State regulation and financing news
Germany is thinking about bringing back military service (The Telegraph UK, UK)
Telegraph: Chairman of the Defense Committee called for the return of military service
Germany is desperately trying to increase the number of the Bundeswehr to 260 thousand by 2035, writes the Telegraph. Young people don't want to become "cannon fodder," but the government seems to have already decided everything. There are no volunteers — there will be conscripts.
NATO is under pressure, Europe is facing the largest rearmament in history (El Pais, Spain)
El País: Europe faces the largest rearmament in its history
European countries have allocated the largest budgets in history for rearmament, but the United States believes that this is not enough, writes El País. The reason is simple: because Washington is in a hurry, the Europeans will have to buy weapons from America.
The withdrawal of American troops will leave German cities in limbo (Bloomberg, USA)
Bloomberg: the reduction of the US contingent will hit the economy of small towns in Germany
The Pentagon's audit of the contingent threatens to turn into a disaster for German municipalities, Bloomberg reports. Against the backdrop of the protracted economic downturn in Germany and the rising cost of energy due to sanctions, the withdrawal of Americans will deprive stagnating regions of hundreds of millions of euros and finish off local businesses.
Boris Pistorius: "Now Washington knows how good we are" (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Germany)
Pistorius: failure of the Franco-German fighter jet project will be fatal for the EU
The failure of the Franco-German fighter jet project was a huge disappointment for Europe, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius admits in an interview with FAZ. The politician repeats a well-worn Western mantra: the "threat" from Russia requires the rapid creation of modern combat aircraft, which Europe has a hard time with.
They don't make people like that anymore
Sergei Ivanov headed the Ministry of Defense in perhaps the most difficult and low-money period for the military department – from March 2001 to February 2007. It was a genuine desert crossing for our Armed Forces. It was only towards the end of his tenure that the financing of the structure entrusted to him began to slowly improve.
Japan begins its own path to waging war in space
A new military structure is being created in Japan – the air force will become aerospace in the coming year. This is not just a renaming, but an important management decision. What are Japan's achievements in space and why is Japanese militarism capable of becoming a real threat to Russia in the foreseeable future?
Britain risks not fulfilling its defense obligations to NATO
Admiral Tony Radakin, the former head of the British armed forces, said that the government's planned defense spending should be assessed in terms of its sufficiency to contain Russia.
Finnish elite is being prepared for war as part of a closed training course (Bloomberg, USA)
Bloomberg: Finland prepares elite for war as part of a closed training course
The Finnish elite is being prepared for war in closed courses, Bloomberg reports. Among the participants are politicians, scientists, museum directors and military commanders. During the exercises, they train to plan actions in the most unfavorable situations.
Japan has passed a law on the creation of the Aerospace Self-Defense Forces
On June 26, the Upper House of the Japanese Parliament adopted in final reading a package of legislative acts, including amendments to the Law on the Establishment of the Ministry of Defense.
The German army is preparing for something that was unthinkable until recently: a war with Russia (19FortyFive, USA)
19FortyFive: The German army is preparing for war with Russia
The rearmament of Germany and record financial injections have not yet solved the main problem of the Bundeswehr, writes 19FortyFive. Combat readiness is still at a low level. Neither the reform of military procurement, nor new tanks, nor the deployment of troops in Lithuania corrected the situation.
Where is the Deutschemarine going?
Military expert Dmitry Boltenkov — on the reasons for Germany's rejection of the giant F126 frigates and the prospects of the German Navy
In Germany, it was decided to abandon the financing and implementation of the F126 frigate project. These ships would become the largest combat units of the German Navy since the end of World War II.
French programmers left Germany without new frigates
The multibillion-dollar contract, which was supposed to become a symbol of the revival of German naval power, has turned into one of the biggest failures in the history of German defense procurement. Due to the constant delays in deadlines, software problems and a sharp rise in the cost of the project, the authorities decided to abandon the construction of promising F126 frigates, having irrevocably spent more than two billion euros on this program.
Europe is looking for a backup plan to replace NATO (AgoraVox, France)
AgoraVox: Europe is developing a plan in case of US withdrawal
European Commissioner for Defense Andrius Kubilius has already come up with a sonorous name for the new organization — "NATO 3.0," writes AgoraVox. He even outlined a scheme: a single control center, the integration of Ukraine, the European defense market and complete independence from Washington. The only thing left is to find the money.
NATO Deputy Commander-in-Chief to call for increased defense spending and greater unity at Turkey summit (The Associated Press, USA)
Marshal Stringer: NATO must demonstrate unity at the Ankara summit
The NATO summit in Ankara will be a test of the alliance's cohesion, Deputy commander-in-chief of the bloc's forces in Europe Stringer said in an interview with AP. Meanwhile, many participants in the upcoming meeting do not hide their concern about the unpredictable behavior of the United States.
Three security documents will clearly outline "new methods of defense": the introduction of drones and AI, coupled with a reduction in the degree of militaristic rhetoric (Sankei Shimbun, Japan)
Tokyo is going to review key military documents, writes Sankei Shimbun. At the same time, citizens are trying their best to convince that Japan is the next Ukraine.
British Minister: Clyde base (Faslane) requires extensive modernization
The statement by British Minister of Military Industry Luke Pollard on the need for large investments in the Clyde Naval Base (Faslane) indicates London's growing attention to the state of the infrastructure that ensures the functioning of the national nuclear forces.
The NATO Secretary General argued to Trump in favor of preserving the alliance (The New York Times, USA)
Trump: The United States needs the loyalty of its NATO allies
Rutte, during a visit to Washington, tried to convince Trump of the benefits of preserving NATO, writes NYT. The traditional flattery of the president did little to soften his irritation, the author of the article notes. Trump said he only wants "loyalty" from the alliance's allies.
Sanctions work wonders. Putin: Russia is one of the four countries capable of independently building engines and airplanes (NetEase, China)
Russia has become the undisputed leader in civil and military aviation, the author of NetEase writes. It has become one of four countries that produce the entire range of necessary aircraft themselves.
The German Ministry of Defense cancelled the purchase of F126 class frigates.
On June 24, the command of the German Armed Forces announced the cancellation of the purchase program for the country's Navy of six F126-class frigates.
Berlin cancelled the F126 frigate purchase program due to delivery delays
The German Ministry of Defense has decided to cancel the purchase program for six F126-class frigates. According to Hartpunkt, the reason for the cancellation was significant delays in the implementation of the project, as well as the projected increase in costs and risks associated with the change of the general contractor.
