A Forecast International blog about the arms trade, geopolitics, defense and security, and military spending.
The leaders of the Senate Appropriations Committee reached an agreement to add $8 billion to the FY24 defense budget, using emergency spending authority to bypass spending limits put in place …
Senate Appropriators Agree to Bypass Spending Limits, Add $8 Billion for Defense Read More
The House’s recent version of the FY24 defense appropriations bill provided a lifeline for the alternate engine being developed for the F-35, but the legislation doesn’t foresee actually using the …
House Bill Keeps Alternate F-35 Engine Afloat, but Only for Research Purposes Read More
U.S. Congressional defense committees have been hard at work marking up their versions of FY24 defense legislation. Thus far, we’ve seen drafts released from the House Armed Services Committee and …
FY24 Congressional Budget Markup Process in Full Swing Read More
After months of bickering with the Ministry of Defense over the course of the war in Ukraine, Wagner PMC head Yevgeny Prigozhin threw down the gauntlet over the weekend, marching …
Prigozhin Plays His Hand Read More
The FY24 budget request (PB24) changed significantly from projections in last year’s spending plan (PB23), for a variety of reasons. Some programs were increased in scope, some were scaled back, …
Biggest Gains and Losses in the Pentagon’s FY24 Budget Read More
The ink hasn’t dried on the debt deal that placed limits on defense spending, but lawmakers are already discussing potential workarounds to add more funding to the Pentagon’s coffers in …
Lawmakers Already Eyeing Debt Limit Workarounds to Boost Defense Budget Read More
The new debt ceiling and spending agreement reached by President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has major implications for Pentagon spending and acquisition programs for at least the …
Implications of the Debt Agreement for Pentagon Spending and Acquisition Read More
Russia traces the history of its arms export control system to 1953 under the Soviet Union, with this month marking the 70th anniversary of the establishment of Russia’s system of …
Russian Officials Discuss Military-Technical Cooperation Read More
New Zealand has announced its intention to provide its armed forces with an NZD748 million ($471 million) top-up of investment over a four-year period, or roughly NZD187 million ($118 million) …
Amid Retention Woes, New Zealand Scrambles to Increase Defense Spending Read More
When, in the wake of a shocking string of criminal massacres, Mexican President Felipe Calderon first deployed the Mexican armed forces to combat organized crime on the country’s streets in …
The Future of Mexican Security Sector Reform Read More