A Forecast International blog about the arms trade, geopolitics, defense and security, and military spending.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has spurred countries across Europe to re-examine their long-neglected militaries, with nation after nation formally declaring their intent to increase defense funding and bolster respective …
Netherlands Prepares to Bolster Defense Read More
Sweden’s last war was tangentially a Napoleonic one, and a Swedish soldier was last killed in action in Afghanistan. And yet, Sweden has one of the most well-equipped militaries for …
A History of Neutrality Potentially Broken? Sweden’s Move Toward NATO Read More
Finland’s top leaders, President Sauli Niinisto and Prime Minister Sanna Marin, announced on May 12 that they favor their country applying for NATO membership. The joint statement said, “As a …
Finnish Leaders Seek to Fast-Track NATO Accession Read More
Pentagon officials are pushing Congress to tweak the annual defense policy bill on the current legislative docket in order to open up a path for cooperation on collaborative defense programs …
We Want In: Pentagon Seeks Congressional Approval for Widening U.S.-EU Defense Cooperation Read More
Canada can be added to the growing list of countries that have pledged to increase defense spending in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Ottawa released a 2022 budget …
Canada Outlines Plan to Increase Defense Spending and Conduct a New Defense Policy Review Read More Finland’s five-party government has announced an agreement to supplement its defense budgetary outlays with an additional EUR2 billion ($2.19 billion) allocation. The agreement comes amidst a backdrop of Russia’s invasion …
Alarmed by Events in Ukraine, Finland Agrees to Defense Spending Top-Up Read More
On Monday, the Biden administration will request an $813.3 billion national security budget, which includes $773 billion for the Pentagon plus funding for nuclear programs in the Department of Energy …
White House Seeking $813.3 Billion for National Security in FY23 Read More
With existing law enforcement structures largely unable to cope with the social and economic largesse of organized criminal gangs and the pervasive violence left in the wake of intra-gang conflicts, …
Can El Salvador Sustain Its Rising Defense Expenditures? Read More
Vows to cut gas imports from Russia by two-thirds before end of 2022 by J. Kasper Oestergaard, European Correspondent, Forecast International. The Russian invasion of Ukraine has forced a reckoning over …
Europe and Natural Gas: EU Unveils Ambitious Plan to Reduce Energy Imports from Russia Read More
The launch of Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, represents a test for Europe. Will the comfortable, economically developed countries that formed the backbone of the European …
The Great European Defense Reset Now Begins Read More