The Defence Commission would like to emphasise that the submitted proposals may need to be adjusted depending on the development of Russia's full-scale illegal invasion of Ukraine and the risk of further deterioration of the security situation. Regeringskansliet
• [New] India's role in the (Indo-Pacific) Quad, alongside the US, Australia and Japan, shows how India is using alliances as a key element of its defence against threats from China. British Foreign Policy Group
• [New] Space Force, Space Command Seek $2 Billion for Unfunded Programs toCounter Anti-Satellite Threats The U.S. Space Force and U.S. JD Supra
• [New] While eighteen NATO members are projected to spend at least 2% of GDP on defence in 2024, Russia is poised to earmark 6% of its GDP for defence expenditures. Council on Foreign Relations
• [New] The UK Royal Navy will install the DragonFire laser directed energy weapon onboard one of its warships five years earlier than planned under new procurement reforms introduced by the UK Ministry of Defence in April. Janes.com
• [New] Japan and the United States are expected to jointly submit a resolution in the near future to the U.N. Security Council calling for no nuclear weapons or weapons of mass destruction to be deployed in Earth's orbit. Kyodo News+
• [New] As a small nation with a strong focus on innovation and technology, Singapore is keenly aware of the transformative potential of AI in defence and security. @RSIS_NTU
• [New] Through Chinese support, Russia has largely reconstituted its defence industrial base, which has an impact not just on the battlefield in Ukraine but poses a larger threat, we believe, to broader European security. The Washington Post
• [New] From Russia and Ukraine to Israel, Iran and the broader Middle East as well as Indo-Pacific and trade issues, the U.S. and China are on a series of collision courses that have sparked fears about military and strategic security as well as international economic stability. The Washington Post
• [New] US lawmakers passed a raft of legislation containing some $95 billion in military aid for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan, also approving a bill that will allow Washington to hand Kiev assets seized from Russia and pave the way for a ban on TikTok. News From Antiwar.com
• [New] The US public debt is already high and rising geopolitical conflicts will add defence spending, which may over time erode space for public incentives of the green transition. Energy Connects
• [New] Israeli officials criticized US plans to block military aid to an IDF unit due to alleged human rights abuses in the West Bank. Institute for the Study of War
• [New] More US deliveries of air defence systems might come after the US House of Representatives passed a package over the weekend of $61 billion in support, including $13.8 billion for Ukraine to buy weapons. The Boston Globe
• [New] Defence spending will increase immediately and rise linearly - with a further £500 million for Ukraine in 2024 and overall increase of £3 billion in the next financial year. GOV.UK
• [New] The US House of Representatives on Saturday approved long-delayed military aid to Ukraine in a rare show of bipartisan unity, while also bolstering Israel and Taiwan defences and threatening to ban Chinese-owned TikTok. Yahoo News
• [New] Ukrainian soldiers trained in the UK were given free cigarettes under a deal brokered by the Ministry of Defence, despite the dangers of smoking. The Telegraph
• [New] US military supplies, including for air defence systems and artillery units, could be moved to Ukraine in a matter of days after final approval. BBC News
• [New] Israel's undetected strike could spur Iran to bolster protections for its nuclear program by driving its facilities further underground, or move its weapons closer to the Jewish state in case of future conflicts. New York Post
• [New] The House of Representatives on Saturday passed a bill that includes more than $14 billion in military aid to Israel and more than $9 billion in humanitarian aid, much of which will go to Gaza. Insider
• [New] The US House of Representatives will finally vote on Saturday on a series of foreign aid bills, bringing an end to a months-long standoff in Congress led mostly by Republicans who refuse to support funding Ukraine's ongoing military defence against Russia's invasion. The Guardian
• [New] The US will withdraw more than 1,000 military personnel from Niger in a move that will force the Biden administration to rethink its counter-terrorism strategy and amounts to a strategic victory for Russia. The Guardian

Last updated: 27 April 2024