A Forecast International blog about the arms trade, geopolitics, defense and security, and military spending.
With its latest budgetary earmark announced on February 1, India’s defense establishment can expect another year of limited military modernization. The FY25-26 allocation is set at INR6.81 trillion ($77.8 billion), …
India’s Defense Budget Rise Insufficient to Meet Strategic Requirements Read More
The British Ministry of Defense expects to move forward with a contract for the New Medium Helicopter (NMH) in 2025, a defense official said at a parliamentary hearing this week. …
U.K. to Order New Medium Helicopter in 2025 Read More
Austria’s leading political parties are struggling to come to an agreement on forming a coalition government after last year’s elections, media reported this week. Talks between far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ) …
Austrian Political Parties Struggle to Form Government Read More
In a show of shipbuilding force, the Indian Navy commissioned three separate vessels at once on Jan. 15, in a ceremony at the state-owned Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders in Mumbai. The …
Indian Navy’s Triple Commissioning Signals Ambitious Future Read More
A bilateral dispute between the United States and Colombia over the terms of migrant deportation flights reached a tentative diplomatic resolution Sunday night after a flurry of escalatory negotiations brought …
Colombia Accepts US Military Deportation Flights After Standoff Read More
The Czech government spent over 2.0 percent of GDP on defense in 2024, the country’s Ministry of Defense announced on January 6, bringing the country’s budget into line with the …
Czech Defense Budget Now Over 2 Percent of GDP, MoD Says Read More
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced he will step down as prime minister and leader of the Liberal Party, ending a tenure that lasted nearly a decade. Trudeau has faced …
Justin Trudeau Stepping Down as Prime Minister of Canada Read More
Over a decade after protests sprung up against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in 2011, rebel forces, long on the back foot of the conflict, have accomplished the unthinkable and toppled …
Syria at a Crossroads After Assad’s Stunning Collapse Read More
The Middle East’s share of U.S. arms imports has steadily declined, a trend largely influenced by the U.S. policy of ensuring Israel’s Qualitative Military Edge (QME). This legally mandated policy, …
US, Israel, China, and the Shifting Arms Trade in the Middle East Read More
On November 20, U.K. Defense Secretary John Healey announced a slate of decommissioning initiatives aimed at saving £500 million ($623 million) over five years. The equipment slated for retirement, the …
Ahead of Strategic Defense Review, UK Defense Secretary Announces Equipment Cuts Read More